Academic Expenses Fund

Up to £250 per financial year (1st July-30th June) is available to each Postgraduate to cover expenses such as conference fees, academic related travel, thesis printing and binding costs etc. This fund cannot be used to cover expenditure on books or other equipment. Veterinary Medics & Medics in their 4/5&6th years may also apply. You should apply to the fund, in advance, in the year in which the expenditure will be incurred and provide any receipts in support of your application. Click Here to Apply

Alana Cutland Fund

Applications are invited for the Alana Cutland Research Grants, established in memory of Alana Cutland, a student of the Natural Sciences in this College.

The number and value of the grants shall be determined annually by the Awarders, to a maximum of £1000 per person.

The grants are open to any resident female undergraduate member of Robinson College who is currently following a STEMM Tripos (i.e. Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Natural Sciences, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine) and seeking to undertake a research project over the long vacation. In years when there are no such applications, applications will then be invited from female undergraduate students in arts and humanities subjects for the same purpose.

These research grants are to help with expenses related directly to the academic research project to be undertaken over the long vacation. Such expenses may include those connected with: travel, accommodation and subsistence, bench fees, materials and any other expenses incurred as a result of the project at the discretion of the awarding committee.

Eligible applicants should submit an application form for a grant which should include details of the project, its likely costs, and an explanation of why the project cannot be funded by other means (including details of any bursaries received and any other financial information that might be relevant). Details of any other funds applied for should be provided and the outcome of such applications where possible. An up-to-date CV should also be submitted.  Applications are open from 01 November - 30 January.

Awards will be determined by the academic merit of the project; an applicant’s financial situation will also be taken into consideration. Awards are conditional on the successful applicant submitting a short report on her research project once it is completed, which is to be returned to the Tutorial Office. A copy of this report will be forwarded to the donors, together with a copy of the successful application. Click Here to Apply

André Fu Prize for Digital Design

The André Fu Prize for digital design will support innovation and excellence in digital design in an academic context. The Prize is generously supported by André Fu, an alumnus of the College, via the André Fu Arts Foundation Limited.

A prize of £1000 shall be awarded annually and the awarders shall, if they think it proper, divide the grants between candidates of equal merit, or make no award.

The grants are open to any resident undergraduate member of Robinson College. In order to apply, eligible undergraduates are invited to submit an entry to the Prize, which should comprise a piece of academic work that demonstrates innovation and excellence in digital design. This work may be a project or piece of work produced as part of their course or developed specifically for the Prize. A text explanation (of 500-1000 words) must be submitted with the work, explaining how it demonstrates innovation and excellence.  Applications are open from 01 November - 30 January.

Awards will be determined based on the merit of the submission, defined as the extent to which it demonstrates innovation and excellence.

Book and Equipment Loan Fund (Undergraduates and Clinical Medicine/Veterinary Medicine Students)

The College may purchase expensive books or equipment which you need for exclusive and continuous use. The books will normally be items that may be of value to other students once you are finished with them. The maximum sum you may claim in each academic year is £75, although this limit may be waived at the discretion of the Financial Tutor to cover the cost of a single item of durable equipment. The fund is intended to help with expensive books/equipment, thus only costs of more than £35/book will be considered.  With the exception of stethoscopes bought for Medics and Vets, all books/equipment bought by the College must be returned to the College before graduation.
Applications should be supported by your Director of Studies and are open from 01 July - 30 June.
Click Here to Apply

Chaffield Shaw Electives fund

Applications may be made to the Chaffield Shaw Medical Support Fund for financial assistance with costs directly associated with the Year 5 medical elective that is part of the Clinical Medicine course. Please note that assistance is not available from this fund for other electives/projects. 
-    Only Year 5 Medical Students are eligible
-    A detailed elective proposal and budget will be required at the time of application 
It should be noted that preference may be given to students whose elective proposals include a research component. Students are also expected to seek financial assistance from other relevant funding sources and detail any other sources of funding (granted or applied for) in their application. If you have any questions, please contact Dr Doherty to discuss.  Applications are open from 01 October - 30 June.  Click Here to Apply

