HSA Student/Trainee Scholarships: 

Applications are welcome from undergraduate or MSc students OR from trainees in the livestock, meat and fish industries.  

Please note: PhD students are NOT eligible to apply.  

The project must be relevant to improving or assessing the welfare of farm animals at markets, during transport, or at slaughter. The projects will be relatively small, due to their short duration.  

Projects may be carried out anywhere in the world. If the location of the project is not at the university or institute where the student/trainee is enrolled/working, confirmation is needed from the host.

Scholarships consist of £350 per week subsistence allowance for the Scholar (paid to the Student/Trainee directly) plus £100 per week project expenses (paid to the host university/organisation).   

Although typically completed during the July-September vacation, projects may be carried out at any time during the year of application and usually last 4 to 8 weeks. Support is provided for up to 8 weeks up to a maximum of £3600, although projects themselves may be longer than this.   

Funds are normally paid by cheque, in GBP sterling, to applicants residing in the United Kingdom (UK) and by bank transfer to applicants outside of the UK. 
 
Please note that sometimes for reasons beyond our control, such as international sanctions, the HSA may not be able to make certain awards. 

Scholars are asked to report on their project once completed, and to present their research findings at the Annual Scholars Meeting held online – usually in December or January.  
 
We aim for the meeting to be relatively small, as for many it will be their first public scientific presentation, and a safe atmosphere is aimed for.  

For Information about past meetings see Past UFAW events, reports and details.

The HSA Student/Trainee Scholarship is an annual Scholarship award that is open for application every September/October, with a closing date of 28 February the following year. 

When open, interested students are invited to submit an application form online. The form is divided into sections and asks for the following information: details about the student and their current course (including a copy of their CV), details about the supervisor(s) who will be supervising the student for the duration of their project, and a description of the proposed project (including location, dates, and implications for animal welfare). 

Miss Dorothy Sidley MBE was General Secretary to the HSA for 48 years. The HSA Student Scholarships were established in memorial to Miss Sidley in 1986 (originally called the Dorothy Sidley Awards) to enable students or trainees in the industry to carry out a project aimed at improving the well-being of food animals in markets, during transport or at slaughter.   

Over 50 Scholarships have been granted since the award’s inception and for many scholars, the HSA Scholarships have also been a successful launch pad for a career in animal welfare science, with many going onto to supervise scholars themselves.