Background and Aims
The RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship was established in 2006 following a donation by Lord Foster. In November 2006, Lord Foster wrote: "As a student I won a prize that allowed me to spend a summer travelling through Europe and to study first hand buildings and cities that I knew only from the pages of books. It was a revelation - liberating and exhilarating in so many ways. Today it is my privilege to fund the RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship, which I hope will have a lasting legacy - offering the chance for discovery and the inspiration for exciting new work - for generations to come."

In 2011 one travelling scholarship of £6,000 will be awarded to one student chosen from over 100 schools of architecture worldwide with RIBA-validated courses.

The scholarship will fund international research on a topic and at locations of the student's choosing. The topic of the research should however, relate to the survival of our cities and towns and fall under one of the following themes:

• learning from the past to inform the future
• the future of society
• density of settlements
• sustainability
• use of resources
• quality of urban life
• transport

Upon the completion of the travel the student will present their research in a report (graphic, photographic or written), which will subsequently be displayed during the RIBA President's Medals Student Award exhibition at the RIBA in London in December 2011.

Eligibility
Eligible students:
• must be enrolled in a school of Architecture with RIBA-validated degree
programmes AND
• must have successfully completed at least the first year of a Part 1 degree.

A list of schools of architecture with RIBA validation is available in the Appendix. Each school can submit one application produced by one student.

Criteria
The awarded student must demonstrate the potential for outstanding achievement and original thinking on issues relating to the survival and the future of our cities and towns.

Submissions will be judged by the panel consisting of:
• Lord Foster
• The President of the RIBA
• Two members of Foster + Partners
• One judge invited by Lord Foster
• One judge invited by the President of the RIBA

How to apply
Each school with RIBA-validated degree courses is invited to submit one application for the scholarship from one of its students detailing their proposed use of the scholarship. Each school chooses its own method of selecting its student but the completed application form must be signed by the Head of School (please see section D of the application form.)

A complete submission includes:
- one A1 ‘poster' presented as a pdf file detailing the proposal (topic, objective, locations) and
- one application form signed by the student AND the Head of School. Submissions containing an application form which is not signed by the Head of School will NOT be accepted.

Information on how to submit the poster and the application form can be obtained by e-mailing: [email protected].
N.B. Copies of all submissions will be archived in the RIBA British Architectural Library.

Important dates
Deadline for submitting complete applications is 1 March 2011.
The successful applicant will be announced in April/May 2011.
It is recommended that travelling be carried out between June and October 2011.