Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd Scholarship
Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd – Scotland’s largest salmon producer – is sponsoring a second scholarship for
our Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society (EM JMD ACES). This
course is run by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS UHI) in collaboration with the
Universities of Crete and Nantes. It is part of the European Union’s prestigious Erasmus Mundus
programme and gives students the unique opportunity to travel throughout Europe as they learn about
sustainable aquaculture.
The two-year sponsorship, open to graduates from EU member states, will fund one student for our third
intake (2017-2019). The scholarship will cover the participation costs (tuition fees) and will also provide a
placement with Marine Harvest for a period of six months to allow the student to complete his/her
dissertations and gain valuable hands-on working experience with the company.
Steve Bracken, Marine Harvest Scotland (Ltd) Business Support Manager comments “Research and
education is vital in an industry that is only 45 years old. For our business to thrive, and the industry to
grow overall, we have to bring in young people who increasingly require specialist skills and training.
“In terms of research, it’s critical we keep pushing on in this area if Scotland is to become the industry
leader in research, innovation and technical development, providing science based knowledge and better
solutions in a growing sector. To date, the UK has lagged behind Norway in providing an availability of
aquaculture-educated personnel, but that balance is changing.”
The EMJMD ACES course, which began in 2015, awards a Joint Master Degree through the universities of
the Highlands and Islands, Crete and Nantes. It focusses on fin-fish and shellfish biology, interactions
between farming activities and the environment and involves internationally renowned researchers in the
field. It provides students with an insight into the industry while stressing the importance of
socioeconomics. Atlantic salmon has grown to be Scotland’s biggest food export and provides the country
with a financial income of more than £500 million per year.
The Marine Harvest Scotland scholarship is open to EU citizens and the following terms and conditions
apply:
1. Applicants must hold a Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in one of the fields of environmental or social
sciences. An appropriate background could include: Aquaculture-related studies, Marine Science, Aquatic
Biology, Biology, Environmental Sciences or Marine Resources, Environmental Economics and
Environmental Policy;
2. The programme is taught in English and it is essential that all candidates meet the necessary standard
to benefit from the programme. English competence equivalent to 6.5 IELTS (with a minimum of 6.0 in all
four components) or an equivalent qualification obtained through a ‘secure English language test’ would
be considered suitable;
3. Marine Harvest Scotland will meet the participation fees for the two-year programme (€4,500 per
annum);
4. The company will also host the student’s research dissertation placement during the fourth semester
– a fantastic opportunity to gain work experience in an industry that has become Scotland’s biggest food
export with a world-leading food producer. Reasonably priced accommodation may be provided by Marine
Harvest during this fourth semester in the vicinity of the site where it is impractical for the student to
commute from Oban to the site. If the site is overseas, the company may also pay reasonable travelling
expenses from their home to the site;
5. Marine Harvest Scotland will provide supervision and access to the support staff and facilities such as
boats, equipment and computer facilities as appropriate and as are available on site during the fourth
semester.
Please note, the scholarship offered by Marine Harvest Scotland does not include a monthly subsistence
allowance, travel and accommodation expenses for each semester. These costs must be met by the
student.
To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must complete the ACES-Marine Harvest scholarship
application form which can be downloaded from our website (www.emm-aces.org), along with a
Motivation Statement, CV and professional reference letter. The closing date for applications is 5th June
2017.
If you have any queries about your application or you would like further information, please contact Helen
Bury, Education Administrator, telephone 00 44 1631 559441, or by email at [email protected].
Did you know:
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SAMS is a charitable organisation (009206) and an academic partner within the University of the
Highlands and Islands;
Marine Harvest (Scotland) Limited is the largest producer of Atlantic salmon in Scotland, producing
over 50,000 tonnes of salmon per year. Based in Fort William, the company prides itself on being a
major employer of skilled people who strive to produce high quality, healthy and nutritious seafood
in the most sustainable way; and
With over 50 operational sites throughout Scotland, Marine Harvest offer employment in a number
of rural communities, which are often reliant on fish farming to help sustain an economy in the
more remote locations around the country. The balance between sustainable aquaculture and
socioeconomic impacts of fish farming in Scotland is of the utmost priority to Marine Harvest.