In a post-pandemic era, I’m sure I’m not the only researcher itching to travel again! At the BSCR we offer travel grants to encourage our early career members to present their work at conferences. These are open to undergraduates, Masters students, PhD students, DPhil students and postdocs within 5 years of their PhD. Applicants must be the presenting author on the meeting abstract and must have been a member of the BSCR for at least one year. We will award up to £300, depending on the location of the meeting.
The only catch is that in exchange for a travel grant, we require applicants to submit a meeting report for publication on our blog. We would like to hear about why you chose this meeting, what were the themes, and what were your favourite parts. Share with us the academic and social highlights, the prizes that were awarded, and any new connections made. Pictures are strongly encouraged! These could be of the sights, of yourself presenting, or simply of a couple of early career investigators enjoying a drink together in the sunshine!
In 2015, I was the recipient of one of these travel grants after presenting a poster at the European Society for Hypertension meeting in Milan, Italy. I’m thrilled to have come full circle, and now be involved with awarding these grants to budding new researchers. I strongly encourage all early career researchers to put themselves out there and present their work. Whilst public presentation might sound scary, it has several rewards. It’s an excellent opportunity to meet other researchers and discuss ideas, learn something new, and make yourself known in the research community. In addition, presenting to a new audience is excellent practice for your PhD viva, and the questions you are asked by audience members could even give you new ideas for the direction in which to take your research.
To apply and for full eligibility information, head to the travel awards section of our members area. You must be logged in as a BSCR member to access this (join here).
For travel grant-related questions, email Sophie Saxton (sophie.saxton@manchester.ac.uk)