The Center for British and Irish Studies is proud to offer the Ogilvy Travel Fellowship, graduate student travel grants (for conference speakers), and event funding opportunities.

Update Feb 1, 2023: Both the Ogilvy and Conference travel grants are on hold until further notice. Updates will be posted here as soon as they become available.

The J.D.A. Ogilvy Graduate Travel Fellowships in British and Irish Studies annual competition is currently on hold. 

J. D. A. Ogilvy Travel Fellowships support travel to Britain or Ireland for graduate research and study in any aspect of British and/or Irish Studies. Graduate students working in all departments and colleges at CU Boulder may apply. Preference will be given to students who need to go to Britain or Ireland to work on a PhD dissertation, but other students may apply as well. 
Previous winners of the Ogilvy Fellowship may apply but must justify the need for additional support beyond the initial funding. 

The proposed travel must be completed before the formal granting of the graduate degree and must be for academic purposes only.  The proposed travel must take place sometime between the beginning of summer 2020 and the end of summer 2021 and may be of any length.  Please note: This fellowship is for research only and not for conferences. A fellowship funds up to $6,500.00. Partial grants may be awarded at the discretion of the awarding committee.

Complete Applications Must Include

  1. Confidential Letter of Recommendation- Request a confidential letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor familiar with your work, sent by that faculty member via email attachment to cbis@colorado.edu by the due date. Letters should comment on the merits of the proposal and the abilities and potential of the applicant.

  2. One email to cbis@colorado.edu with the following items attached. (Please include your name in the titles of all attached documents.)

    1. A single document (.doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf) with the following:
      • The application form
      • A project description that includes a careful explanation and justification of why travel to Britain or Ireland is necessary. Identify what resources you need to access that are available only in British or Irish libraries, archives, or locales, and that are unavailable online or through CU Libraries or other U.S. libraries. This must be no longer than 1000 words, double-spaced, with standard margins, in 11-point or 12-point standard font (such as Times New Roman).
      • A summary of the proposed schedule with dates and places you will visit.
      • A detailed budget listing your expenses (transportation, accommodations, meals).  Applicants are expected to book reasonable-cost housing in order to minimize accommodation costs.  In the case of London stays, please indicate whether you have applied for the use of the Hazel Barnes flat and note the result of your application. 
    2. Your unofficial graduate transcript in .pdf format. Please do not send your transcript separately from your other application materials. Currently enrolled students may download their unofficial transcripts through the MyCUInfo student portal (click on the Student tab, then click the "View/Request Transcripts" button). 

Please email any questions to cbis@colorado.edu.

Conference Travel Grants are available to graduate students who have presented or will present papers addressing subjects dealing with British and/or Irish Studies, at a conference during the current academic year or first semester of next academic year. A grant funds up to $650.00 for conferences held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and up to $1,200.00 for conferences held in other countries.  Partial grants may be awarded at the discretion of the awarding committee. 

Application Deadline: The university has suspended all academic travel and graduate travel grants will remain on hold until this policy is rescinded. 

The paper must be related in some way to the study of British and/or Irish Studies. The conference may be located anywhere. Delivering a conference paper in the UK or Ireland does not automatically qualify unless the paper is related to British and/or Irish Studies. Awards will NOT be given for attending a conference without delivering a paper. 

Preference will be given to students presenting at major national or international conferences (as opposed to local or regional ones), and/or to those whose presentation is related to work on a thesis or dissertation, but other students may also apply.

Complete Applications Must Include

  1. The paper must be related in some way to the study of British and/or Irish Studies (simply attending a conference in the UK does not qualify).
  2. Generally speaking, the awarding committee will tend to give preference to students presenting at major national or international conferences (as opposed to local or regional ones), and/or to those whose presentation is related to work on their thesis or dissertation, but other students may also apply.
  3. All materials must be sent by email to cbis@colorado.edu.

Complete applications must include the following:

  1. Confidential Letter of Recommendation- Request a confidential letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor familiar with your work, sent by that faculty member via email attachment to cbis@colorado.edu by the due date. Letters should comment on the student's qualifications and on the importance of the student's participation in the conference.
  2. One email to cbis@colorado.edu with the following items attached. (Please include your name in the titles of all attached documents.)
    1. A single document (.doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf) with the following:
      • The application form
      • A brief description of your paper followed by an explanation of how it fits into your field of specialization and how you anticipate this particular conference will help your research and/or career (please try to be more specific than “I will meet important people in my field"). This must be no longer than 500 words, double-spaced, with standard margins, in 11-point or 12-point standard font (such as Times New Roman).
      • A detailed budget listing your expenses (registration, transportation, accommodations, meals). Applicants are expected to book reasonable-cost housing in order to minimize accommodation costs. In the case of London stays, please indicate whether you have applied for the use of the Hazel Barnes flat and note the result of your application.
    2. The acceptance letter or email you received from the conference organizers. A forwarded acceptance email or .pdf scan of a hard copy letter are both acceptable.

Please email any questions to cbis@colorado.edu.