CASP today announced the call for applications for the Andrew Whitham CASP Fieldwork Awards.

CASP are offering three awards of up to £4,000 to support UK- and EU-based undergraduates through to early career researchers undertaking applied geological fieldwork related to the energy transition.

Funding is available for the fieldwork component only — it excludes analytical costs and does not cover stipends. Preference will be given to standalone projects that are independent of existing funded research. These awards are intended to support new, self-contained field initiatives, not as ‘top-up’ funding for ongoing projects.

Applications are now open — CASP look forward to supporting innovative fieldwork that contributes to the future of energy geoscience.

Andrew Whitham CASP Fieldwork Awards 2026

CASP is a not-for-profit charitable trust  that exists to conduct and publish research into regional geology. It does this largely through geological fieldwork and related analytical studies. One of CASP’s charitable aims is to promote research in sedimentary basins around the world, and we especially encourage the application of field-based geology in addressing the challenges presented by the energy transition. 

Development of fieldwork skills has become less well supported in recent years. CASP is therefore offering annual awards specifically to promote fieldwork for geologists who are starting their research careers. These awards are named in honour of Andrew Whitham, formerly Chief Geologist of CASP. Annually some three awards of up to £4,000 each will be given.  

Examples of relevant research areas include, but are not restricted to, sedimentology, structural geology, stratigraphy, basin analysis, source-to-sink provenance studies, palaeoecology and stratigraphic palaeontology. All applications must be fieldwork focused and applied in nature; the skills we wish to encourage go beyond simply collecting field samples. 

The typical applicant will be an undergraduate masters (MSci or MGeol), postgraduate (MSc, MRes, PhD) student or early career researcher within a UK or EU-based institute looking for fieldwork funding for an individual project. The funding will be for the fieldwork element alone and therefore excludes any significant analytical budget and will not include the student’s stipend. Preference will be given to stand alone projects unrelated to already funded research. These awards should not be viewed as funding ‘top-ups’.   

The application should be made on the attached form (in no smaller than 10 point font). The applicant should address a clearly stated scientific question and have specific objectives and deliverables, including a proposed work plan plus itemised expenditure. The application form must be sent as a single pdf that includes a 1-page CV, and either proof of your attendance, admission to a relevant degree course, employment, or an official letter confirming your academic status. The pdf file name will include both your name and an abbreviated project title. Any applications that are over the single page limit or include additional information or attachments will be rejected. The application is submitted by email. The text in this email must include your name, affiliation and the title of the project as single line items.  

Highly ranked applicants will be invited to a short online meeting to clarify details as to their funding estimates, existing financial support, pending applications and scientific aims. Successful applicants will be invited to deliver a short talk on their fieldwork results, either in person at CASP’s offices or virtually on TEAMs. Deadline: 1st February 2026. Application to be submitted by email attachment to awards@casp.org.uk.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: CASP