Bursary Scheme Changes

Contributions to the AIG Bursary Scheme are now tax-deductible

The AIG's Student Bursary Program has continued to develop and expand over the last few years with continuing support from a growing number of sponsors, including State AIG Branches, and an increasing student interest in the program. AIG is very grateful to all the companies and organisations whose support over the years has contributed to the success of the program, including our current external bursary sponsors:

ActivEX Limited, Chris Bonwick - Independence Group NL, Consolidated Minerals Ltd, Cryptodome Ltd, Gnomic Exploration Services, Kagara Ltd, Lantana Exploration Pty Ltd, Primary Industry and Resources South Australia, SMEDG, and TerraSearch Pty Ltd.

AIG's Council agreed late last year to establish a Trust that includes a Gift Fund to provide these bursaries or scholarships to Australian residents enrolled in a program focussed on geoscience at an Australian tertiary education institution. This means that existing sponsor funds will be rolled into the Gift Fund and that, from now on, sponsor contributions to the fund will be tax deductible.

The trust, to be known as the AIG Geoscience Education Foundation, will exist by the end of February 2008. Accounts for the fund will be published annually.

There are two types of AIG bursaries available each year to geoscience students who are AIG Members and are currently engaged in either full or part time studies:

Undergraduate Bursaries are available to honours students and may be used to help offset the costs of completing an honours thesis. Bursaries may be used in any way by recipients.

Postgraduate Bursaries must be used by applicants to undertake an activity that will enhance their postgraduate studies and would otherwise not be possible to undertake without the contribution made by bursary funds (e.g. travel to attend a conference to present research results, or to work with prominent geoscientists in a particular field).

BUrsary scheme details and application forms are distributed to all Australian universities annually, usually by the beginning of April.

Bursary applicants must be AIG members or student members. Student membership is free of charge for undergraduate and full-time postgraduate students.

Contact the AIG secretariat for further information.

AIG Student Bursary Program

AIG's bursary programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students is generously supported by sponsors including: