How to find sources of funding to attend conferences as a PhD student
Societies, conference organisers, and departmental funding
So after reflecting on the importance of attending conferences in the previous post, this time I want to dig into some details about how to attend a conference. Submitting an abstract is the first step, and while I won’t delve into how to design a good abstract, I encourage you to apply to present at the conference. Presenting your work has many benefits, especially at a conference, where you can use your poster as a conversation starter. However, it’s crucial to leave enough time to produce your poster or presentation to avoid last-minute stress.
The main point I want to address is sources of funding to support conference attendance. PhD students typically don’t have a lot of disposable income, so securing funding to cover your conference costs is always a win. Most conferences have a registration fee, as well as travel and hotel expenses. While printing a poster typically won’t break the bank, it’s still an additional cost to consider.
Your funding options usually include travel money from your PhD program, travel grants from academic societies or conference organisers, and internal departmental funding. If you’re on a funded PhD, such as an MRC DTP or CRUK PhD, then additional money is usually set aside to support your conference travel. However, the amount of money can vary, so it’s best to consult with your supervisor.
Conference organisers
If you don’t have an assigned travel fund, or you’ve already used it up, then you can look for funding from societies or conference organisers. I’ve mentioned this second as it will require more work than using your pre-assigned funding, but it’s usually a good idea to try and secure external funding first, and save your “easy” funding as a last-resort. Some conference organisers may support the cost of your registration or attendance, usually with special conditions attached, such as submitting or presenting an abstract. The way this is organised varies by conference, so it’s best to carefully read the conference site’s information and contact the organisers for clarification if needed. You will typically also have to indicate that you are applying for funding when submitting your abstract to that conference.
Academic Societies
Another option is academic societies, such as the British Association for Cancer Research (BACR). If you’re a member of any academic society, you can apply for funding to attend conferences several times a year. Typically, these applications require that you present some work at the conference and include an abstract and a letter of recommendation from your supervisor. You’ll also need to answer additional questions, such as why you deserve the funding, how attending the conference will benefit your career, and how the funding will help you attend the conference. Different societies offer different levels of financial support, with more money offered for travel abroad than within the UK, as travel abroad is typically more expensive. Some societies may also require you to have one year of membership before you’re eligible to apply for travel grants, so make sure to check before applying. The societies that you can apply to for funding will vary based on the field of your work. Below is a list of societies that I’ve previously identified for funding; there are others!. If a society awards you funding to attend a conference, then it is expected that you acknowledge that funding on your poster/in your talk. Also, a typical rule is that you cannot apply for funding from a society if they have awarded you that grant within the past year.
British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
BACR/AstraZeneca Student Awards
Up to a maximum of £1,000 for overseas meetings (£500 for UK meetings).
(1) Must have been a member for at least 1 year (2) Must provide an abstract that has been submitted to the conference
Biochemical Society
Generally between £300 and £700 to assist with cost of attending face-to-face conference
(1) Must have been a member for at least 12 months, or six month if you buy a multi-year membership (2) Must provide an abstract that has been submitted to the conference
(1) Must have been a member for at least 12 months, or six month if you buy a multi-year membership (2) Must provide an abstract that has been submitted to the conference
Society for Experimental Biology (SEB)
The company of biologists travel grant
£250 for travel within home country or for attending virtual conferences or training; £500 for overseas travel
(1) You must be in the second consecutive year of membership or pay for a multi-year membership when joining, if you qualify for it (2) You must not have received funding from the Company of Biologists in the past 12 months (3) Will not fund research directly related to medicine (4) More likely to be given funding if you are presenting
SEB annual conference travel grant
Up to £800 to attend the SEB annual conference
(1) Specifically for travel to the SEB annual conference, which you must have registered for and payed to attend (2)You must be in the second consecutive year of membership or pay for a multi-year membership when joining, if you qualify for it (3) Be a first author presenting a poster or talk at the conference
British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB)
Honor Fell Travel Awards, sponsored by The Company of Biologists
£150 to attend online events and workshops; £400 for meetings and courses within the UK (this now includes the BSCB Spring meeting) ; £500 for meetings and courses within Europe; £750 for meetings and courses in the rest of the world
(1) Can only apply for one conference a year and six in total. (2) If membership is payed by direct debit then must be a member for 3 months before applying (3) If membership is not payed by direct debit then must be a member for 1 year before applying (4) Applicant must be contributing a poster or talk
A final option for funding is within your department or university. This will be run differently between different institutes, so once again my advice is to speak to your supervisor about this.
I hope this post was useful and that it brought you one step closer to attending that conference you’ve been thinking of!