The Rashid Domingo Student Bursary

This Bursary was made possible by a generous gift to the University by the late Mr Rashid Domingo.

Born in South Africa, Mr Domingo studied Medicine, Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Cape Town at a time when very few places were available for non-white students.  During the Apartheid, a time when opportunities for him and his family were severely limited, Mr Domingo emigrated to the UK and founded a company called Biozyme in 1971 in Maidenhead. In 1974 due to the company’s success and expansion, Biozyme needed a new home which it found in Blaenafon where the British Government was offering plant and machinery grants as well as other benefits to companies willing to move to South Wales and help target severe unemployment.  Biozyme grew to be the second largest producer of enzymes for clinical diagnostics in the world. Mr Domingo is best known for his work on developing high activity alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme that has made it possible to measure early signs of prostate cancer, quickly and cost effectively.

After creating a number of scholarships and bursaries in his native South Africa, Mr Domingo was keen to turn his philanthropic interests to Wales and Welsh students in assisting able and deserving candidates to achieve their academic potential. Mr Domingo hoped that recipients of the Bursary would be inspired to consider supporting other students in a similar way in the future.

  1. The Bursary is available to applicants to any undergraduate course in the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) or the Department of Physics and will be awarded for a maximum of 3 years.
  2. Applicants must have attended secondary school/college in Wales for at least 3 years.
  3. Applicants must apply to Aberystwyth University via UCAS by the January deadline and must hold an eligible course at Aberystwyth University as their Firm choice through UCAS in order to be considered.
  4. The Bursary is aimed at students who may otherwise be prevented from attending university due to financial considerations; applicants are required to demonstrate their eligibility for the Bursary by completing an application form which must be submitted by 31st January in the year of entry to University.
  5. Applicants may be required to attend a short interview to discuss their application during an Applicant Visiting Day in February or March.
  6. The Awarding Panel will meet to decide upon the allocations in April; the decision of the Awarding Panel is final.
  7. The value of the Bursary is £8,500 over 3 years.  
  8. Applicants may opt to stay in University accommodation for three years if they wish (subject to applying each year within dates advertised by the Accommodation Office for returning students).
  9. One Scholarship will be awarded for 2023 entry.
  10. Applicants must not have been a degree student previously at any higher education institution.
  11. The Bursary may be held along with any other Aberystwyth University Scholarship or Bursary.
  12. Successful candidates will be expected to attend all lectures and attain and maintain a high level of academic performance and attendance, as determined by the Awarding Panel.
  13. Successful candidates may be required to work with a designated tutor and the Development and Alumni Relations Office of the University to promote the Fund and assist with reporting back to the donor on the impact the Fund has had on their studies.
  14. Award holders will be required to maintain regular contact with a nominated tutor to ensure they are progressing to the best of their ability.
  15. Payments will not be made during years abroad, in industry, or sandwich years.
  16. Mr Domingo may contact recipients of the Bursary during the course of their studies.
  17. Failure to meet any of the above requirements will result in the Bursary being withdrawn.