PRESS RELEASE : Chevening-Briggs Scholarship supports Canada’s future leaders [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 August 2023.

Chevening-Briggs Scholarship will support aspiring leaders and innovators from Canada to study in the UK.

• strong preference given to high-quality candidates from Indigenous communities
• scholarship offers full financial support for a student to study any eligible master’s degree at a UK university
• scholarship funded by Vancouver-based British entrepreneur and philanthropist David Briggs

The UK High Commission in Ottawa and Canada-based British entrepreneur and philanthropist David Briggs have announced that they have joined forces to create the Chevening-Briggs Scholarship, which will offer the opportunity for a Canadian student to study a Master’s degree at any UK university, with strong preference given to high-quality candidates from indigenous communities.

Applications for the Chevening-Briggs Scholarships will open in mid-September 2023 and should be submitted on the Chevening website.

The UK government’s global Chevening Scholarships programme (under which the Chevening-Briggs Scholarship will operate) is awarded to individuals from all backgrounds who can demonstrate that they have the commitment and skills required to create positive change and can show how a UK master’s degree will help them do that.

The scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study for any eligible master’s degree at any UK university whilst also gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural experiences.

Since the programme was created in 1983, over 55,000 professionals have had the opportunity to develop in the UK through Chevening. There are more than 1,400 scholarships on offer globally for the academic year 2023 to 2024.

The programme’s alumni include 20 current or former heads of state or government officials. In Canada, notable alumni include Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.

David Briggs recognises the importance of supporting candidates, particularly from Métis, Inuit, and First Nation communities, through his scholarship. His preference to award his scholarship to a student from these communities comes from his drive to learn from indigenous groups and promote a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

British High Commissioner to Canada, Susannah Goshko CMG, said:

Each year, I am blown away by the quality of the Canadian Chevening scholars. Regrettably, however, we have yet to award a scholarship to an Indigenous person from Canada. I am delighted that this new partnership has given us a further incentive to address this deficit. I hope that David Briggs’ preference to support an Indigenous person from Canada will help to further the diversity of voices that already enrich the Chevening programme. My sincere thanks to David for his encouragement and support.

David Briggs, Director and Co-founder of GeoComply, said:

I believe strongly in the transformative power of education. Through this partnership, and with a strong emphasis on reconciliation and learning from Indigenous communities, I know we will be able to identify exceptional individuals and create opportunities that empower and uplift them. Programmes which bring together leaders and innovators from across the world, such as Chevening, will be essential to addressing the global challenges we face. I am delighted that a new and ambitious voice from Canada will be a part of that conversation through the Chevening-Briggs Scholarship.