Research Grants
The Board of Management for the Wainwright Fund operates in the making of grants under the terms of the University of Oxford Statute IX.I.273:6: 'at its absolute discretion for the furtherance of the study of the archaeology of the Near East.' In the donor's memorandum (1952), through which this summary definition is interpreted, there is the following relevant passage:
'to encourage the study... of the non-classical archaeology and general history as deduced from comparative archaeology (archaeology being taken to mean the study of the objects as a science in itself, hence excluding language, literature or philology) of the following countries (hereinafter called the Near East): Asia Minor, Armenia, Caucasia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Arabia, Abyssinia, the Sudan to West Africa, the Sahara, Cyrenaica, Tripoli, Tunisia and its islands, Algeria, Morocco, with preference being given to the first nine.'
In modern conditions, the Board considers this to mean: research addressing the archaeology of all periods of the human past apart from that of Classical Antiquity (i.e. the sphere of influence of Classical Greek and Roman Worlds, between c. 600 BCE and 500 CE) is eligible, from the Palaeolithic up to and including the medieval and post-medieval periods. The Fund supports archaeological studies but it does not support literary or philological studies. Research focused on the archaeology and history of the following countries is eligible for support: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Palestine, Persia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen. Priority is given to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey.
Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK, or affiliated to a UK institution.
Members of the Board of Management of the Wainwright Fund are eligible to apply for grants, but must take no part in the decision-making process concerning their application.
Applicants will need to download and complete the Application Form. The deadlines for all applications are strictly 1st April for the May meeting and 1st October for the November meeting. Please contact the Secretary with any questions on wainwright.fund@ames.ox.ac.uk.
Some useful guidance for applicants for the Research Grant is available here.
Please note that with immediate effect the Board has decided to raise the maximum application amount to £8000. The Board reserves the right to amend this figure at any time.
