Our PhD Bursary Awards

The Livery and the ICAEW both recognise the importance of the contribution that Institute members can make to the academic world, both in teaching and research. To encourage and support ICAEW-qualified Chartered Accountants in pursuing an academic career, our Charity provides bursaries to members undertaking a PhD or other Doctoral studies in accounting-related topics.

These annual bursaries are typically set at about £5,000 and are renewable for a period of up to four years, subject to satisfactory annual progress reports from the students’ supervisors.  Our annual budget of £40,000 will thus support eight students.  Bursaries are normally awarded annually in October.

PhD Bursary Certificate example

How to apply for our latest PhD Bursary

The Trustees are keen to continue to encourage ICAEW Members to pursue careers as academics in accountancy through the Bursary scheme.

Applications are now closed for doctoral funding.

The bursaries are available to ICAEW members only (ACA or FCA qualified)

Awards are available for both full and part-time Doctoral students.

If you have any questions or problems, please email charity@nullaccountantslivery.org or almoner@nullaccountantslivery.org


Eligibility

Applicants must already be members of the ICAEW (ACA or FCA qualified) and have a good honours degree or other equivalent qualification. The quality and contribution of the applicant’s planned research, their commitment to doctoral level study and their intention to pursue an academic career will all be taken into account. The institutions at which students plan to study must be recognised UK universities.

Each year the search for new applicants begins in the first quarter when the opportunity is promoted by the ICAEW.

Applications for 2023/24 are now closed.


Bursary Panel composite all 4



Previous History and Beneficiaries

In 2008, the Charity introduced the awarding of a bursary for £18,000 to enable one ICAEW member to study for a PhD, with a view to taking up an academic career.  However, after extensive discussions within the Company and leading academics from within the membership of the ICAEW, it was decided that it would be more beneficial to award smaller renewable annual bursaries up to a maximum total commitment of £40,000 per annum depending on how many students are ongoing in any one year.

Here are some examples of previous bursary recipients.


Sam Hart was awarded her Doctorate at the end of the 2015/16 academic year.  Her work programme followed the standard format of one year of research and three years of execution of the academic work leading to her doctoral thesis.

The Trustees received regular updates from her supervising professor.  Several Trustees and Court members kindly volunteered to help her with the necessary data collection to be included in her analysis section.  An original copy of her published work is held at the ICAEW Library in Chartered Accountants’ Hall.

Here Sam is seen receiving her PhD Bursary certificate from Past Master Michael Jeans MBE.


PhD award


Alistair Marsden and Tracey Wilson joined our bursary scheme in 2016-17 and have continued to receive annual bursaries for varying amounts depending on research time available and personal circumstances.  These were awarded following receipt of satisfactory supervisors’ reports.

Tracey is finalising her thesis and should receive her Doctorate in 2021.

Tracey recently delivered a very informative and interesting talk to our Company Members about her research and how our bursary had helped open doors.  Apart from the obvious financial support, it was apparent that being able to say that she had received a bursary award from the Chartered Accountants’ Livery Charity gave her research and approaches the needed gravitas to gain the interest of eminent people in her field.


Further bursaries were awarded in 2017/18 to Catherine Guest, in 2018/19 to Mohit Dar and Debbie Jones and, in 2019/20, to Rani Suleman, Amanda Williams and Carol McLachlan.


Mohit & Carole pic.png