The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and The British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposium

More about the programme

The symposium will aim to draw on the insights of the humanities and social sciences to explore varied understandings and experiences of natures, cultures and communities.

Aims

The symposium will bring together around fifteen early career researchers from the UK and fifteen from Germany (understood as up to ten years after obtaining a PhD) from across the humanities and social sciences to discuss key questions around the theme of ‘Natures, Cultures and Communities’. The symposium is designed specifically to encourage collaboration and networking.

In order to incentivise long-term collaboration and networking, seed funding will be made available for which participants can apply. These collaborations must be international in their makeup, and can be either partnerships or groups. This funding is designed to facilitate collaborations that are formed directly from the symposium.

Participants will also be eligible to apply for CONNECT, a follow-up programme for participants of Frontiers of Research Symposia offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It provides allowances for short workings visits in Germany or in the United Kingdom that can be taken up at any time following the symposium.

In addition to funding a number of collaborative proposals, the symposium will aim to provide opportunities for a range of other outputs. Participants, for example, could be invited to contribute to a publication focused on the symposium theme, either through individual papers or in partnership with other symposium participants, record audio outputs or write blog posts that will be compiled into a series dedicated to the symposium.

Eligibility requirements

For the purpose of this symposium, early career is defined as being within a ten-year period from the award of a doctorate. Participants must be based at research institutions in the UK.

All travel to and from the symposium will take place by train. This will require participants to be able to be at London St Pancras early on Wednesday 5 June (approximately this is expected to be at 05.15 am). Where necessary, the Academy will provide accommodation on the night of Tuesday 4 June to facilitate early arrival at London St Pancras. Departure from Berlin will take place on Saturday 8 June.

Attendance is mandatory for the entire symposium. If this is not met it will result in a participant not being eligible for the seed funding available.

UK-based attendees may only participate in two British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposia in any 24-month period.

Application Process

Applicants should provide:

• A completed application form

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 24 January 2024 at 17:00 (UK time).

We will seek to notify successful applicants by March 2024.

Contact details

Further information is available from Maya Murphy at [email protected]