Global Talent Fund BIG Scholarships

The BIG (‘Backing Invisible Geniuses’) Program offers prodigious young talents the opportunity to study at world-class institutions. Scholarships are open to students from around the world who have medalled in international Olympiads.

The BIG Program offers holistic support for students, encompassing tuition costs, assistance with living costs, a stipend for academic pursuits outside the classroom, and other benefits such as social events, networking, internships, and research placements.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Global Talent Fund, supported with a founding donation from XTX Markets and working in collaboration with the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Scholarships are open to students from any country who have earned a medal in a major international science Olympiad, such as the International Mathematical Olympiad, European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad, International Physics Olympiad, or International Olympiad in Informatics.

The scholarships are awarded to applicants who are accepted for full-time admission to an undergraduate degree programme hosted in the School of Mathematics at the University. Please note that the maximum duration of the funding is 4 years. If you wish to study one of our MMath programmes you would need to join directly into second year in order to receive funding for the duration of your degree.

The scholarship is not available to students already on programme. It is also not available to students studying Mathematics as part of a degree programme hosted by another School within the University.

Applicants should have applied to the University of Edinburgh through the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), but do not need to have received an offer in order to begin the scholarship application process.


The scholarship is competitive and based on academic merit. Beyond academic prowess, the BIG Program also prizes students who demonstrate a collaborative spirit and leadership qualities, and who aspire to make a societal contribution in their careers. We will prioritise awards based on financial need, and therefore may be in touch with scholarship candidates to seek further information.


Eligible applicants should complete an online scholarship application.

The scholarship deadline is 23:59 BST on 31st March 2025. 

In order to gain access to the scholarship application system applicants must have applied for admission to the University of Edinburgh.  Please note that, following the submission of an application for admission, it can take up to five working days for all system checks to be completed and for access to be granted.

The online scholarship application form is located in EUCLID and can be accessed via MyEd our web based information portal at https://www.myed.ed.ac.uk

When logging in to MyEd, you will need your University User Name and password. If you require assistance, please go to http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-systems/support-guidance

Further guidance on applying for scholarships as a registered student can be found here: Applying for a scholarship through MyEd

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Scholarships System FAQs for Applicants (511.17 KB / PDF)


Students will be notified of the outcome of their application by 24th April 2025.


Lynsey Aitken, Student Recruitment Manager - lynsey.aitken@ed.ac.uk


Find out more about the Global Talent Fund BIG Program online here: https://www.globtalent.org/activities/big


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