Eric Beverley CBE DFC was Commercial Director of the BAC Guided Weapons Group, President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies and, in 1978, Master of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers. During his distinguished career he became deeply involved with Cranfield Institute of Technology - now Cranfield University – and, immediately prior to his sudden death in 1980, was considering Livery support for students undergoing training at Cranfield. To perpetuate the memory of Eric Beverley, Mr J A Williams TD, Master of the Coachmakers’ Company at the time, drew together the strands of this idea and arranged the establishment of a memorial fund in his name to provide an annual bursary.


AIM OF THE BURSARY
The aim of the bursary is to assist the practical studies of post graduate students reading aerospace related subjects at the Cranfield College of Aeronautics.


MANAGEMENT OF THE BURSARY
The Eric Beverley Bursary Award is managed by a Committee comprising the Master (ex Officio), a Chairman (a Member of Court) and up to 2 other members of the Livery. Members shall serve on the Committee for a period of 3 years initially and thereafter by mutual agreement with the Master of the day.


THE BURSARY FUND
As an element of the Coachmakers’ Charitable Funds, responsibility for the investment of funds to provide the award rests with the Trustees of the Company. The Eric Beverley Award Committee will, when determining the value of the award, leave 10% of the fund’s income intact to permit growth of the capital base.


STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
The bursary is available, annually, for students of any nationality studying at Cranfield College of Aeronautics who, on completion of their studies, will apply their knowledge in the aerospace industry. The areas of interest which the Coachmakers prefer to support are aircraft design and production, including electronic, control and propulsion systems. However, projects in other aeronautical fields will be considered.


PROCEDURE
Current students at Cranfield will be sent details of how to apply for the award early in the year; the closing date for applications is normally at the end of May. All applicants wishing to submit a proposal (maximum length 6 typed pages) will be required to submit eight copies of their proposal by the due date. The proposal should describe the nature of the applicant's research activities and the purpose of his/her proposed visit(s), and must be endorsed by his/her supervisor. All proposals will then be considered by a panel of adjudicators comprising members of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and academic staff from Cranfield University. A shortlist of candidates will then be invited to meet the adjudicators in early July, when they will be required to give a brief presentation and answer questions. On the basis of this presentation, interview and taking into account the recommendations of specialist academic staff, the winner of the award will be selected. Normally only one bursary will be awarded but a second, lesser, grant may exceptionally be made to reward special merit.

BASIS OF THE AWARD
The award is made on the basis of:

(a) the innovative nature of the research project
(b) relevance of the study to the aerospace industry
(c) the individual’s ability to communicate his or her subject
(d) the candidate's plans for use of the bursary monies.

THE ERIC BEVERLEY AWARD
The Eric Beverley Bursary Award Committee has the authority to announce the winner to Cranfield on completion of the interviews, and will subsequently report their decision at the next meeting of the Coachmakers’ Court. The Clerk will then make payment to the successful individual(s) through Cranfield University. Cheques are signed by two Trustees of the Company.

The bursary award winner(s) should receive their cheques in sufficient time for their presentation at graduation ceremonies at Cranfield.

The Award winner(s) will be invited to the Coachmakers’ Annual Aerospace Industry, normally held in November, to receive their official certificates from the Master.

On completion of their projects, all award winners are then required to submit a 1,000 word report to the Chairman of the Awards Committee describing, with illustrations where possible, how they have used their bursary funds to forward their research. This report will then be considered for publishing in ‘The Coachmaker’ magazine.