Bursaries and Grants

The Company of Biologists ‘Train Over Plane’ bursaries

Thanks to the support of The Company of Biologists, we are pleased to offer financial support to make it easier for delegates to avoid travelling by plane, and instead opt for greener modes of travel. 10 awards of up to £100 will be made to successful applicants to support the difference in cost between plane and other travel options. 

These bursaries are specifically to enable BNA members who are attending the 2024 Festive Symposium to avoid flying to the meeting, and instead choose greener travel options. At present, flying typically costs less than other modes of transport, and so these grants are intended to cover the difference in cost and help overcome this barrier to being more green in our scientific endeavours.

Eligible applicants will receive up to £100 to cover the difference in cost between travelling to the event via plane and via alternative means. 

Although the train is usually the most practical alternative to flying, other modes of transport will also be considered, e.g. shared car or coach, if evidence can be provided that this has a lower environmental impact. 

The application deadline is 13th November 2024 (23:59pm GMT). 

Eligibility:

• You must be a current undergraduate, postgraduate, career starter or Early Career Researcher member of the BNA, priority will be given to those who have been members for at least 6 months.
• You must have already registered to attend the BNA 2024 Festive Symposium.
• You must not have received a Train Over Plane bursary previously.
• the distance you need to travel must be over 150 miles from Leeds. 

Criteria:

• Awards of up to £100 will be allocated based on the BNA's assessment of the most economical mode of transport and a reasonable standard of accommodation.
•  

Terms:

• BNA bursaries are paid in pound sterling. 
• In recognition that paying costs in advance and being reimbursed at a later date can make meeting attendance prohibitive for some of our members, our policy is to award bursaries in advance of the meeting taking place.
• However, if a successful applicant subsequently decides to NOT attend the meeting for which they've received funding, we would normally ask for the bursary to be returned.
• Applicants may be asked to provide scans of receipts relating to attendance of the meeting.
• Details of applicants will be retained by the BNA for purposes of administering the grants for this and future BNA events for a period of 8 years. See our data protection notice at www.bna.org.uk/disclaimer.

If you have any questions please contact office@bna.org.uk.

Click here to apply

BNA-Brain Carer Grants 

Thanks to the support of the Guarantors of Brain, the BNA is awarding Carer Grants of up to £300 to help cover expenses associated with caring responsibilities and thereby enable participation in either BNA-hosted or external neuroscience events. 

These BNA-Brain Carer Grants are inclusive of different circumstances and varied caring responsibilities, and can be used to support the attendance of in-person or online events.  They are simply intended to enable participation of neuroscientists in a conference, workshop, training or other activity that is of benefit to their research, teaching or career, which would otherwise be difficult or impossible due to their caring responsibilities.

Who are BNA-Brain Carer Grants for? 

We appreciate that there are multiple ways in which people manage caring responsibilities and we welcome applications from a broad range of family systems. 

It might be that parents of school age children apply for a grant to access a paid-for online learning programme for older children. Carers of younger children might want to access professional childcare. People may be caring for older relatives or neighbours, and need a professional carer to allow them time to participate in events. Preference will be given to those with younger children and/or extenuating circumstances. 
To apply, please complete the form below. In order to complete this form, you will need to provide

What will BNA-Brain Carer grants support? 

So long as you can provide a good case for why you need a grant to cover costs, it will be considered for funding. Such costs could include but are not limited to: 

• Costs of a childcare provider, either in your home or in an external setting
• Cost of an in-home carer for dependent, or cost of an external care setting
• Access to teaching or other activities for older children
• Any other activity/purpose for helping delegates to meet caring responsibilities

This grant cannot be used to cover costs which would be sustained regardless of whether or not the applicant attended the meeting or activity, e.g. food or medicine.

Who is eligible? 

To be eligible for a BNA-Brain Carer grant you must meet the following criteria:  

• You must be a member of the BNA at the time of application. 
• Awards are open to anyone at any career stage (students, postdocs, ECRs, clinicians, PIs or others) with dependents or caring responsibilities.
• Awards are to enable participation in meetings or activities that further your research, teaching or career, or otherwise support the neuroscience sector. 
• Preference is given to more junior attendees, those with younger children, presenters, and those with extenuating circumstances. 

What information do I need to provide? 

You will be asked to provide: 

• Contact details and basic demographics 
• Information about the event or activity you wish to attend, and how you will benefit from participating (max 200 words) 
• Basic information about your caring responsibilities (for children or others) 
• How much you're applying for, up to a maximum of £300 
• Outline how you will use the funding (max 200 words) 
• Any special considerations we should take into account e.g., single parenthood (max 200 words) 

Click here to apply*

*Applications must be submitted 4 weeks in advance of the event.

