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Grants and Bursaries

Stay Connected Bursaries

Our Stay Connected Bursaries make it easier for members to remain engaged with the scientific community, whether you are on a career break or have recently returned to work. 

Stay Connected Bursaries help to keep members up-to-date with the latest scientific developments by covering the cost of registration to face-to-face and online Society Scientific Meetings, Training Events, and Courses. Requests for financial support towards accommodation and travel will also be considered. 

You will be required to give a full breakdown of costs as part of the application. Please note that limited funds are available per event and whilst the Society will endeavour to support successful applicants to the amount required, the Society may not be able to provide full support for your attendance. 

How to Apply

Eligible members can apply during the event registration process.

We understand that the individual needs and requirements vary greatly for our members, therefore each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, applications should meet the below criteria: 

  • Applicants must be a current Postgraduate, Early Career, Full, or Associate member of the Biochemical Society. 
  • Applicants must complete a personal statement highlighting the relevance of attending the event for their ongoing professional development. 
  • Applicants must provide, in as much detail as possible, full details of any career break taken, including the reason for this and the length of the break. Please note that there no set criteria on the minimum length of career break. (A career break is considered as any period of time where the applicant is out of work, for reasons including, but not limited to, redundancy, maternity/paternity or adoption leave, extended leave to perform a carer role, and/or as a consequence of relocation).
  • Due to the limited funds available, applicants can only apply for one Stay Connected Bursary per calendar year.

If you are not a member, join today or as part of your event registration. Scientists on a career break are eligible to join as an Associate Member. 

If awarded, bursaries will be paid after the event has taken place, and attendance has been confirmed. 

For Society scientific meetings, training events, and online meetings, members must have completed the registration and bursary application by either: 

  • The event early registration deadline 
  • One month prior to the start date of the event (if there is no early registration deadline) 
  • The online course start date 

Please keep the following in mind when applying for a Stay Connected Bursary:

  • There are limited funds are available per Society event, and whilst the Society will endeavour to support successful applicants to the amount required, the Society may not be able to provide full support for the costs of your attendance.
  • Applications can only be accepted towards Biochemical Society meetings or training events. View our upcoming events calendar.
  • We accept applications from anywhere in the world, however please note that we are unable to pay grants to recipients in jurisdictions, countries or regions subject to sanctions, embargoes or other political trade restrictions put in place by the United Nations, the EU or the UK.
  • The Biochemical Society does not fund any applications made retrospectively.
  • Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.
  • We encourage applicants to apply for funding from other funding bodies (including your own institution) to accompany your application. This should include the amount requested, the name of the organisation/grant scheme applied for, and the outcome (or date outcomes are expected). You agree that if the funding received exceeds the total needed for this meeting, you will return any unspent funds to the Biochemical Society.
  • A Stay Connected Bursary is non-transferable and can only be used to support the participation of the named applicant at the specified Society meeting.

If successful:

  • The Biochemical Society cannot be held responsible for any of the Recipient’s debts or liabilities.
  • The Biochemical Society logo will be provided by the Biochemical Society and the Recipient must ensure the logo is featured on the poster or presentation slides presented at the conference or workshop. Recipients must provide a photo of the poster/presentation slides at the meeting to demonstrate the use of the Society logo.
  • The Recipient is required to send a 300 word report about their experience at the conference. This report should provide an overview of the themes of the meeting, highlight any key presentations or sessions or relevance, and the main outcomes of the meeting on their future studies and/or career. The report may be published on the Biochemical Society website, social media channels or considered for publication in our community magazine, The Biochemist.

How to complete an application

Available to members during the event registration process, this short video guides you through the application form and discusses what information we're looking for to help improve your chances of receiving funding.

Contact us

For further information please get in touch with the Grants department.