Student Application Criteria

Funding Higher Education and Capacity Building in Nepal are at the heart of the Glacier Trust’s work. Most development work in the Himalayas and Nepal is carried out by Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). But because Nepal’s climate is changing so rapidly, The Trust’s main concern is how to bring understanding of climate change to the centre of development programmes. Climate change affects every aspect of development from health to agriculture, livestock and forestry. More intense rainfall will also have serious affect on slope stability. The Nepalese are the best people to develop capacity building initiatives to deal with the multiple problems of climate change. Interventions will be much more effective with better academic understanding of the problems and for this they need financial support for higher education programmes.

The trustees recognise that, if these objectives are to be met, there is a need to build the capacity of Nepali postgraduates to meet the challenges posed by climate change for mountain communities. The Trust is therefore able to provide funding for a limited number of postgraduates to help pay the expenses of their fieldwork and research, whether at MSc (or equivalent) or PhD level. Funds for postdoctoral research will also be considered. Where possible, The Trust tries to add a dimension to this process by sending UK postgraduates to “twin” Nepali postgraduates. This process is intended (a) to give Nepali postgraduates experience in computing methods, data gathering and interrogation, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Systems and the like which are seen as essential tools in assessing and addressing climate change issues. (b) It is intended to give UK students access to Nepali culture and insights into the complexities of issues which would otherwise be invisible to them in their research.

Application methods:

(1) The Glacier Trust is works with NGOs who have a track record of working in Nepal’s mountainous regions. At present NGOs select particular areas of research which they need in relation to climate change and the communities they work with. NGOs can approach Nepali University faculties most closely associated with the issues involved. The Nepali University proposes a shortlist of eligible postgraduate students working on related subjects. The NGO selects the student(s) they consider most appropriate and administer the funding of the grant. Where necessary, the NGO can help provide contacts and backup for student research in remoter places.

(2) Recently the Trust has decided to widen the scope for applications to enable Nepali postgraduate students to apply via their university supervisors. To have the best chance, applications should be submitted before the end of September. In this case the application should contain (a) a CV (no more than two pages), (b) A concept note (no more than 2 pages) and (c) an endorsement from the applicant’s supervisor (no more than 1 page). The Glacier Trust will try, where appropriate, to liaise between the student, supervisor and an NGO to administer the grant.

Please note that the subjects for fieldwork scholarships should be broadly in the area of the effects of climate change on mountain communities and adaptation strategies or subjects relating to the furthering of these studies.