Sources of External Funding for Conference Attendance

There are lots of opportunities to fund conference travel for postgraduate and doctoral students but no large overarching funding streams covering all disciplines. This means that to identify funds, it is best to search on a disciplinary basis to find opportunities that are of interest to your research area. The majority of funders offering small amounts for conferences are learned societies or foundations, offering funding to support attendance at their own conferences, or those in their disciplinary interest area, in the UK and overseas. Some funding opportunities are only open to society members but, student subscriptions are usually available at a substantially reduced rate. 

Finding funding

Research Professional  www.researchprofessional.com

Have a look at Research Professional. Research Professional is an online database of research funding opportunities and a source of international research policy and practice news. This is a subscription-based service that the University has an account for, and it contains a database of searchable funding opportunities that can be filtered by type of award and discipline, as well as many other advanced search options. This advanced search function will allow you to tailor your search to your specific area of interest.

Research Professional can be accessed while you are on campus, and you will be taken directly to the Homepage. However to save searches and to access your account off-campus, you will be required to register for an account.

EURAXESS  http://euraxessfunds.britishcouncil.org/Search.aspx/Index

This is a search tool that combines EU and British Council funds..

Euraxess UK lists schemes that fund travel to conferences, meeting organisation, short visits, longer fellowships etc. You can use this search tool to identify opportunities filtered on the basis of career stage – first stage, early career and experienced researchers, as well as discipline, purposes of funding and region.

There are some opportunities available but “read the small print”. Many are offered as part of a larger grant or scheme, rather than for individual student applications outside of this or, they conflate the eligibility criteria of postgraduate and postdoctoral. 

A sample of opportunities available, taken from Research Professional:

Genetics Society, GB Junior scientist conference grants

 UK-based researchers wishing to attend conferences outside of the UK and non-UK-based students wishing to attend a conference in the UK may apply. PhD students and postdoctoral scientists within six years of their PhD viva are eligible. https://genetics.org.uk/grants/junior-scientist-conference-grants/  
Women in German Studies, GB Funding to present at conferences 

Awards are available to attend conferences in the field of German studies, in the UK, Ireland or German-speaking areas, at which the applicant is presenting a paper. The applicant must have been a member of WIGS for three months prior to applying for funding.

 https://womeningermanstudies.wordpress.com/funding/

London Mathematical Society Early career travel grants 

Master’s level, PhD and research students, and anyone within five years of completing their PhD in mathematics may apply. Grants are worth up to £500 each and may cover travel or accommodation costs, including visas.  https://www.lms.ac.uk/grants/lms-travel-grants-early-career-researchers
Royal Historical Society, GB Conference travel grants  These enable early-career researchers or postgraduate students to present papers at specialist conferences within and outside the UK. http://royalhistsoc.org/grants/conference-travel/
Association for the History of Glass, GB Research grants (Up to £500) These contribute towards educational or research activities in any area of glass studies. Supported activities include: attendance at a conference to present lectures or posters, and travel for study purposes http://www.historyofglass.org.uk/grants.html
Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, GB Postgraduate international conference travel grants  These enable postgraduate students and early-career researchers to present or co-present a medical sociology or sociology of health and illness paper at an international conference outside the UK. http://www.shifoundation.org.uk/?page_id=26
Pasold Research Fund, GB PhD bursaries for textile history These support postgraduates conducting research in any area or period of textile history. http://www.pasold.co.uk/phd-grants
British Ecological Society, GB Training and travel grants   

These enable students and postgraduate research assistants to meet the costs of specialist field training courses, and to network and publicise their research by presenting their work at workshops and conferences. http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/funding/training-travel-grants/
Microbiology Society  Travel grants  These enable members to present work at scientific or education meetings, or to attend short courses or training events related to microbiology. Applicants must be members who have at least two consecutive membership subscription payments. https://microbiologysociety.org/grants/travel-research/travel-grants.html 
Nutrition Society  Conference grants  These support members who are actively participating in an event or conference related to nutrition. Applicants must be members, may be undergraduates doing their first degree, MSc students, PhD students or those within 10 years of higher degree graduation. https://www.nutritionsociety.org/awards-and-grants/conference-grants  
British Geriatrics Society  Falls and bone health  These enable trainees in geriatric medicine to go on courses or conferences related to bone and health issues, or to present an abstract related to falls and bone health at a more general meeting. https://www.bgs.org.uk/grants-and-prizes 
Institute of Physics  British Carbon Group bursaries  These enable students to participate in national and international meetings related to the science and technology of carbon materials.  https://www.rsc.org/membership-and-community/connect-with-others/through-interests/interest-groups/british-carbon/bursaries/  
Association for Industrial Archaeology  Peter Neaverson travel bursary  This facilitates the education or training of people studying, working or volunteering in fields related to industrial archaeology or industrial heritage. https://industrial-archaeology.org/aia-awards/peter-neaverson-awards/