Awards

The AVTRW Acorn Award

The AVTRW committee are pleased to announce the launch of the AVTRW Acorn Award to support undergraduate research projects relating to veterinary medicine and teaching.

The award is open to undergraduate students studying at UK or Irish universities. Grants of up to £1500 are available to support undergraduate research projects that have a veterinary application. This year we are pleased to announce that one of the available awards is designated for equine research projects and has been kindly sponsored by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB). Scroll down for further details and to read about previous winners.
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The deadline for application is 31st January 2025.
Click here to apply

Previous award winners

2023 Diamond Jubilee Winner

Canine mitral valve disease research

Understanding how extracellular vesicles contribute to the progression of canine mitral valve disease’.
Read Rowan's story →
2023 Diamond Jubilee Winner

3D co-culture angiogenesis assay

The development of a 3D co-culture angiogenesis assay using equine cells’, aimed to optimise assay protocols for use with equine ECs.
Read Andrea's story →
2022 Diamond Jubilee Winner

3D intranasal modelling

The development of a 3D printed calf head model to assess dispersal of intranasal vaccine application.
Read Macy's story →
2022 Diamond Jubilee Winner

Retrospective multicentric study

Research into the prevalence of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) in the UK canine population.
Read Yeonsoo's story →
View all posts
Award details

AVTRW Acorn Award

Following on from the success of our AVTRW Diamond Jubilee award launched to celebrate our 75th anniversary, we are pleased to announce we are continuing to support undergraduate research with the renamed AVTRW Acorn Award.

Submissions are now open. The deadline for submission is midnight on the 31st January 2025.
Who can apply for the AVTRW Acorn Award?
The AVTRW Acorn Award is open to undergraduates studying veterinary medicine or animal-related science degrees. We will accept applications from students in any year of their course, who will not have graduated by the time their project starts. Students must be affiliated with a UK or Irish university or college and become a student member of AVTRW if their application is successful.
What is the scope of the research project?
We are looking for projects that will be of interest to the veterinary profession, including veterinary education, which are based on sound scientific principles. The awards are for supervised, extra or intra-curricular projects.

This year we particularly welcome submissions in support of equine-related research projects for our equine focused award kindly sponsored by the HBLB.
Award details
  • Up to £1,500 is available for projects lasting up to 8 weeks full-time during the allocated academic year. These 8 weeks can be spread throughout the year. Start and end dates, along with timings of the project should be clearly stated in the application form.
  • The student must be supervised by a staff member at the institution where they are studying, who has relevant research experience. The supervisor is responsible for supporting the student at all stages of the project.
  • Acceptance of an award carries an obligation to present an oral abstract at the AVTRW conference in September 2025, to be held at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Central Lancashire (reasonable travel and accommodation expenses will be provided).
  • Grant awards are subject to ethical review by the host institution, evidence of which must be provided to AVTRW.
  • Submissions are now open. The deadline for submission is midnight on the 31st January 2025.
Click here to apply