HSA Student/Trainee Scholarships:
HSA Animal Welfare Student/Trainee Scholarships support undergraduate students, or trainees within the industry, to undertake their own animal welfare research project. Each scholarship enables a student or trainee to gain valuable research experience whilst carrying out an original project. This experience can be instrumental when students come to take the next steps in their career.
Before applying for a scholarship, some students take advantage of our mentoring scheme. Through this scheme, they can benefit from mentoring from a more experienced animal welfare researcher to help them devise a project and high-quality application for a scholarship.
HSA Scholarships aim to inspire students/trainees in developing their interests in animal welfare science and facilitate early career entry into the field of animal welfare science.
Students/trainees are encouraged to develop and write their own application with the aim of contributing to our growing knowledge of how best to assess, or improve, the welfare of animals of food animals in markets, during transport or at slaughter.
Please read carefully the Terms and Conditions for Student Scholarships before completing the application form.
Through our Scholarships, the HSA aims to encourage undergraduate students or industry trainees to develop their interests in animal welfare by providing them with an opportunity to conduct relevant research or educational projects.
Applications are welcome from undergraduate students OR industry trainees in the livestock, meat and fish industries.
MSc or 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 project will be relatively small, due to the short duration.
You can see some of our recently supported Scholarship projects on our website.
For project looking into the welfare of animals outside of the HSA’s scope, please consider applying for a Scholarship from out sister charity, the Science for Animal Welfare instead.
Projects may be carried out anywhere in the world. If the location of the study is not at the university or institute where the student is enrolled or place where the trainee works, confirmation is needed from the study host.
Scholarships consist of both a Scholar stipend (a weekly subsistence allowance for the Scholar based on local living wage) and a budget for project costs (up to £800 for project expenses/consumables directly related to the project).
The project should be carried out between 1 May and 1 December in the year of the application. The start and end of the project may span more than 8 weeks, but the total project duration can only include up to the equivalent of 8 weeks of full-time work.
Payments are made directly to the Scholar via bank transfer.
Please note that funds can only be transferred into an account bearing the applicant’s name. Payment cannot be issued to third parties. Any costs associated with a bank transfer must be met by the recipients. Please also note that sometimes, for reasons beyond our control such as international sanctions, the HSA may not be able to make certain payments.
Scholars must submit a report on completion of their project (please read the Scholarship Terms and Conditions for full reporting requirements).
Scholars are also asked to present their research findings at the Annual Scholars Meeting held online – usually in December. The meeting will be attended by all the Scholars of the year (including those, who have been awarded a Science for Animal Welfare (SciFAW) Student Scholarship) and their supervisors, as well as staff from the HSA and SciFAW. 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.
The application must be completed in English, and consists of three parts:
- An online form with contact information and a summary of the project
- A detailed project description (up to 1,000 words)
- A CV for the student applying (up to 2 pages)
Uploaded files must be in PDF format.
Please note that a brief budget is requested for the planned use of the up to £800 for consumables. Although paid in advance, these expenses will require receipts at the end of the project.
Closing Date
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.
The current deadline for applications is 28 February 2027, and the HSA aims to inform successful candidate(s) by the end of April 2027.
Apply now
Some recently funded projects
Further information
If further information is required, please contact HSA directly via email: [email protected]'
Keep in touch, please!
HSA encourages its past scholars to keep in touch and to remain part of the HSA team actively promoting food animal welfare. We very much like to hear what our Student Scholars go on to do after their completing their scholarships and so do our members. Please send us an email and perhaps a photo, letting us know what you are doing now.
