Research Grants

The Southampton Research Grants for the Critical Study of Astrology is in a position to fund small university research projects in the areas outlined above, through some buy-out of teaching duties, and the payment of incidental expenses involved in the research. Funds may also be available to PhD and MSc students in UK Universities whose research contains an astrological component.

Download the grant application:

1.Masters Student (for help with UK university registration fees)(pdf)

2.Researcher (for help with UK based university academic-led research projects). (pdf)

Guidelines for applying to the RGCSA for help with funding for research

The RGCSA is happy to help with advice and guidance on the preparation and development of research designs for students who are seeking help with funding for their research project.

However, there are certain conditions that must be met before we can do this and we would advise upon them as follows:

The first step:
It is important that you think very carefully about where you want to carry out your research. Do you want to research a project in the Arts or the Sciences or the Humanities? Your choice will determine which University will be best for you, the department to which you should be attached and the sort of supervision and advice that you will require. It is essential that you consider, at the very beginning of the process of drafting a research proposal, which route your research will take. This will make the whole process easier, smoother and perhaps faster for you in your search for a placement in a UK university and possible funding assistance from the RGCSA. The RGCSA will consider research proposals that come under any of these areas so this will not affect your eligibility for advice, guidance and grants.

Once you have made this decision about the route that you wish to take, the following conditions must be observed when you are applying to the RGCSA for help and assistance.

•  You will be able to meet all the following requirements by completing and submitting the application form for students.

Registering at a UK University
1. You should be seeking to register with or have already been accepted by a UK university on a Master's or PhD degree course. It is important to note, here, that we are unable to consider funding for students researching in overseas universities.

Constructing your research proposal
2. Your research proposal should be a brief summary of the sort of study you wish to carry out as part of the requirements for your degree. It should be presented in a number of sections. The first section should be a brief paragraph explaining the background to your proposal. This is the information that provides the context for your work. The second section should provide references of existing literature, i.e., research or writings that have been undertaken that relate to your current proposal. The third section should explain what it is about your proposal that may enable the results of your research to add to the existing body of knowledge and/or make possible new discoveries for further research. The third section should explain clearly how you are going to carry out your research, i.e., the methods that you are going to use and, where appropriate, the measures that you will employ in order to get the information that you need. In this section, you will also need to explain where and how you are going to get the data that you think will provide you with some answers to your research question.

Including astrology in your research
3. Your research must have an astrological component to it. However, in most UK universities, you will also be required to address existing research within the area in which you wish to take your degree. For example, if you wish to research in social science at the University of Southampton , your research proposal will have to have two threads that are independent of each other: one addressing an astrological perspective and the other purely from the perspective of social science. You may seek to show how the two may be interdependent through your research results but the proposal, itself, should present them as independent lines of inquiry, at the beginning of the research process. Please check out this form of approach to the research design with the university with which you are seeking to register or have registered in order to determine its acceptability to that university.

Submitting your research proposal to the RGCSA
4. You may then submit your proposal to the RGCSA for comment and response. The amount of time from the point at which the RGCSA accepts your proposal for consideration for funding to the time at which you receive its decision can take several weeks, depending on the time of year when the proposal is accepted for consideration. Please see contact details on the site for the address for submission. You may submit your proposal by the conventional postal route or by email.

Consideration for funding
5. Acceptance for consideration for funding will be determined by the quality of construction of the research proposal and how well it employs the techniques and knowledge available in the potential student's particular area of study.

Your application for a grant will be placed before the RGCSA Grants Advisory Board and this body will then decide whether or not to make a grant available to you.  If a grant is to be made, the Board will decide upon the sum that is to be released.  You may request a specific sum but this should not exceed £1000 in any academic year.

Your curriculum vitae
6 . Please include an academic curriculum vitae with your research proposal when sending it to the RGCSA. This should describe your academic learning to date, e.g., various qualifications, particularly those relating to your expressed area of interest contained in your research proposal. Astrological qualifications should be listed as part of your academic training.

Conditions for accepting funding for your research
7 . It is important for you to note that, once the grant has been made to your University on your behalf, if you are unable to include the astrological component of your research proposal in your study or, for various reasons, are unable to complete your research the grant will be refundable to the funding body.

Please send research proposals and details of the course that you are attending to the Convenor when applying for consideration for a grant to assist you with your university registration fees.

Grants for Researchers

8. The RGCSA can also consider applications for funding research project s which are led by a University based academic and which have a component of astrology included in the design.

Download the grant application:

1.Masters Student (for help with UK university registration fees)(pdf)

2.Researcher (for help with UK based university academic-led research projects). (pdf)