§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the closing dates for applications for postgraduate awards from the Science and Engineering Research Council in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the rest of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe closing date for receipt of nominations for postgraduate awards funded by SERC is 31 July. This date applies whether the student is to study in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, providing that he or she is eligible for a SERC award. The student must satisfy eligibility criteria on both qualifications and residence.
The SERC residence criterion refers to postgraduate students ordinarily resident in Great Britain. Support for students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland is provided by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, DENI—not SERC. The DENI closing date for receipt of applications for its awards competition is 1 May for students wishing to study in Great Britain, and 1 August for those wishing to study in Northern Ireland.