Chaffield Shaw MML 

The fund allows students in their first and second years studying MML or HML to go on a language course abroad for one or two weeks in preparation for their language exams in Easter term. Students normally travel in the vacation after the end of Lent term, and arrange to live with a host family. The fund covers travel, accommodation and language school fees, up to about £850. Priority will be given to those students who have not received money from the fund previously.  Applications are open from 01 October - 30 March. Click Here to Apply

Chaffield Shaw Vet EMS 

The Chaffield Shaw Veterinary Medicine Support Fund (CSVMSF) is only available to clinical veterinary students. Each student is entitled to claim reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses incurred undertaking clinical Extramural Studies from the Christmas Vacation of their 4th year onwards. The total sum reclaimable over the duration of the clinical course is £1000. All placements undertaken must be in accordance with the Department of Veterinary Medicine’s EMS requirements. Claims are retrospective and must be supported by relevant receipts.  Applications are open from 01 October - 30 September.  Click Here to Apply

College Bursaries

A number of College Bursaries are available each term for both PG and UG applicants, with the awards made after the end of term, appearing as a credit on the following term’s College Account (cash awards may also be awarded).  The Bursaries are funded through 2 main funds – Pegasus Fund (usually for UK students) and the Bye Fellows Fund (usually for overseas students).  Awards vary from £475 to £1900 and students will normally only be considered once in an academic year.  The main purpose of these funds is to alleviate severe and immediate financial stress.  Requests for free vacation accommodation should be made using the bursary application form.  Awards are not available to fund new computers.  UK students who have not taken advantage of student loans will not be considered. The Financial Tutor interviews every applicant and reports to the Awarding Committee. Click Here to Apply

Fred Boyne Sporting Achievement Fund

In recognition of the long and distinguished service of our first Head Porter, and his unwavering support for all forms of competitive sport among the junior members, past and present members of the College have contributed generously to a Fund to further the cause he has done so much to foster.

While exceptional costs associated with training or competition in any sport in which the University competes may qualify for support, consideration will be given in the first instance for kit and other equipment for which the Student Activities Fund does not cater.  In order to apply, please complete the application form giving details of your proposed use of funds and please attach details of your expected or accrued costs.  Applications are open 23 April - 01 June.

Applications from Undergraduates and Postgraduates are welcome, Awards will be made no later than the end of Easter Term. Click Here to Apply

Friends of the College Fund

The Fund is intended to provide grants to members of Robinson College for activities related to their course of study or general education or for any other purpose deemed appropriate by the managers. 

Eligibility: all undergraduate and postgraduate students

In order to apply, please complete the application form along with a a covering letter (maximum of one page of A4) giving details of your proposed use of funds and please attach details of your expected or accrued costs. Where an application is made to cover covid-19 related costs, details of any financial or other hardship should be included in the covering letter. Applicants should also list any other funds they have received during the academic year in question from the College.  Applications are open 23 April - 01 June.   Click Here to Apply

Hugh Paton – JPMorgan Bursaries

The Hugh Paton – JPMorgan Bursaries wasestablished in memory of the late William Hugh Dewar Paton, sometime Fellow in Law of this College.

There shall be two bursaries awarded each year, of a value of up to £1000 a year.

The bursaries are open to female undergraduates only at Robinson in their second year of undergraduate study. They may be reading for any Tripos taught in the University, with the exception of Architecture, Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, and must have received at least Lower Second Class Honours in the Tripos of the previous year, or the equivalent in a Preliminary Examination where there is no Tripos examination at the end of the first year.

Bursary recipients shall be chosen on the criteria of financial need (and mindful of any provision of support already made via the College and the University bursary schemes), and the extent of their contribution to the larger life of the College, combined with serious attention to their academic studies.

The bursaries may be renewed for each succeeding year of a recipient’s undergraduate course, subject to continuing satisfactory performance. The decision on what constitutes satisfactory performance shall be at the entire discretion of the awarders.

