In the first instance, it is worth checking whether your university, college, or funding body allocates funds for students to attend conferences. In some cases, access to these funds is contingent upon some form of participation at the conference, such as our postgraduate presentation competition. Please click on the names of the organisations listed below for more information.
Grants of between £50 and £750 are intended primarily to contribute towards travel costs to assist early career researchers in attending conferences relevant to their research, where the applicant has been asked to give a paper or presentation.
IHR Elaine Paintin memorial fund
The Elaine Paintin Memorial Fund is awarded annually to eligible students of the Institute of Historical Research, on the recommendation of the Friends’ Committee, to support travel and accommodation costs associated with research or conference attendance.
This bursary, made available by The Power and Postan Fund, is available to Junior Research Fellows of the Institute of Historical Research.
The Scottish Historical Review
The Scottish Historical Review Trust aims to promote research and publication in the field of Scottish History. Besides responsibility for the scholarly journal, the Scottish Historical Review, and the Scottish Historical Review Monograph Series, the Trust seeks to support research on any subject relating to Scottish History by means of a limited number of bursaries of up to £1,000 on an annual basis.
Society for the Social History of Medicine
The Society offers bursaries for bona fide students to assist them in meeting the financial costs of attending the Society’s own and relevant other conferences, up to a maximum of one per student per calendar year. Early career researchers without access to institutional funds may also enquire about the availability of bursaries.
Textile History: Pasold Research Fund
These support postgraduates conducting research in any area or period of textile history. The bursaries can be used for such purposes as conference attendance, securing visual materials, extra travel or research expenses or to support students when a dissertation is close to completion.
For student members of the RMA or members of RMA student groups. Typical expenses might include microfilm and photocopying costs, travel, and accommodation expenses for research away from home or for giving papers at conferences. Applications consist of a curriculum vitae, project description and budget, and letter of support from the supervisor.
Support for the obtaining of research materials, editorial costs, and expenses for research trips and conference attendance. Applications should include a project description, budget, details of any funding applications to other sources, and two reference letters. The Trust frequently funds projects on a shared basis and may make a provisional award pending the outcome of another funding application. It may also choose to award only a proportion of the amount requested. Applicants are eligible to receive funding from the Trust only once every two years. Applicants should note the the Trust applies strict deadlines for the receipt of applications.
British Comparative Literature Association
BCLA offer a scheme of postgraduate bursaries, designed to support attendance at conferences, research trips or other research-related expenses by BCLA members registered for a postgraduate degree (MA, MRes, MPhil, or PhD). Each award will be up to a maximum of £250 per student. For the purposes of the postgraduate bursary scheme, ‘comparative literature’ is defined as the study of the interaction of at least two bodies of literature (writers, genres, etc.), usually across languages.
Student associate members who are enrolled on a doctoral programme can apply for bursaries to cover the cost of travel and subsistence when: (a) giving a paper at a conference in the UK or overseas, or (b) carrying out fieldwork and data collection in the UK or overseas. The maximum such award is £1,000, and associate members may apply for both, but one application only may be made in each category.
Awards grants to otherwise unfunded workshops in economic & social history.
The Society for the Study of French History
The Society offers conference bursaries of up to £300 each to postgraduate students who are studying any aspect of the history of France or of its current or former possessions and who are registered to do so at a university in the UK or Ireland. Such grants will be put towards the cost of attending, and preferably giving a paper at, conferences.
Awards grants for organisation of symposia, conferences and workshops.
See also the list of various awards on the Royal Historical Society website.