The hunt is on for applicants for the 2012 Cranfield New Zealand Alumni Scholarship to complete an MBA at Cranfield School of Management, one of Europe's top business schools.� The scholarship is offered by Cranfield New Zealand alumni, Cranfield School of Management, and the NZ-UK Link Foundation. The scholarship is worth approximately $80,000, making it one of New Zealand's most valuable academic prizes.�

David Ryan, Cranfield MBA 2001, speaking on behalf of Cranfield alumni in New Zealand said "The Cranfield MBA is a great chance for any young professional to learn about best business practice around the world. It's a very arduous and demanding experience, but New Zealanders have shone on the Cranfield course, taking top academic and leadership prizes in the past five years.

We are looking for graduates with good academic credentials who already have had worthwhile management careers. This is because the Cranfield MBA is not just about individual study. Students, who come from all over the world, are expected to use their experience to contribute fully to lectures and study groups."

Scholarship winners in recent years have come from all parts of New Zealand from the insurance, government, product development, biomedical, and infrastructure sectors.

In addition to the main scholarship which is open to anyone of New Zealand origin, Cranfield is also offering two partial scholarships for M?ori, to help develop talent to boost M?ori economic development.

Mark Horton, Chairman of the NZ-UK Link Foundation added "We have been delighted to support this scholarship over the years. It not only greatly benefits the individual winners but also adds to the overall quality of management available to New Zealand companies.''

Information on the scholarship can be found at www.cranfieldmba.info/NZscholarship

Applications close in May 2012.