Discover Funding Opportunities

Dudley Stamp Memorial Award

The Dudley Stamp Memorial Award offers grants of £500 for PhD students or postdoctoral researchers to support geographical research. Preference is given to research that leads to the advancement of geography and to international co-operation in the study of the subject. Applications are particularly welcome for projects which will strengthen links between geographers in the United Kingdom and those overseas. The award was established in 1967 to enable geographers in the early stages of their careers to travel in support of their research. It honors Lawrence Dudley Stamp (1898-1966), an internationally renowned British geographer who served as President of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Institute of British Geographers. His Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain in the 1930s and 1940s sought to classify land use in Britain with the help of teachers and school children. Dudley Stamp worked to popularise geography and played a key role in promoting the teaching of the subject in schools. He travelled widely, assisting in the setting up of numerous land use surveys, while his reputation drew postgraduates from around the world to work on his projects. In 2016 the Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund became a linked charity of the RGS-IBG. The award is administered through the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards scheme.

Hong Kong Research Grant

The Hong Kong Research Grant is an annual award of £2,500 for PhD students undertaking geographical research in the Greater China region. The grant was established in 2003 and is supported by the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Geographical Society. It is awarded as part of the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards scheme. Comparative studies are encouraged and preference is given to applicants who have not previously had an opportunity to study in the Greater China region. Applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution, and preference is given to students who do not receive full funding from a Research Council, university or comparable levels of support from other sources for fieldwork and data collection. The grant supports geographical research and field work in the Greater China region.

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards

The RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards were established in 2008 to support PhD students undertaking research and fieldwork. The Society offers awards of up to £2,500 for PhD students undertaking fieldwork and data collection to advance geographical knowledge. These awards are offered to individuals and aim to help students establish themselves in their particular field. Applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. Preference is given to students who do not receive full funding from a research council, university or comparable levels of support from other sources for fieldwork and data collection. The awards include the Albert Reckitt Awards, Walters Kundert Grants, the Geographical Club Award, Hong Kong Research Grants and the Dudley Stamp Memorial Award. Successful applicants may be given a named award based on their research discipline. Fieldwork should not begin before 1 April 2026 except under exceptional circumstances, and the Society cannot support fieldwork that has already taken place.

Monica Cole Research Grant

The Monica Cole Research Grant offers £1,000 each year to a physical geography undergraduate or Masters student undertaking original fieldwork overseas. Named after Monica Cole, a leader in the field of geo-botany who held the position of Chair of Geography at Bedford College and received the Society's Murchison Medal for major contributions to the geography of South Africa and to the understanding of savannas. Applicants must be registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. The grant supports student-led research in physical geography disciplines including glaciology, climate science, geomorphology, biogeography, and related earth science fields.

Peter Smith Award

The Peter Smith Award offers £1,000 to a team of second year undergraduate geography students undertaking fieldwork overseas. The award was launched in 2020 through the Society's Geographical Fieldwork Grants (now RGS Explore Grants) and is named after Peter Smith, a long-standing supporter and Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society with boundless enthusiasm for geography, the outdoors and for learning. The purpose of the award is to support the development of second year undergraduate geography students through international field-based research, with applications from across the breadth of the discipline welcomed. The first Award was delayed until 2022 because of the travel restrictions of Covid. Recipients have conducted diverse research projects including studies of mangrove ecosystems, coastal pollution assessment, oral histories of environmental crises, and glacier research.

Fieldwork Apprenticeships

The Fieldwork Apprenticeships aim to give first year undergraduate geography students the opportunity during the summer to work as a Fieldwork Apprentice for a number of weeks on a research project either in the UK or overseas, led by an academic member of staff at their university. Grants of £1,500 are offered annually for students to participate in fieldwork projects led by one of their university lecturers. Applicants must be resident in the UK and be in the first year of an undergraduate geography degree at a UK Higher Education Institution. Applicants must have the support of a lecturer at their UK HEI to participate in a fieldwork project. Applicants should demonstrate how opportunities to get involved in fieldwork would not be available to them were it not for the Field Apprenticeship, and where possible should demonstrate the challenging circumstances that prevent them from having access to such opportunities. These awards are supported through the generous donation of John and Anne Alexander and are part of a portfolio of grants, the Alexander Awards, to support and enthuse students from less advantaged backgrounds through fieldwork. One Apprenticeship is supported through the generous donation of the Hepworth Family, through the Dorothy Hepworth Expedition Award. Recipients are expected to share their experiences with others, for example at their own institution or through the Professional Ambassadors programme.