BAC Bursary for Business History Research

The Award

As a result of the generosity of Sir Peter Thompson, former Chairman of the National Freight Corporation, and the Wellcome Foundation, the BAC has instituted a trust fund, the income from which is used to offer annually a bursary to help an individual to further his/her research into business history through the study of specific business archives. In 2010 the the value of the award was up to £1000.

Eligibility

Applicants must be engaged in business history research using British-based business archives, normally at least of postgraduate level, with a view to publication of an article or book. Professional scholars and amateur researchers are equally welcome, but preference may be given to scholars at the beginning of their careers who are less able to call on other institutions for funding. Applicants studying for a research degree should identify a specific project based on identifiable archive resources, rather than merely seeking a grant-in-aid of their overall research programme.

Undergraduates, those researching commissioned histories and the members of the BACs Executive Committee are not eligible. Family historians and those wishing to work on records or archives not generated by business organisations, even to contextualise business history research, will not be eligible.

Applications

Candidates should indicate: the objectives of their research, which will need to be within the broad field of business history; the nature and location of the specific set of business records they wish to study; a detailed breakdown of costs; the proposed methods of dissemination of the results of their work.

There is no application form. Candidates should include a brief curriculum vitae as well as the information indicated above. All applications must be typewritten or wordprocessed and should not exceed five sides of A4.

Details of how to apply for the 2012 bursary will appear here in due course.

Award

The decision of the BAC is final.

Business History Bursary 2011

The winners of the 2011 BAC Business History Bursary are Professor Josephine Maltby and Dr Linda Perriton of York Management School. They will use the bursary to research the archives of four savings banks in a project whose objective is to develop a fuller understanding of how these banks facilitated the activity of working-class women savers in England during the 19th and early 20th century.

Find out more about past winners.