DEADLINE
Each year
ONE-OFF GRANT
Two available each year
LONG TERM GRANT
Maximum of 3 years, one available
WHO CAN APPLY
At member institutions or organisations
DECISION
Recipients notified
THE GRANTS ARE AS FOLLOWS
Two distinct grants
ONE-OFF GRANT
The Manon Bradley Grant
Up to £1,500
Named in honour of Manon Bradley who established the grants in 2010, the One-off Grant is intended to meet a specific need which a student can demonstrate will enhance their work – this might be to travel to a conference or to enable core research interviews. The maximum value of this grant is £1,500. Applicants must specify how much money they require. There are two One-off Grants available each year.
Two available each year
LONG TERM GRANTS
The Peter Morris Memorial Grant
Up to £2,500
per annum
Named in honour of Professor Peter Morris, previous Executive Director of the Association, the Long Term Grant is intended as longer term support to enable a successful applicant to engage fully with the members of the Major Projects Association. The successful candidate would be asked to demonstrate long term engagement with the Association as well as the expected financial controls and quality of work. The maximum value of this grant is £2,500 per annum for a maximum of 3 years. There is one Long Term Grant available each year.
One available every 3 years
ELIGIBILITY
General Guidelines
Applicants must be undertaking PhD research at an academic institution which is a member of the Major Projects Association or who work for one of our member organisations. A list of members can be seen in our member directory.
The grants are available for those at any stage in their research. We ask applicants to explain how the grant could enhance their work and how their work could be of benefit to members of the Association. This could include those who want to develop a hypothesis from their practical observation of working on a project.
Topics of special interest
It is suggested that applicants review our current and recent programmes of events and reports to gain an understanding of topics which are of interest to the Major Projects Association community. Please visit our Events and Association Resources pages.
We are also happy to receive applications on a wide variety of topics provided they meet the criteria listed under the general guidelines.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Applicants for either grant will be judged using the following criteria:
- The work must be of significance to the strategic objectives of the Major Projects Association.
- Excellence of research.
- The ability of the grant to enhance the research and make a difference to the work.
- The degree to which the research could foster stronger links between practitioners and academics.
- The degree to which the research could enhance the external profile of the Association.
- The acid test – would Major Projects Association members attend an event to hear the outcomes of the research?
IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL
Conditions of the grants
SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO
- Meet with a representative of the Association together with their supervising tutor
- Present (interim or final) research findings at an appropriate event during or after the period of their grant
- Produce a report at the end of the period of the grant giving evidence of how the grant has been spent and how it has enhanced the research
- Take part in appropriate promotion of the grant and the Association – this might take the form of press releases or interviews or acting as an ambassador for the grant for future applicants
- Provide the Association with a summary of their progress each year / at end of the grant period
- Provide the Association with a copy of their final PhD research to be made available on the Association website
SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO
- Liaise with members of the judging panel as appropriate and to invite them to attend appropriate presentations given by the PhD candidate
- Attend Major Projects Association events throughout the period of the grant – it is considered appropriate to use the grant to cover travel expense
- Maintain contact with the Association after the period of the grant
- Capitalise on the Association’s network by engaging with members whose work is of direct relevance to the research
TIMETABLE AND ADJUDICATION
How and when applications are judged
STEP 1 • DEADLINE
Applications for grants must be received by 16 November each year.
STEP 2 • ADJUDICATION
Applications will be evaluated by a panel of members of the Association appointed by the Major Projects Association.
STEP 3 • DECISION
Successful recipients will be notified in December. The judges will determine the recipients based on the excellence of the proposed research and its practical value. The decision of the judges will be final.
STEP 4 • ACCOUNTING
You will be asked to account for how the grant has been spent and, where relevant, will be expected to provide receipts of expenditure.
PREVIOUS GRANT RECIPIENTS
The research we are funding
About Anastasiia
Anastasiia Popkova is a PhD student at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, UCL. Her research investigates a critical yet overlooked phenomenon: stakeholder dynamics in abandoned infrastructure projects (AIPs). Traditional project management, treating engagement as linear, fails to explain why major projects collapse under competing institutional demands and stakeholder conflicts. This study addresses this gap by developing an integrated institutional-stakeholder framework through studying AIPs.
Work completed includes building the first comprehensive UK database of 170 AIPs. The study employs a sequential mixed-methods design, operating across macro, meso, and micro levels, beginning with quantitative analysis of the database to identify abandonment patterns. This, then, informs the selection of in-depth case studies, involving extensive document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders including project owners, decision-makers and community representatives – to capture diverse perspectives on institutional pressures.
The expected impact is threefold. Theoretically, the study will advance stakeholder theory by systematically incorporating institutional perspectives. Practically, it will offer policymakers and managers guidance for navigating complex institutional environments and identifying derailment mechanisms. And ultimately, it aims to provide a robust explanatory model to mitigate the significant economic and social costs of project abandonment.
About Meiqi
Meiqi is a full-time PhD student at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at University College London. Her research is to explore adaptive project leadership in orchestrating the dynamic future-making process to make the future of energy transition.
This study aims to expand knowledge about how leaders in projects make the future of energy transition by analysing how they envision challenges, negotiate power relations, and facilitate innovative practices at the front-end stage of project strategizing and organising. The research will conduct multi-source qualitative research methods including case studies of 2-3 energy transition projects in the U.K. which emphasise projects as the intervention between natural environment issues and uncertain future to enact change, and practitioners’ practice is likely to shape the possible future and the pathway of energy transition.
The research is aligned with efforts to support the UK’s energy transition: political strategies and net zero targets. Yet the project studies largely ignores the energy transition projects and manage their enabled changes and challenges for the project define, design, and decision-making towards the future. Considering this context, the establishment of close relationships with project/programme leaders managing large-scale energy transition initiatives and transformation values can generate efficient contributions for both academics and practitioners in project management and energy transitions.
HOW TO APPLY
Use the correct form, and attach your CV
There is a separate application form for each of the two grants. Please ensure you use the correct form and in each case attach your CV.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have questions, please contact Myrna Rickards via mpa@majorprojects.org
CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE
Not sure which programme is right?
Six routes, ordered by career stage. Every one of them is open to people at member organisations.