BNA2025 International Festival of Neuroscience bursaries

Student and early career members can apply for a bursary to support travel and/or accommodation costs for attending the BNA2025 International Festival of Neuroscience, 27th - 30th April, Liverpool. 

The application deadline is 31st January 2025 (23:59pm GMT).   
We will notify applicants of the outcome by 14th February 2025. 

Eligibility:

• You must be a current undergraduate, postgraduate, career starter or Early Career Researcher member of the BNA, priority will be given to those who have been members for at least 6 months.
• You must have already registered to attend BNA2025.
• You must not have received a BNA bursary for attending a previous BNA Festival of Neuroscience.

Criteria:

• Awards of up to £200 will be allocated based on the BNA's assessment of the most economical mode of transport and a reasonable standard of accommodation.
• Priority will be given to international students and those from Low and Middle Income countries.
• Priority will be given to applicants who have submitted a poster abstract.
• Priority will be given to first time attendees to the BNA International Festival of Neuroscience. 

Terms:

• BNA bursaries are paid in pounds sterling. 
• In recognition that paying costs in advance and being reimbursed at a later date can make meeting attendance prohibitive for some of our members, our policy is to award bursaries in advance of the meeting taking place.
• However, if a successful applicant subsequently decides to NOT attend the meeting for which they've received funding, we would normally ask for the bursary to be returned.
• Applicants may be asked to provide scans of receipts relating to attendance of the meeting.
• Details of applicants will be retained by the BNA for purposes of administering the grants for this and future BNA events for a period of 8 years. See our data protection notice at www.bna.org.uk/disclaimer.

Click here to apply

If you have any questions please contact office@bna.org.uk.

ALBA Network Travel Awards for Neuroscience Meetings

The ALBA Network is offering travel awards of up to EUR 1,800 each to support early-career researchers from diverse backgrounds and scientific disciplines. These grants, supported by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), are intended for those who wish to attend international neuroscience meetings and events scheduled between April 2025 and April 2026. This includes national and international conferences and meetings on topics related to neuroscience or brain research. Priority will be given to applicants from under-resourced countries and disadvantaged backgrounds. Each travel grant will be provided as a lump sum, which awardees can use to cover various expenses, including registration fees, abstract submission, travel, and accommodation.

Application deadline: 14 November 2024

Who is eligible? 

• You must be in active early-career research (maximum 10 years from obtaining the last professional degree - PhD or MD).
• You must be first authors in the abstract you apply with.
• Be of any origin residing in any country.
• Identify with one or more underrepresented group(s) as defined by ALBA.
• You must be a member of the ALBA Network (or become a member at the time of application). 

You are not eligible to apply if you were awarded an ALBA Travel Award in 2023.

Who qualifies as an underrepresented person?

An underrepresented minority can be defined as an individual whose percentage of the population in a given group is lower than their percentage of the population in the country. At the ALBA Network, their definition of an underrepresented person in science is someone who identifies with one or more of the following:

• Women
• LGBTQIA+ individuals
• Individuals with neurodivergence, chronic medical conditions or disabilities that hinder participation in scientific life
• Of first generation status (being the first in a family to attend university)
• Born into racial, ethnic, indigenous or caste groups that are historically underrepresented in their country of origin and/or work
• Non-native English speakers who are not scientifically fluent in english (e.g., not comfortable presenting a scientific poster in English)
• From low socioeconomic backgrounds
• Those facing forced migration or displacement due to war, human rights abuses, political conflict, natural disasters
• With difficult personal circumstances (e.g., primary caregivers for elderly family members or children with special needs)
• Holders of passports with limited travel privileges (per latest Henley Passport Index)
• Those studying or working in countries with low gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) (according to latest UIS data)

What information do I need to provide? 

Candidates are required to submit the following:

1. A poster abstract and publications that support this.
2. A description of research aligning with the scope of the conference.
3. Personal statement (max. one page) explaining how participating in the event could positively influence their career path. This could include describing how the knowledge, insights, and networking opportunities gained will support their professional growth and advancement.
4. Completion of a CV template, providing details on honours and awards, academic appointments, other scientific presentations at conferences, and additional activities such as teaching and mentoring.
5. Candidates should select the relevant eligibility or underrepresented group category/categories listed in the application form and explain why they made that choice.

Click here to apply

BNA Exchange Grants 

The BNA is pleased to support this scheme to encourage sharing, collaboration, acquisition of skills between neuroscience groups in the UK and other countries.  

PhD students and Early Career Researchers* (ECRs) can apply for up to £600 to visit and work in a host laboratory. Additional costs can be met by other grants or department funds, or by applicants' own finances.  

Exchange trips can be in either direction: from the UK to another country, or from another country to the UK.

The exact duration and nature of the placement should be determined by mutual agreement between the host lab and individual to suit their particular circumstances.  