Applicants should complete the application form and send a covering letter giving details of financial need and any financial support already received via College and/or University funds and also about their contribution to the life of the College, plus an up-to-date CV.  Applications are open from 01 November - 30 January.

Hugh Paton was the first Law Fellow at Robinson College.  His undergraduate LLB was from University College, London in 1978 and as a postgraduate student at Wolfson College, Cambridge he received his LLB (now the LL.M) in 1979.

In 1980 he received the highest possible mark for the Diploma in International Law from the Hague Academy of International Law; this followed his starred first in his graduate LLB. That same year he became the founding Law Fellow at Robinson College, becoming one of the first Fellows to live in the new building, and joined Patrick Neill’s chambers as a barrister at 3 Hare Court in the Temple.

Hugh joined JPMorgan in 1983, beginning a career with the firm that was to last over 18 years.  Having trained in New York, Hugh’s work at the Firm spanned several different roles until 1995, when he became a Managing Director of JPMorgan.  During his time with JPMorgan Hugh had a particular concern to ensure that women who wished to follow a career in investment banking were given every encouragement and opportunity to do so.

Hugh Paton was tragically killed when his single-engine plane, which he was piloting, crashed when landing at Newquay Airport on 23rd June 2001. 

Click Here to Apply

Irène Némirovsky Memorial Travel Grant

The award will be made to the student who submits the best research proposal, specifically for a project involving travel to France in order to undertake or complete a study of any aspect of French cultural, historical, social, political or scientific life. Priority will be given to a study of the impact or influence of a Jewish person, Jewish people or Jewish culture in France.  The award is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate members of the College other than those undergraduates studying French.  Applications open 23 April - 01 June.

£300 will be awarded to the successful applicant.

A research proposal together with brief covering letter should be sent along with the application form. Click Here to Apply

Isi Metzstein Fund

Origin and purpose of the Isi Metzstein Fund: The fund was first established through generous donations from alumni and friends of the College with the purpose to provide financial assistance to current students of the Architecture and Design triposes in College as they undertake major, well planned study tasks, particularly the Y3 dissertation.  The applicant should discuss with their DoS

Applicants should provide: a one-page, well considered plan of the study task, including an explanation of the study task, the plan to accomplish it, estimates of the costs to be incurred e.g. travel for field visits, information (books, data), materials, tools and small equipment, etc.  Applications are open from 01 October - 30 June.

Dates when it is open each year: the start of the Summer Vacation (although in special circumstances, the application can be made at other times including retrospectively, subject to prior approval by the DoS of the triposes. Click Here to Apply

Language Courses

The College will normally reimburse 50% of the cost of a CULP language course upon production of the receipt and the certificate of completion of the course.  Applications are invited from 01 October - 30 June.  Click Here to Apply

Mathers Science Grants

The Mathers Science Research Grants is to support undergraduate Natural Science students in undertaking vacation project work.

The number and value of the grants shall be determined annually by the Awarders, to a total amount of £1000.

The grants are open to any resident undergraduate member of Robinson College who is currently following the Natural Sciences Tripos, either biological or physical.

These research grants are to help with expenses related directly to the research project to be undertaken over the long vacation. Such expenses may include those connected with: travel, accommodation and subsistence, bench fees, materials and any other expenses incurred as a result of the project at the discretion of the awarding committee.

Eligible applicants should submit an application form for a grant which should include details of the project, its likely costs, and an explanation of why the project cannot be funded by other means (including details of any bursaries received and any other financial information that might be relevant). Details of any other funds applied for should be provided and the outcome of such applications where possible. An up-to-date CV should also be submitted.  Applications are open from 01 November - 30 January.

