1. The University accepts from the Trustee of the Campaign for Oxford Trust Fund the initial endowment, made possible by a generous benefaction from the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust of the Irish Government, and such further sums as may be contributed for the same purpose, to establish a fund, to be known as the Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellowship Fund, the income of which shall be used to support the award from time to time of Research Fellowships in the History and Culture of Ireland.
2. The scholarships shall be open to candidates who have recently obtained a postgraduate degree in an appropriate subject and also those who are in the final stages of work for such a degree (preference shall be given to candidates in the former category).
3. The Board of the Faculty of History shall be the board of management for the scholarships and shall appoint a committee for the exercise of its functions under these regulations, comprising:
(1) the Foster Professor of Irish History;
(2) one person elected by Hertford College;
(3) one person elected by the Board of the Faculty of History.
The elected members of the committee shall hold office for five years and shall be re-eligible. Casual vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the period of the person demitting office. The committee shall have the power to co-opt up to two other persons. The committee shall appoint one of its members from time to time to be its chair.
4. The fellowship, which shall be held at Hertford College under the aegis of the Foster Professor of Irish History, shall be tenable for one year.
5. Every candidate, with their application, shall submit a programme of the work in Irish History or Culture which they propose, if elected, to undertake.
6. Every fellow shall, while continuing to hold the fellowship, produce from time to time evidence, satisfactory to the committee, that they are carrying out their programme of work. The committee shall have power to deprive a fellow who does not comply with this condition of the whole or any part of the emoluments of the fellowship.
7. Surplus income arising in any year shall, at the discretion of the committee, either be carried forward for expenditure in subsequent years or be used for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) the award of an additional fellowship;
(b) the continuation of a fellowship previously awarded;
(c) the payment of a fellow’s expenses, including those of travel or publication, incidental to the pursuit of a piece of research into Irish History or Culture on a subject approved by the committee;
(d) the encouragement in any other way of such research within the University, for submission for a degree of the University or for subsequent publication, on a subject approved by the committee.
8. No person shall be awarded the fellowship a second time.
9. Council shall have power to alter this regulation from time to time subject to the consent of the Irish Government, and provided that the main object of the Irish Government in founding the fellowship, namely the encouragement within the University of advanced study of the History and Culture of Ireland, shall always be kept in view.
