APPLY NOW Association of Commonwealth Universities Conference Grants
For emerging academics, taking part in conferences can have a profound impact on their teaching and research.
These events are a chance to share research, learn about the latest developments in an area of work, and build valuable professional networks. Researchers find themselves better informed and better connected with new knowledge that can be shared and multiplied among colleagues and students.
Early Career Conference Grants help to ensure that more emerging researchers – and the universities that employ them – can benefit from these valuable opportunities.
This year’s grants are being offered for both virtual (online) and in-person conferences.
There are 25-40 grants available. The final number awarded will depend on the number of applications for each format (virtual/in-person).
| Application opens: | Application closes: |
| Tuesday 4 October 2022 | Monday 28 November 2022, 23:59 UTC |
What does the grant include?
For virtual conferences, the grants cover:
- Conference registration fee of up to £600 GBP
- A data grant of £50 GBP for successful applicants who do not have reliable access to Wi-Fi.
- Free access to a half-day training session on how to deliver great virtual presentations
For in-person conferences, grants are a maximum of GBP 2,000 to cover:
- Conference registration fee
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Visa costs
- Travel and health insurance
- COVID-19 testing for travel
Who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Be employed by an ACU member university with a job title of lecturer, post-doctoral researcher, professor, associate professor, or equivalent.
- Be within 7 years of the start of their academic (research/teaching) career, with the exception of those who have had career breaks. A career break is a period of time out from employment for personal or professional reasons, including to care for children.
- Not have previously travelled for work purposes (including conferences) outside their region of employment since the start of their academic career.
- Not be a previous recipient of an ACU Early Career Conference Grant (previously known as Early Career Academic Grants)
Applicants must identify a specific conference before applying for the grant.
The conference must take place between 1 April and 30 September 2023. High quality conferences organised by universities or academic bodies of good standing will be prioritised for selection.
Before applying, applicants must research any border restrictions and COVID-19 vaccine/testing requirements of the country where the conference is being hosted to confirm that they would be able to travel to their chosen conference without being required to quarantine, if successful.
Application requirements
As part of the application form, applicants must:
- Give details of their chosen conference, including a copy of their abstract.
- State whether the conference is virtual or in-person (for hybrid conferences applicants must choose whether they wish to attend in-person or virtually).
- Choose the Sustainable Development Goal(s) which relate most closely to their research and describe how their research can contribute to achieving these goals.
- Explain the reasons for their choice of conference and how it links to their research interests.
- Explain how participating in the conference will benefit their career and professional development.
- Explain how they will share the knowledge gained by participating in the conference.
- Provide a detailed letter or email of support from their head of department commenting on the suitability of the conference and how participating in the conference will be beneficial.
- If applying for an in-person conference, give a breakdown of the costs for which they are applying for funding.
Successful applicants will be required to submit a report on the use of their grant by 31 October 2023.
How to apply
To apply for a grant, you will need a MyACU account. If you already have an account, you can start your application right away.
If you do not have a MyACU account, please register. You’ll then need to follow the login instructions in the registration email before starting your application.
Application deadline: Monday 28 November
2022, 23:59 UTC
