Doctoral Scholarships
Each year the Society for Applied Philosophy offers two scholarships for doctoral work in applied philosophy in a UK university, and one further scholarship for doctoral work in applied philosophy in any University in an EU country (subject to a suitable candidate coming forward). The level of each scholarship will be up to £10,000 and will be held for one year. Those wishing to apply for the UK award should follow the guidance below. Those wishing to apply for the EU (inc. EEA / EFTA countries) award should follow the guidance here.
Eligibility and criteria
Applicants must have applied for AHRC and other relevant funding where eligible (either in the open studentship competition or via a block grant holder) — the SAP scholarship will only be awarded when the AHRC has informed candidates of its decisions. Applicants must also declare all other sources of funding they are receiving and whether they are awaiting a decision from a further source/s to support their doctoral research (fees and maintenance) — the Society tends to give priority to candidates who are not already in receipt of other funds. Applications will be assessed primarily on the basis of academic merit. However, the committee will also take account of whether applicants have already received, or are currently receiving, significant funding.
The scheme is open to anyone meeting the criteria (you do not need to be a member of SAP to apply). Successful candidates who are not already members of the Society will be provided with postgraduate membership for the current year.
Applications for 2026–27 can be submitted from 1 May 2026. The closing date for 2026–27 applications is Friday 10 July 2026. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that complete applications, including references, arrive by the deadline.
Application
The following items will be requested in the application
- Curriculum vitae (no more than 2 sides of A4)
- Outline of the proposed research (no more than 500 words)
- Evidence of an application to the AHRC or a statement explaining lack of eligibility
- Evidence that you have been accepted onto an appropriate PhD programme
- Declaration testifying other sources of funding applied for or held, and/or that you have no other source of funding
References
Applicants should ask two academic referees to provide supporting references which must be submitted by the referee using the online form here. Wherever possible, the reference should be on headed paper. The reference should be a scanned pdf file, signed in ink, and must include full contact details. It is the applicants responsibility to arrange references to be submitted prior to the deadline. References not submitted by the deadline will result in the application being ‘incomplete’. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
Further notes
- Applicants who are not eligible for AHRC funding are expected to have applied for any other sources of funding for which they are eligible. They should list the sources of funding that they have applied for in their application
- We recognise that applicants may be ineligible for AHRC funding in some year because a block grant is available only in other years and the existence of the block grant prevents them for applying in open competition.
- Successful applicants may apply for a second year of funding. Applications will be considered alongside all other applications made in that year.
- Where applicants have funding from other sources the SAP grant may be reduced to ensure that the applicant’s overall funding does not exceed the level of a full AHRC grant.
- Incomplete applications, including those with missing references, will not be considered.
Application can be made by completing the online form below (available from 01 May)
N.B.
- Applications can be submitted from 1 May 2026.
- The application form below should only be completed by those applying for funding within the UK.
(Applicants from EU / EEA / EFTA countries should follow the link here to apply.)
SAP Annual Conference
SAP Annual Conference 2026
03 – 05 July
University of Edinburgh, JMCC
Join the Society
Membership of the Society is open to anyone interested in our aims, whether or not you hold a philosophical qualification or are employed as a professional philosopher.
Membership includes online access to the Journal of Applied Philosophy, as well as a reduced fee for the Society’s annual conference. Members can also apply for event funding through the Society’s grant scheme.
Membership and journal subscription are handled by Wiley, as the publishers of the Journal of Applied Philosophy. The button will take you through to their website.
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