British Academy Conferences

Applications for the 2025-26 British Academy Conference scheme are open from Wednesday 22 November 2023 to Wednesday 24 January 2024.

The British Academy Conferences scheme presents an exceptional opportunity for UK-based scholars to run a landmark event featuring leading-edge research as part of the Academy’s events programme. The scheme includes a strand of British Academy/Wellcome Trust Conferences, designed to foster discussion and debate on health and wellbeing related themes.

Aim of the award

The British Academy Conferences scheme, with generous support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Wellcome Trust, presents an exceptional opportunity for UK-based scholars to run a pivotal event of lasting significance in their field, as a central part of the Academy’s events programme. Successful conferences will bring together scholars from around the world to present and discuss new research in the humanities and social sciences. Held at the British Academy’s own premises in London, at other British venues, or online, these landmark events will offer students, scholars and specialists an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in their subject areas and to expand their academic networks.

Awards for the strand of British Academy/Wellcome Trust Conferences are available for events which foster discussion and debate on health and wellbeing related themes.

Eligibility

• Awards are open to postdoctoral scholars (or equivalent) in the fields of the humanities and social sciences.
• Applicants must be resident in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands (that is, classed as ‘ordinarily resident’ for tax purposes).
• Applications require the approval of the applicant's employing institution, but are not limited to those of any particular status (e.g. Lecturer, Professor etc).
• Applications may be made by independent scholars and retired scholars.
• Conferences adopted into the next round of British Academy Conferences must take place between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.
• Proposals should be for conferences that will take place over one to two days at a venue in the UK, or up to three days if online-only. Convenors should indicate their preferred choice of venue in their proposal. Please note that we will not entertain proposals for in-person conferences longer than two days, unless the principal proposer can indicate that they have funds to cover the cost of these additional days.
• Proposals should be for conferences which disseminate new research in the humanities and social sciences. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary proposals are particularly welcome, as are proposals that show the connection between our disciplines and the natural sciences.
• Proposals should be for open occasions; requests for closed, invitation-only conferences will not be considered.
• Conferences funded under the British Academy/Wellcome Trust banner must explore health and wellbeing related themes. A broad definition which encompasses human and/or animal and/or environment health and wellbeing research across the spectrum of the humanities and social sciences, will be applied.

Please note that the strand of British Academy/Wellcome Trust Conferences is not open to those who:

• Have a research grant from the tobacco industry currently or in the past.
• Are applying for funding from the tobacco industry.
• Are employed on a research grant from the tobacco industry.

Period of award

The British Academy issues an annual call for outstanding conference proposals. Awards in this round are for conferences to be held 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026 (the earliest start date for a conference would be 1 April 2025).

Level of award

Up to £20,000 per conference is available for British Academy/DSIT conferences. For conferences on health and wellbeing under the British Academy/Wellcome Trust scheme, the upper limit of awards is £30,000.

Many awards will be made at a lower level, with sums in the region of £8,000-£15,000 likely. The awarding committee will aim to offer sums to make viable each conference that it selects for support, but in some instances, it may offer less than was sought.

Application process

Applications can only be submitted online using the British Academy’s online Flexi-Grant® Grant Management System (GMS) system.