Frances Paterson Scholarships
SCL awards for Ph.D candidates in Construction Law
As a tribute to her distinguished contribution to construction law, and to the work of SCL, the Society has decided to offer a scholarship bearing Frances Paterson's name. The purpose of the scholarship is to support doctoral research in the field of constructionlaw at a UK university.
- The Scholarship is intended to assist with the payment of university fees for the duration of a Doctorate and has therefore been set at 50% of the annual course fee, up to a maximum of £2,500 per year (£1,250 for a part-time candidate).
- Applicants must be registered for a Doctorate, or for a Master's leading to transfer to a Doctorate, at a university in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, undertaking research in construction law, within the broad definition given in the SCL Hudson Prize guidance.
- The intention is that the award will be renewed annually, based on confirmation of satisfactory progress being provided by the holder's supervisor. Subject to this, it is intended that the award will be for 3 years for a full-time candidate and for 4 years for a part-time candidate.
- No extension of the duration of the award is envisaged. An application for an extension would only be considered if the candidate's supervisor could demonstrate exceptional circumstances which the University Liaison and Grants Sub-Committee regarded as justifying an extension.
- Applications for award (and renewal of an existing award) must be made at least eight working weeks before the start of the term of the year of the award.
- Applications must be on thepro-forma available on the SCL web-site, or from the SCL Administrators, Jill Ward and Frances Whitehead. Applicationsmust be accompanied by a reference from the university supervisor, or prospective supervisor of the candidate as to:a) the academic record and quality of the candidate;b) the value of the research, including prospects for publication; andc) the prospects of completion within 3 years (full-time) and 4 years (part-time).
- All decisions on awards, and renewal of awards, willbe at the absolute discretion of SCL Council, on the recommendation of the University Liaison and Grants Sub-Committee. An independent academic reviewer may be used in the initial award process. The Society cannot enter into communication with applicants regarding the merits of decisions on applications and/or renewals.
- On successful completion of the Doctorate, the holder of the award may be invited to make a presentation to a meeting of SCL and will be requiredto provide a written summary of the results within the format of a SCL paper.
To mark the launch of the scholarships in the year of Frances's death, the Society proposes to offer TWO full-time awards (or part-time equivalents) for Doctorates commencing in Autumn 2018 (commencement in January 2019 will also be accepted). In future years, starting in September 2019, ONE further full-time award(or part-time equivalent) per year is intended, subject to suitable applications being received.