The AVA Trust was established in the early 1970s by the late Colonel John Langley, a past President of the Association. It is part of the AVA, which is itself a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom, but is run separately to the general Association.
The prime purpose of the Trust is educational, in that it awards grants to assist trainees studying for both RCVS and ECVA Certificates and Diplomas in veterinary anaesthesia. The funds are used to enable junior members of the speciality to attend courses and meetings relevant to the attaining of these qualifications. Traditionally the Trust has maintained a reserve fund to support the publication of the Proceedings of the AVA, which have evolved into what we now know as the Journal of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia.
The Trust administers the AVA Travel Scholarship which is made annually for overseas travel to broaden anaesthetic experience. The Trustees also administer the Boehringer-Ingelheim prize, which is awarded to the person gaining the highest mark in the Cert VA examination each year.
More recently, the Trust was very fortunate to obtain a donation from our Patron, Miss Kirsten Rausing, of Alfa Agri Ltd., to support a research project/training Studentship in aspects of anaesthesia and analgesia relating to farm animals.
Traditionally the Trust relied on the donation of the profits from AVA meetings to replenish its capital However, as the Association has grown so fast in recent years; it has become much more difficult to run AVA meetings at a significant profit. The Trust is therefore always in need of support, from either individuals or Commercial sources, to further its aims in the area of education in veterinary anaesthesia.
The AVA Trust awards
The AVA Trust has a number of awards that are available to AVA members to support travel and attendance at meetings.
AVA travel grants and how to apply
These grants are open to members of AVA who are pursuing further qualifications in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. There are 2 awards that are available:
AVA educational trust awards for attendance at meetings and courses
AVA Travel Scholarship for visits and externships to other institutions; a report for this award should be sent to the Hon Secretary 6-8 weeks after the scholarship has been completed.
There are two deadlines for submission of applications for these grants: January 31st and June 30th of each year. Applications for funding for the spring AVA meeting should be made in January and the Autumn meeting in June.
An application form [word.docx] or [PDF] should be completed and returned with a letter of support from the head of department to the Hon Secretary by email (secretary@ava.eu.com) or in writing to Karen Walsh, Willows Veterinary Centre, Highlands Road, Shirley, West Midlands, B90 4NH, UK. Applications are preferred by email. The submissions will then be reviewed by the trustees of the AVA trust. Applicants will receive notification by email and a cheque will issued by the Hon Treasurer. Candidates should expect to wait at least one month from the closing date before they will be informed of the decision.
Prospective candidates should note that because of the large number of applicants, in most cases trainees will only receive one award during their training period.
Eleanor West was supported by an AVA Educational Trust Award (March 2009) to attend a four day foundation course in veterinary acupuncture. Read the report of her experience here.
The AVA Trust contacts
All inquiries for financial assistance to the AVA Educational Trust should be addressed to the AVA Trust Secretary Ms. Karen Walsh.
The current AVA Trustees are: Kathy Clarke, Kate Borer, Lynn Hughes, Michaela Alef, Frank Gasthuys, Louise Clark, Peter Kronen and Karen Walsh.
Registered charity number: 267514
