Summary
The scholarship is available for the 2025-26 academic year and is valued at a maximum of £5,000.
Description
The scholarship was established in 2021 by descendants of William J McLean to honour his and his family’s agricultural and entrepreneurial activities and tenancy in the Moray Firth region.
Eligibility
The scholarship is open to graduate students and early career researchers to support research in subjects relevant to the agricultural and entrepreneurial legacies and tenancy of William J McLean in the Northeast of Scotland.
The Scholarship is open to:
Students enrolled at the University of Aberdeen participating in a taught postgraduate programme (e.g. Master of Science in Geographical Information Systems or any other appropriate programmes), or a Master by Research (MRes) or PhD in a relevant subject area.Early career researchers (based on the definition adopted in the Research Excellence Framework) based either at the University of Aberdeen or the James Hutton Institute.Preference will be given to PhD and Early Career Researchers.
The qualifying research areas are:
Applied academic and market research activities aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable and economically viable agricultural, mixed farming and natural land use systems. In addition, both on-farm and off-farm technologically disruptive entrepreneurial activities with a potential to scale up and directly benefit the livelihoods of land managers, be they owners or tenants, throughout the rural economies of Scotland will be considered.
Please see the 'Supporting Information' below for a list of study areas supported.
Criteria
The scholarship is valued at a maximum of £5,000. Depending on the number of applications received and amounts requested, there may be more than one scholarship available. It will be awarded to an outstanding project proposal which plans to undertake research in one of the areas listed below (see 'Supporting Information' document). The funds are to be used solely to support research and dissemination costs (e.g. travel, equipment and materials).
Application Procedure
Please email a statement (maximum of 3 pages of A4) highlighting your interest in the scholarship, your academic interests and how your proposed research will benefit sustainable land use systems and/or disruptive agricultural-related technologies in the North East of Scotland. Please describe how the scholarship funds will be used to enable or enhance your research and include a breakdown of costs with justification in your application. Please also submit your CV.
Please email your application with ‘The William J McLean Agricultural Scholarship’ in the subject title to giving@abdn.ac.uk
Deadline
5th of March 2026
Further Info
For informal enquiries, email giving@abdn.ac.uk. A selection panel of University of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute representatives will review the applications and make the award. You will find out the outcome of your application by end March 2026 and your project is expected to start in April 2026. A short report on your research will be expected at the end of the project.