University of Bradford selected to receive Ford Blue Oval Scholarships

Ford has selected the University of Bradford among five leading UK universities to receive student scholarships, each worth £10,000, starting in the 2013-2014 academic year.

The scholarship programme partners were announced by Barb Samardzich, Ford Europe Chief Operating Officer, at a roundtable discussion event at the House of Lords, which brought together academics, politicians and industry leaders to discuss how businesses, universities and the Government can work together to deliver world-class higher education and training in manufacturing and technology.

The scholarships will support two first-year University of Bradford students, considered and selected from a variety of courses, ranging from science and automotive engineering to computer technology.

Alastair Wood, Interim Dean of the School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Bradford, said; “These scholarships are a reflection of our longstanding relationship with Ford in the areas of research and knowledge transfer. Their decision to include Bradford in the scheme is a result of the quality of our engineering, electrical engineering and computer science courses and the cultural diversity of our student body.”

The Ford Blue Oval Scholarship Programme, launched in 2011 to mark 100 years of UK manufacturing by Ford, is designed to encourage the next generation of engineers, scientists and innovators to plan their future careers in British industry. The extension of the programme will focus particularly on supporting a targeted rise in the participation of female students with the ambition that 50 per cent of the scholarships be made available to women.