Awards will be determined by the academic merit of the project; an applicant’s financial situation will also be taken into consideration. Awards are conditional on the successful applicant submitting a short report on his/her research project once it is completed, which is to be returned to the Tutorial Office. A copy of this report will be forwarded to the donors, together with a copy of the successful application. Click Here to Apply

Student Activity Fund

Application to this fund are welcome throughout the year from UG and PG students, but all applications must be submitted by 30 June.
Funds are available to support activities out of the ordinary. These include, for example, representing the University in sport, music or other competitions, vacation work placements that are not a compulsory part of your course.  Cost of attendance at conferences and other special academic expenses in connection with a dissertation would also be considered (Undergraduates only – Post Graduates should apply to the Academic Expenses Fund - see above).
The fund will contribute 60% towards receipted costs of up to £250.  Evidence of selection must be provided. 
For representative sport participation, University badged clothing costs may be claimed. Match fees, travel costs and some paid for training sessions will probably be eligible. Neither membership nor subscriptions are eligible (The RCSA will often reimburse subscriptions up to £25 per year). Please note clothing or equipment which is not University-badged – boots, shoes, bats, rackets etc can NOT be claimed as part of this.  Gym Membership can NOT be claimed. Click Here to Apply

Student Opportunities Fund

The grants shall be open to any resident undergraduate or postgraduate member of Robinson College.

Grants are to help with expenses related directly to projects or activities beyond the scope of SAF. The range is broad: for example projects might include the cost of mounting a production at the Edinburgh Fringe over the long vacation, representing the UK at a sports event or representing the College/University at a prestigious event. Such expenses may include those connected with: Travel, participation fees, accommodation, venue hire, and subsistence and any other expenses incurred as a result attending the event at the discretion of the awarding committee.

Eligible undergraduates and postgraduates will be invited to submit an application for a grant, which should include details of the event, its likely costs and the involvement of other Cambridge students. Click Here to Apply.  Applications to this fund are now closed.

Summer Vacation Internships

The College will support Cambridge-based internships/placements which are not part of their course, but nevertheless has DOS support.  The support, in the form of a rent subsidy, will depend on the level of remuneration; zero pay results in 100% subsidy, whilst full time work at the minimum wage, attracts a 10% subsidy.  The subsidy is limited to 8 weeks and is only available to Undergraduates who are returning to College in October. These grants are funded from the Pegasus and Bye Fellows funds. Click Here to Apply

Symons MCR Conference Fund

The Symons MCR Conference Fund, funded by the generosity of the late Professor T H B Symons, a former visiting scholar to the College.

The College expects to be able to award grants totalling £2,800 each year.  Subject to that, the number and value of the grants will be determined by the Awarders.  Individual awards are unlikely to be more than £1000.

Any member of the Robinson College MCR, or group of Robinson MCR students, may apply for a grant to help support the cost of attending or organising a conference focused on a particular area of Robinson postgraduate student research.  A grant might be used in conjunction with other funding sources to cover, for example, travel costs associated with a conference.  There are no restrictions on the subject of conferences.  Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to pursue an interdisciplinary or discipline-specific topic of relevance to their current studies and of value to the broader academic community.  In the case of conferences organised by Robinson College MCR members, participants will primarily be scholars already in Cambridge.  It is within the discretion of the Awarders whether to make any sums available to support the attendance of eminent speakers in the field from other institutions.

Eligible applicants should submit an application form which includes: (i) an outline of the conference theme, its purpose and how it fits with the applicant’s current course of research (to a maximum of 750 words); and (ii) a budget and notes on other funding sources secured, or other funding sources applied for but yet to be confirmed.  Please also indicate if you are eligible for travel funds from e.g. your doctoral program, and, if so, the size of this travel budget.  An up-to-date CV should also be submitted.  Applications are open from 17 January - 01 March.

The Awarders will meet during April to decide which applicant will receive grants.  In the event that money remains available for distribution, the Awarders may invite a second round of applications.  

Awards will be determined on merit, reflecting the principles set out above.  Successful applicants will be required to submit a short, outcomes-focused report on conference activities funded by the grant, as well as an account of income and expenditure.  A copy of this report will be forwarded to the donor’s representatives, together with a copy of the successful application.  An edited version of it may also be published on the College website and in the Robinson Record. Click Here to Apply