Student grants now available from the University Centre of South Iceland
Translation: Jean-Rémi Chareyre
Students at the University of Iceland who are working on a final project that has special significance for society in the south of Iceland can now apply for a grant from the South Iceland Science and Research Fund through the website hfsu.is. Students can also apply for a grant after finishing their project. The fund supports final projects at all levels, BA/BS projects, Masters projects, and Ph.D. projects and the application deadline is January 5th, 2024. Applicants will be notified about allocation by the end of January. International students are encouraged to apply and can turn in an application in English. “We are aware of how hard it can be for highly educated immigrants to find a suitable job, and with those grants, we intend among other things to create connections between students and companies or institutions and it can help them start a career,” says Ingunn Jónsdóttir, director of the University Centre of South Iceland (UCSI), in an interview with the Student Paper.
The first grants from the South Iceland Science and Research Fund were allocated in 2002 and since then, the fund has supported projects every year. 42 projects have received grants in total, an average of 1-3 projects per year, and each project can receive an allocation of 1-1,5 million Icelandic Krónur. The fund’s main sponsors are South Iceland municipalities and private companies such as Landsvirkjun and Mjólkursamsalan. The projects have been diverse and are not limited to natural science projects. Among others, projects related to tourism, education, and geography have received grants in the last few years, and the only condition for applying is that the project be connected to South Iceland. Examples of projects which have received a grant can be found on the Centre’s website.
The UCSI has recently taken measures to improve the application process, among others by creating an online application form on their website hfsu.is, streamlining the process and making information about the fund available on their website. It was also decided to extend the application deadline to give students more time to apply. Students receiving a grant will be invited to a celebration event organised by the Science and Research Fund, where they will formally receive the grant from the hands of the President of Iceland, according to the convention.
Staff at the University Centre of South Iceland’s office: Ingunn Jónsdóttir (director), Ingibjörg Rúnarsdóttir and Berglind Sigmundsdóttir.
The role of the UCSI is to move education, research, and innovation closer to South Icelanders. The institution provides authorised exam services for students at the high school and university level in the building Fjölheimar in Selfoss (next to the swimming pool), with over one thousand exams every year. The Centre also provides a reading facility which students can access any day of the week, 24 hours a day (see hfsu.is for more info). The facility offers study booths, as well as a coffee room for students. The Centre also runs Hreiðrið (“The Nest”), an incubator centre for innovation that aims at supporting and promoting innovators in the South Iceland region.