Applications open for vet students to enter ‘Fellows of the Future’ competition

The RCVS is currently looking for applications from undergraduate veterinary students for the RCVS ‘Fellows of the Future’ competition.

Students are invited to submit a piece of original research and successful applicants will be invited to give a five-minute presentation of their findings to a panel. These will be recorded and delivered online later in the year and the audience at the RCVS Fellowship Day will then be able to vote for their favourite, with the judging panel making the final decision. The winning and highly commended presentations will be awarded £200 and £100 in National Book Tokens, respectively.

The RCVS Fellowship celebrates people who have made outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession, and the Fellows of the Futures competition was established to engage and inspire the next generation of RCVS Fellows. In previous Fellows of the Future presentations, students have submitted research on a wide range of areas of veterinary study, including a research project that could help vets advise owners what type of morbidity to look out for in a foal’s early life and research that investigated feline gait and how to aid the early detection of orthopaedic or musculoskeletal diseases in cats as they age.

Anyone who is interested in applying for the Fellows of the Future competition will need to:

• Complete a form and provide a title and summary of their research (500 words max) in a Microsoft Word or a PDF document
• Include up to two illustrations or diagrams in the application

The RCVS Fellowship Week is taking place between 30 September - 7 October 2021 and will include a variety of online activities across the week, culminating with the Fellowship Evening on 7 October.

Angharad Belcher, (pictured) our Director for Advancement of the Professions, said: “There’s a wealth of incredible research projects being carried out in veterinary schools across the UK. The Fellows of the Future competition is one of the ways that the RCVS gives veterinary students the opportunity to have their work recognised and celebrated. The RCVS Fellowship is about encouraging and nurturing the talent from all veterinary surgeons, regardless of what stage of their career they are in. I would like to encourage all veterinary students who have a piece of research that they are proud of, to submit it for the RCVS Fellows of the Futures competition.”

The deadline for submissions has been extended until Thursday 12 August 2021 and all successful applicants will be informed of the good news on Friday 20 August 2021. To find out more about the competition and how to apply, visit the RCVS Fellows of the Future page.