AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship applications open today

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AgriFutures Horizon Scholars Aaron James, Ashley Smith and Jessica Zieltjes sitting on the bank of a river

Applications for the 2021 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship Program are now open. Students entering their final two years of an undergraduate degree who are passionate about the future of Australian rural industries are encouraged to apply.

The AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship is a collaboration between many of the Research and Development Corporations (RDC’s) to provide eligible university students with a $10,000 bursary over two years and plenty of opportunities to develop their leadership skills and expand their networks. As part of the Program, students also attend an annual four-day professional development workshop and complete two weeks of industry work placements.

The Horizon Scholarship Program is open to students studying agriculture-related or STEM degrees with major studies and/or subject selections that align to agriculture.

In acknowledging that the prosperity of agriculture is going to require a stronger inter-disciplinary approach, the inclusion of STEM degrees broadens the Horizons Scholarship offering.

AgriFutures Australia Managing Director, John Harvey says that collaboration across a broad range of disciplines will be crucial to the growth of our rural industries and is excited to see the Horizon Scholarship Program evolve to meet this need.

“Our cohorts are no longer made up solely of ag students from traditional farming backgrounds. We now have scholars studying engineering, economics, plant and animal science,” said Mr Harvey.

“We have scholars who have never set foot on a farm in the same room as fifth-generation farmers, and this diversity in backgrounds and thinking is beginning to elevate the conversations beyond anything we’ve seen before.”

The diverse range of industry sponsors involved in the Horizons Scholarship program represents the desire to build prosperous and sustainable rural industries. To do this, there is a need to build the skills, capacity, leadership and knowledge of the future rural leaders of Australian agriculture.

“Creating a space for students to collaborate across traditional and emerging areas of rural industries will create a platform of networking, idea creation and forward thinking that is invaluable to the rural industries of the future and I thank all of the industry sponsors who recognise the value and importance of the investment into future leaders.”.

“Australian Eggs, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), Dairy Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), McCaughey Memorial Institute and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) are all sponsors of the Horizon Scholarship program, and our scholars have seen first-hand the benefits associated with having such valuable industry connections,” said Mr Harvey.

To be eligible to apply students must:

  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
  • Be studying an undergraduate degree at an Australian university
  • Be entering the final two years of their degree in 2021

Scholarship recipients will be selected on the basis of their commitment to a career in agriculture, as well as their leadership potential and tertiary academic record to date.

Applications close Friday, 15 January 2021 at midnight AEDT. Shortlisted applicants must be available for a telephone interview in February 2021, and scholarship winners will be announced in April 2021.

For more information and to apply visit www.agrifutures.com.au/horizon

Current sponsors of the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship: Australian Eggs, AWI, CRCNA, CRDC, Dairy Australia, GRDC, McCaughey Memorial Institute, MLA and AgriFutures Australia (Rice and Chicken Meat research programs).

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