However, such placements would be expected to: 

• Be at least two weeks in duration 
• Entail learning of a new skill, technique, experimental approach etc. that would not be readily possible in the ‘home’ research group 
• Be undertaken with full agreement of the individual’s supervisor / Principal Investigator 

Eligibility 

• You must be a postgraduate or Early Career Researcher* (ECR) member of the BNA at the time of application. You can join here straight away. 
• You must be undertaking research related to the science of the brain or nervous system in any field, discipline or capacity.  
• Applicants currently based in a different country to their home nation can apply for an exchange trip returning to their home nation, but only if they have been working continuously in a different country for at least the last three consecutive years. 

Applicants can NOT apply to carry out an exchange trip to an institution where they have previously studied or worked.  

*The eligibility and definition of ECR is contained within the criteria listed under our ECR membership category. You may be asked to provide proof of your student or early career status, e.g., a photograph of relevant certificate, ID card, official letter or equivalent. 

How to apply 

• A recommendation letter from a current supervisor or senior colleague who must also be a BNA member (350 words max) indicating name, affiliation, address, contact details; 

• Your curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages) including education and degrees earned, current research projects/techniques used, publications/abstracts/presentations, and any other relevant information. 

The BNA has a total budget of £3000 for this scheme per financial year, which runs from 1st October to 30th September. Once the £3000 has been used for any given financial year, we will not be able to fund any further applications until the following year (beginning 1st October). 

Click here to apply*

*Please send accompanying information via email before the deadline: office@bna.org.uk. 

BNA Credibility in Neuroscience Bursaries 

The Credibility bursaries support individual neuroscientists to develop skills, knowledge and experience that will enable them to make their research as robust, reliable, replicable and reproducible as possible. Thanks to the support of the Gatsby Foundation, we can offer travel bursaries up to £200 for postgraduates and ECRs. 

BNA Credibility Bursaries are one of the ways we are meeting committments of our 'Credibility in Neuroscience' manifesto. In particular, the bursaries are part of meeting committment two: Equipping all neuroscientists – regardless of career stage, location, research topic or specialist technique – with the skills, knowledge, tools and processes they need to carry out neuroscience research which will stand the test of time.

These bursaries are aimed at enabling neuroscientists to attend events and training specifically relating to credible research practices, such as reproducibility. These will not cover attendance for general neuroscience events without an explicit demonstration of how this will contribute to credibility in neuroscience.  

Click here to apply

Other Opportunities

	BNA travel award to attend the BNA Festivals of Neuroscience	BNA2025 International Festival of Neuroscience bursaries
	Brain travel awards, £500-£1200	guarantorsofbrain.org
	Grindley Grants Up to £500	eps.ac.uk/information-about-funding/
	FENS travel awards for meetings including FENS, SfN, and Brain Conferences	https://www.fens.org/careers/grants-and-stipends
	Usually offers awards to attend FENS	neurochemsoc.eu
	£100-£500	physoc.org/travel-grants
	IEEE student travel  grants	ieee.org/about/awards/student_travel_grants.html
	SfN/FENS Awards to attend SfN /FENS meetings	https://www.sfn.org/sitecore/content/Home/SfN/Awards-and-Funding/Chapter-Grants-and-Awards
	Anatomical Society Barclay-Smith Travelling Fund to attend Anatomical Society meetings	anatsoc.org.uk/Awards/GrantsandPrizes
	Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Conference Grants	asab.nottingham.ac.uk/grants/conference
	Ataxia: both travel and research grants	https://www.ataxia.org.uk/news/apply-for-funding
	British Pain Society: Grants, awards and PhD's	https://www.britishpainsociety.org/about/grants-and-awards/
	BPS: a number of prizes & awards	www.bps.ac.uk/membership-awards
	British Society for Cell Biology - a number of awards and funding	bscb.org/?url=meetings/undergradbursaries
	British Society for Neuroendocrinology Travel Grants, & other funding	https://www.neuroendo.org.uk/page.php?item_name=Grants+Panel
	Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland: different funding schemes to support Scottish students or attending Scottish Universities	carnegie-trust.org
	European Society for Cognitive Psychology	https://www.escop.eu/awards-en-funding
	Experimental Psychology Society Study visits	eps.ac.uk/index.php/study-visit-grants
	Genetics Society Junior Scientists' Travel Grants	https://genetics.org.uk/grants
	International Brain Research Organization grants	ibro1.info
	Laboratory Animal Science Association	asa.co.uk/bursaries
	Leverhulme Trust Study Abroad Fellowships & other funding	leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/grant-funding
	Royal Society of Biology student and early career member travel grants	rsb.org.uk/get-involved/grants/travel-grants
	Society for Experimental Biology	https://www.sebiology.org/grants/grant-overview.html
	Antibodies.com	https://www.antibodies.com/travel-grants