Do you feel that funding for your postgraduate research is a bit like the elephant in the room, everyone knows the issue is there but it seems no one wants to help you get rid of it or at least keep it happily fed?
Do you look around you and see others who seem to have solved the problem? The chap in the lab next door whose main focus is his research topic rather than worrying about paying the rent or being able to attend that overseas conference?
When you are bugged by questions about funding your research, your eligibility, application and budget issues where should you turn? Navigating the University’s application processes, as well as the threatening labyrinths of external funding bodies can be daunting. You know there must be people with the expertise to advise and assist, but who are these brave souls – do they exist for you only as anonymous voices on the phone, or helpfully pedantic emailers?
This post is the first of a series of posts that will help you unpack the funding issue, provide useful tips and introduce you to key people.
Author Pip Hay
Kia ora. Great site. Looking foward to the money matters tips and tricks discussion. Anyone applied and recieved a stipend? Thinking about finishing my phd full-time and wonder how many people manage to get it.
Pip Hay replied:
You have raised an important point Dwepa. Scholarship funding, particularly that with a stipend, is usually limited to people able to commit full time to their research – funders tend to want an outcome sooner rather than later, which is also why the tenure of most is three years. However many scholarships do permit some employment – up to 10 -12 hours per week is usually approved if the work relevant to the research.Hopefully you are receiving the Scholarships E-newsletter via your faculty. Its worth while regularly keeping your eye on that bulletin.