Scholarship and research grants for blind and visually impaired students at UI

The board of the Þórsteinn Fund calls for grant applications.

The primary purpose of the Þórsteinn Fund is to support blind and visually impaired students at the University of Iceland. The Fund's secondary purpose is to support research that could improve knowledge of blindness and visual impairments, especially in the humanities and social sciences.

The application deadline is 11 November 2019.

This year, scholarships will be awarded to blind or visually impaired students enrolled at the University of Iceland for the academic year 2019-2020.

The total sum of the grants awarded will be a maximum of ISK 500 thousand.

Scholarship applications must include the following details:
1. Applicant's name, ID number, address, telephone and email address.
2. Key details from the applicant's academic record / CV and academic performance in upper secondary school or university as applicable.
3. The applicant's study programme at the University of Iceland.
4. References from teachers and/or employers.
5. Student progression plan

Applications shall be a maximum of three pages long. All applications are treated as confidential. The Þórsteinn Fund reserves the right to award grants to more than one applicant, to reject all applicants and/or allocate grants in another way.

The establishment of the Þórsteinn Fund has improved opportunities for blind and visually impaired students to pursue higher education. This is the eighth round of allocations from the Fund, which has awarded 22 scholarships to students at the University of Iceland and two grants for research projects.

The Þórsteinn Fund was established at the University of Iceland on 6 December 2006 by the Icelandic Organisation of the Visually Impaired, in memory of its founder Þórsteinn Bjarnason. The purpose of the Þórsteinn Fund is to continue Þórsteinn's life's work of improving the lives of blind and visually impaired people in Iceland.

More information on grants and their allocation can be found on the UI website http://www.hi.is/ and the UI grants and funds site http://sjodir.hi.is. Alternatively, contact Helga Brá Árnadóttir, project manager for scholarship funds at the University of Iceland, helgab@hi.is, tel. 525-5894.