Doctoral Academy conference support fund

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply:

• all eProg milestones should be completed and up to date – or provide justifiable grounds for late forms.

The application must be approved prior to the student attending the conference. Please note that the Conference Support Fund Committee meeting usually takes place a couple of weeks after the deadline date. Unfortunately no exceptional applications can be considererd.

Please note:

• For students in submission pending the conference must take place prior to their submission deadline.

Assessment criteria

Please note: PGRs will only be awarded the DA conference funding a maximum of twice throughout the duration of their programme.

Applicants must:

• submit the ‌Doctoral Academy Conference Support Fund Application Form (Word, 53KB)
• submit in accordance with the advertised deadlines and prior to attendance at the conference;
• include a letter/email of support from the supervisor that outlines the standing of the conference, the relevance to the student's project and note the quality of the presentation or data;
• include evidence of applying to an external body to cover some of the associated expenses.

Please note that the funding is available on a competitive basis.

Applications should be sent to FBMH.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk

This includes:

• conference registration fees;
• standard class travel;
• accommodation;
• visa application costs (conference purposes only).

There are three rounds per academic year:

• Round 1 - Friday 20 October 2023
• Round 2 - Friday 24 November 2023
• Round 3 - Friday 9 February 2024
• Round 4 - Friday 10 May 2024

Awards will be conditional until the Doctoral Academy Office receives evidence of acceptance of the abstract by the conference.

The decision of the Committee is final and there is no right of appeal. However, the panel will provide feedback on all applications.

It is a condition of awards that, following attendance at the conference, applicants should submit a completed Doctoral Academy Conference Support Fund Evaluation Form (Word, 53KB) and send this alongside their completed University PR7 expenses claim form to the Doctoral Academy Office.

This should be sent to FBMH.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk

Expenses must be claimed in a timely manner and no later than one month following the conference.

Non-completion of the evaluation form will result in delays to the expenses being processed.

Please contact the Doctoral Academy with any queries regarding the application or claims process.

The funding arrangement for your doctoral studies is likely to include support for training as well as research costs (known as your Research & Training Support Grant - RTSG). RTSGs vary considerably depending on the funder and programme.

You should seek advice from your supervisor early on about what support is available for conference attendance. Your supervisor should also be aware of other local and external funding schemes that are available in your field.

Many members of staff and students have caring responsibilities or disabilities that can make attending conferences or training courses difficult.

This SMS Carer Support Fund was designed to provide financial assistance to colleagues who wish to attend an appropriate conference or training course. It can provide up to £400 towards the costs of additional carer support, such as for for children, family members or themselves, which are associated with attendance at a conference or training event, such as conference nursery costs or travel costs for children or carers. 

The applicant must be actively involved in the conference/training course, for example, giving a presentation, facilitating a workshop, or acquiring a new skill to improve UoM output.

Please note this is an SMS initiative, and so only open to PGRs registered in SMS.

• Application form (School of Medical Sciences)

You should take advantage of early bird and discounted student rates. You may also be eligible for a reduced registration fee if you are from a developing country or are self-funded. Conferences often offer bursaries that you can apply to.

Some conferences also advertise for stewards to help during the conference. This is a great way of attending a conference cheaply and learning all about how conferences are run from the inside.

This can turn up all sorts of opportunities from charities, journals and other organisations. Eligibility criteria are often very specific (e.g. stage of career, nationality, conference location, the research topic). Start researching opportunities early as the eligibility criteria and deadlines change regularly.

Most funders will expect a brief summary of your experience after the conference.

Below are some of the organisations that FBMH students have sought funding from to present their research:

• Axol Bioscience
• Biochemical Society
• British Psychological Society
• British Society for Cell Biology
• British Society for the Philosophy of Science
• Company of Biologists
• Egyptian Cultural Educational Bureau
• European Association for Cancer Research
• Federation of European Neuroscience societies
• Foundation for the Society of Health and Illness
• Guarantors of Brain
• Kidneys for Life
• Laboratory Animal Science Association bursary
• Royal Society of Biology
• The Leakey Foundation

Societies often have travel funds specifically to support members. They will often also prioritise students and early career researchers. Where societies organise their own conferences, they may put a call out for early career members to join a conference organising committee, which can mean registration fees are waived.

The Doctoral Academy will fund membership to a UK society (up to a maximum of £50) for one year. You should discuss with your supervisory team what society is most appropriate for you and your professional development.