Jones-Fenleigh Fund

What is it?



  • A fund administered by each year's SVPCA host committee to help pay for delegates with no institutional financial support to attend the SVPCA meeting.

  • Managed by the Palaeontological Association as a 'designated fund'.

  • Started in 1989, with money donated by the Jones-Fenleigh family in memory of the man who introduced the first museum-quality dinosaur models, made by Invicta Plastics of Leicester.

  • Increased by donations from delegates, including the proceeds of the annual auction that takes place at the SVPCA meeting.


Who is eligible?


Anyone wishing to attend and give a verbal or poster presentation with no means of financial support, including but not limited to students and amateurs.


How are bursaries awarded?


The hosts of the current SVPCA meeting form an informal panel to select applications. The number of awards varies from year to year, depending on the number and quality of applications and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Fund.


The award is competitive. Criteria for selecting bursary winners include:



  • Need - you must have no institutional support for the meeting costs

  • Applicants need to be the lead author and presenter of their talk or poster

  • Quality of the abstract submitted

  • Originality and innovation of the research to be presented

  • Its relevance to the aims and subject of the meeting and the interests of the founder of the Fund - vertebrate palaeontology and comparative anatomy


The award pays a maximum of £500 which is claimed retrospectively from the Palaeontological Association on the production of receipts. The award can be used to pay for travel to the meeting, the conference fee, accommodation, and subsistence, but not optional extras (field trip, conference dinner).


How to apply


Please apply to the current organising committee via email and by the registration deadline. In your email application you are required to submit:



  • A copy of your talk or poster abstract.

  • Covering letter explaining your circumstances and need

  • If appropriate, a letter from your employer/institution supporting your application and including an assurance that you will not be financially supported

Winners

More than twenty bursaries have been awarded to date. Recent winners have included delegates from Scotland, South America, Russia, England, Spain, Germany and France.