LONDON — Component distributor Premier Farnell plc (Leeds, England) is offering 12 scholarships worth $2,500 each for students of electronic engineering. Four scholarships are being awarded in each region — Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Applications are now being accepted from individual students worldwide who are registered in a full time Electrical and Electronics Engineering course in the 2009 entry year. Scholarship information, including the application form and terms and conditions, are available on the element14 website at http://www.element-14.com/community/community/liveedge.

Applications will be accepted through the Aug 31 2009 with the successful students being announced on Oct. 1 2009.

Applicants will be required to answer one of three questions. They can explain the importance of their degree in today and tomorrow's society and how they plan to use to improve the environment. Alternatively, they can either explain how they feel electronics design will change in the coming years or what new technology will have the biggest impact on electronics in the near future.

The scholarships have been created from the $30,000 prize money that remained after a student division winner was not named for the 2008 Live EDGE Electronic Design Global Environment challenge.

"Encouraging innovation and forward thinking among engineering students is paramount to the development and sustainability of future generations of design engineers," said Harriet Green, chief executive officer of Premier Farnell, in a statement. "The Live EDGE scholarship fund will help to encourage and develop 12 students enabling them to continue or start their education for the year to come. We are excited that through these scholarships we are able to support students as they strive to become leaders in critical environmental design practices."