Following the launch of the SGAC Alumni Fund, SGAC is launching a scholarship program to support SGAC members to attend SGAC regional events or events not covered by other SGAC scholarship programs.

Application close: 31st July 2019, 23:59 GMT

Description

The scholarships will support up to 4 SGAC members to attend either:

• An SGAC Regional, Thematic or Local events
• An event where the person is representing SGAC (for example presenting a paper which is an outcome of SGAC activities)

As part of the application process, applicants need to include information about the event they want to attend. The event needs to be held in the period of September 2019 – September 2020.

Award

The winners will be awarded a scholarship of up to 350 USD, to cover part or all of the costs associated with their trip. This may include event registration, travel costs and accommodation.

Evaluation

This scholarship is merit-based. Final selection of awardees will be based on information we have regarding their past activities and the competitiveness of the application pool.

The following factors will be taken into account in assessing the applications:

• Country of Nationality and Residence: Does the country have access to additional support from SGAC for this specific event?
• Communication Skills: How clear has the applicant outlined their reasons for taking part in the event?
• Past contributions of the applicant to the space sector
• Past contributions of the applicant to SGAC Activities
• Applicants motivation: How does the event benefit the applicant and SGAC
• Dissemination plans of the applicant during and after the event: How does the applicant raise awareness about SGAC and its contribution to their professional development.

Applications will be reviewed by at least 2 individuals: one SGAC team and one alumni. Additional judges may be involved to refine the scoring.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your complete application using the Scholarship Submission Form.

You will need to submit a single file including:

• A 1-page Letter Of Intent. In addition to general information, your letter should address the following points:
  • Notable contributions to the space sector (whether academia, industry, government or non-profit)
  • What is the event you plan to attend? And why?
    • If this is an SGAC event, what do you think you can contribute to the event?
    • If it is not an SGAC event, what benefit would this bring to SGAC?
    • If you are planning to present something at the event or take part in a specific activity, please provide relevant details.
  • How would the event impact your professional development? (research, job, networking opportunities, etc)
  • What other sources of support (if any) are you applying for?
  • How much support do you think you will need?
• A 1-minute video responding to the following questions:
  • Why do you plan to attend the event? What do you hope to learn/achieve during this event?
  • How are you going to raise awareness about the scholarship, SGAC and its impact on your professional development? How are you going to give back to the community?
• A two-page resume

Please submit your documents as unlocked PDF files. For the video, please include a link to an online source in the PDF file. Your name should be included at the top of all pages. Your submission should follow the competition guidelines below.

Guidelines

Eligibility

1. The competition is open to students and young professionals from any country.
2. All individuals or team members shall be SGAC members between the ages of 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 36th birthday) on 1 September 2020.
3. The competition is only open to individuals. No team submissions are accepted.
4. Competition organisers and judges are not eligible for this award.
5. Should winners receive support from another source for the same event midway through the program, SGAC should be informed of this. This will not make applicants ineligible for the award, as we do understand that the scholarship only covers parts of their costs.

Submission

1. All submissions shall be made by 31st July 2019, 23:59 GMT. Any submissions after the deadlines will not be considered.
2. The submission is due as an unlocked PDF document under 5 MB. It shall be submitted via the Scholarships Submission Form. You will need to be logged in as an SGAC member to access the submission page.
3. The language of all submissions shall be English.
4. In case of lack of quality of submissions, SGAC has the right to extend and or cancel the scholarship.

Responsibilities of the Winners

The winning author shall:

• • Attend the event they applied for
  • Submit a short report (2 pages excluding pictures) and a short video (1 minute) describing their experience at the event for inclusion on the SGAC website, newsletter or social media and that of our partners
  • Highlight the scholarship and event on their social media, personal website or blog

All responsibilities shall be fulfilled and reports etc. submitted no later than 2 months from the day of the event.

In case the scholarship awardee(s) do(es) not complete the scholarship requirements on time, the scholarship funds will be transferred to SGAC alumni fund to continue supporting the mission and work of SGAC.

Applicants will receive a list of responsibilities and specific deadlines for their event after winning the scholarship.

Reimbursement

1. The award will be paid out after the event, no later than 30 days after fulfilment of all responsibilities listed above.
2. The scholarship award reimbursement is conditioned on the awardee fulfilling the scholarship requirements not later than 2 months after the event.
3. In case applicants or the winning author receive funding for the event from any other organisation, the Scholarships Coordinators shall be informed. If the applicants don’t inform the Scholarships Coordinators, SGAC reserves the right to not reimburse the winner. SGAC aims to reduce the number of double scholarships and will work with the winners to develop a solution in these cases.
4. Applicants are advised to not engage any expenses until they have formal confirmation that the competition has been awarded. SGAC is not liable for any expenses incurred by applicants in any case where a competition is not awarded, or in excess of the value of the awarded grant.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

1. By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit SGAC and all affiliated organisers to mention their names, affiliations and headshot picture in connection with the competition.
2. Copyright of the submitted entry shall remain with the contestants. However, by submitting an entry all contestants agree that SGAC and all affiliated organisers are granted non-exclusive reproduction rights regarding all submitted papers. SGAC and all affiliated organisers may also present ideas and findings generated by this competition at relevant conferences.

Liability

1. Organisers shall not be responsible should the event applied for is cancelled. SGAC will not reimburse the winning author, even if he/she has already incurred expenses.
2. Organisers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend their chosen event or is unable to under extenuating circumstances; in that case, the award offer shall become void.
3. Organisers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner cannot obtain any necessary travel documents; if they are required but not obtained, the award offer shall become void.

Schedule

Applications Open: 1 May 2019

Submission Deadline: 31st July 2019, 23:59 GMT

Winners announced: 5 August 2019

Contact

For any questions, please refer to SGAC Scholarships Coordinators ([email protected]).

Sponsor

SGAC would like to acknowledge the support received from alumni members to fund these scholarships. The SGAC Alumni Fund was set up in 2018 to enable more people to go through the SGAC journey. For more information about the fund, please see the SGAC Alumni Fund Webpage.