€1,000 Grants Available to Help Fund Irish Students Studying Abroad
18th December, 2007
National Irish Bank has today launched its new ‘National Irish Bank Study Travel Fund’ for Irish third-level students going abroad to study. The Fund will give 10 successful applicants grants of €1,000 each in a no-strings-attached offer. Students can apply for the grants between the 1st of February and the 6th of March 2008. The grants will be allocated through a lottery draw, with the winners announced in May 2008.
The National Irish Bank Study Travel Fund is a new element within the organisations’ community banking programme. The aim of the Fund is to encourage students to study abroad and bring new thinking and ideas back to their communities in Ireland. Students who intend to study abroad during the 2008/2009 academic year can apply through their local National Irish Bank branch or online at www.nationalirishbank.ie from the 1st of February 2008.
Brendan O’Hora, Head of Communications at National Irish Bank said; “Approximately 1,500 Irish students study abroad annually under the Socrates or Erasmus programmes. While the Higher Education Authority (HEA) does provide a level of grant assistance, many students typically are not in a position to work while they are abroad. Additional funding is key to driving interest in these programmes and to encourage students to travel abroad to study. The National Irish Bank Study Travel Fund can make a real difference”.
An information card with details of the programme will be delivered to 34 third-level colleges across Ireland over the coming weeks. The grants will be allocated during May 2008, and are dependent on students being successful in their application to study abroad.
Mr. O’Hora continued, “Knowledge, a key element of the National Irish Bank’s sponsorship programme, is something we believe helps to strengthen communities. It’s important that Irish students get the opportunity to go abroad to study. They can gather so much knowledge to bring back to Ireland and back to the communities they live in.”
-- ends --