International Travel Bursary Grant

International Travel Bursary Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Merlin Trust
Amount: Up to £1,500
Last Updated: December 01, 2025

Summary

The International Travel Bursary Grant offers up to £1,500 for young horticulturists to support travel projects worldwide. Applicants can engage in various activities, such as garden tours, internships, and research projects, focusing on sustainability, conservation, and health benefits of horticulture. This grant encourages innovative projects and provides special consideration for those involving heather cultivation. Applicants must be aged 18-34 or within the first five years of their horticultural career, with specific eligibility requirements outlined.

Overview

NOTE: Bursary funding is becoming limited due to the success of the scheme this year. Future applicants are welcome to apply up to the maximum available for the International Travel Bursary but should be aware that full awards are unlikely to be made between December 2025 and March 2026. We will only consider applications for travel that is at least six weeks from the application submission date to the intended start date of your project. International Travel Bursary A travel bursary for young horticulturists wishing to pursue a number of different opportunities in the UK, across Europe or further afield. We offer up to £1,500 to individual applicants to assist with worldwide travel projects. Applications can be submitted allowing recipients to carry out garden tours, undertake work experience and internships in gardens or other horticulturally-related areas, pursue research projects, visit conservation programmes, attend a conference or take part in horticultural skill-based short courses. Potential projects might involve: Travel to visit gardens and plants growing in the wild. Also includes conferences, study fees (short skill courses only), and purely conservation-based projects. We strongly encourage applicants considering internships and work experience placements. A special award for a heather-related project or internship is available. The project might be a study tour of heather collections at gardens, work experience in a specialist heather nursery, or contributing to a moorland or heathland restoration or research project. A focus on green recovery that will be of interest to young horticulturists interested in growing their practical experience in sustainable horticulture and conservation horticulture, including the role of horticulture in habitat restoration. This award will support travel to and support at gardens and plant-related environmental projects with a sustainable or conservation focus. We would like to hear from you if you have a study tour or internship/work experience placement planned which looks at sustainability in horticulture – from improving the sustainability of public gardens to sustainable growing practices, or if you are planning research as part of a plant conservation or habitat restoration project. A focus on health & wellbeing to explore the impact of horticulture on society, particularly the links between gardening and health. Examples could be work experience/internship with an horticultural therapy organisation or a study tour examining the role that gardens and contact with plants can play in improving health and wellbeing. There are many gardens and organisations who have created health and wellbeing gardens or are involved in horticultural therapy. Potential examples of organisations and gardens include Thrive, Trellis, Eden Project, Horatio’s Gardens and many other social prescribing sites in community and public gardens.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Horticulturists of British or Irish citizenship, resident in Britain or Ireland only. Foreign citizens may apply but must be studying in a British or Irish horticultural training establishment, on a full-time professional horticultural course. Aged between 18 and 34 (You can apply up to the date of your 35th Birthday and must travel within one year of applying). Or, if you are over 35, but within the first 5 years of your horticultural career (including time spent training/studying) you may also apply.

Ineligibility

The Merlin Trust will not fund equipment, books or other consumables. We do not provide funding for living costs or costs that might be incurred while you are travelling but are not part of your visit such as rental payments for your home, covering unpaid leave etc.