PGR Conference Fund
This fund is provided by The Doctoral Academy to support postgraduate researchers with the costs of participating in academic conferences.
PGRs can apply for:
• up to £350 to present at an international conference (conditional on applicants gaining overseas travel authorisation from the Faculty)
• up to £175 to present at a UK conference
• up to £175 to present at a virtual conference
• up to £175 to attend a conference as an audience member. Please note, however, that priority will be given to those presenting.
Please note the University requires all overseas travel to be authorised in advance by the relevant School Director and Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor. If your application for PGR Conference Funding is successful, you will then need to complete this overseas travel authorisation form, and return it to before funds can be released.
Competition Dates
Round 1 Opens Fri 22nd September– closing 16:00 Fri 27th October 2023
Round 2 Opens Fri 19th January – closing 16:00 Fri 23rd February 2024
Round 3 Opens Fri 26th April – closing 16:00 Fri 31st May 2024
Applications should be submitted through an online form, once the Competition opens, and by 16:00 on the closing date of the Competition Round
Please note that this is a competitive fund. If successful, funding will be transferred to your Faculty, and you will need to liaise with your Faculty Research Administrators or your Supervisors to claim the funds.
Criteria
The fund is for PGRs attending or presenting at an academic conference. Priority will be given to those presenting. Presenting can be a poster or any form or oral presentation or demonstration. When applying for the fund, presenters will need confirmation from the conference organisers that their abstract has been accepted. The remaining funds in the budget will be available for PGRs wishing to attend a conference as audience members. All applicants will be required to supply confirmation from their Lead Supervisor supporting the application.
All applications will be considered, but applications will be prioritised from PGRs who are not in receipt of Research Council funding, bench fees, or other funding that supports conference attendance. Applications from PGRs who have not yet received PGR Conference funding will also be prioritised.
Your Application
Your application is more likely to be successful if you provide clear, concise evidence of the importance of the conference to your research. This might include the direct relevance of the conference themes or how your participation will help improve your future research.
Your chances will also be improved if you show evidence of applying to other funding sources (eg faculty funding; external funding).
Your application needs to include a supporting statement from your Lead Supervisor, which gives a clear indication of the relationship of the conference to your research. This statement also needs to include details of any bench fees or Research Council funding that you are in receipt of.
Submit your applications via the online form, during the Competition Round 1, 2 or 3 window. You can upload supporting documents (abstract, confirmation of your presentation acceptance, supervisor's supporting statement) through the online form. If you have any difficulties, you can email attachments to Jo McKeon: j.m.mckeon@ljmu.ac.uk
Applicants will be notified within three weeks from the closing date. If you are successful, funds will be paid into an appropriate account managed within your school, department, research centre or institute. Your faculty finance officer can then assist with payments. Please note if you are claiming money back, you will be required to provide receipts. All claims for reimbursement should be submitted as soon as possible.
Funds must be used by 31st July 2024 and cannot be transferred to the following academic year.
Successful applicants may be asked to present their research at one of the LJMU Research Café events during 2023/2024.