Grants

Travel/Conference grants – overview

BSDB members enjoy a wide range of substantial benefits including the following:

  1. BSDB Conference Grants for attendance of BSDB-sponsored meetings cover conference fees and accommodation, but not travel and conference dinners. Several applications from the same group will be considered.
  2. The Company of Biologists Travel Grants to attend meetings and courses outside the UK (a proportion of the total cost; max £600). Only one member of a group will be sponsored for a particular meeting. We will also accept applications for funds to attend online conferences and courses, that can be based in the UK or elsewhere.
  3. The Company of Biologists travel and attendance grants for practical courses supports the attendance of practical courses such as Woods Hole, Cold Spring Harbour and EMBO lab management courses (a proportion of the total cost can be applied for; max. £1000).
  4. The Company of Biologists Travel grants for group leaders and PIs support group leaders and PIs currently without grant funding to attend meetings and courses outside the UK (a proportion of the total cost, max. £1000 for meetings in USA and Asia, £600 in Europe). We will accept applications from Group Leaders / PIs to attend online conferences and courses. We will also accept applications from PIs to attend online conferences and courses, that can be based in the UK or elsewhere.
  5. BSDB Childcare Grants providing support for carers to request support costs to help attend our meetings. Funding available for a range of care support (not limited to childcare)
  6. BSDB Disability Support Grants, a fund to help offset additional costs due to disability that are incurred by participants or speakers when participating at BSDB Spring or Autumn meetings.

Please note that all grants are paid directly to members, and not to institutions. 

———————– detailed information —————————-

(1) BSDB Conference Grants

BSDB Conference Grants are available to cover registration and accommodation costs to attend BSDB-sponsored meetings. They are open to all BSDB members. Applications must be received by the abstract submission deadline of the intended BSDB meeting.

Note: The deadline for applications to fund attendance to the 2024 BSDB / Genetics Society Spring meeting is February 23rd, 5pm (GMT).

  1. Only BSDB members are eligible and no  awards will be made to members paying the incorrect subscription fee.
  2. The purpose of the award must be clearly linked to developmental biology
  3. Grants to attend BSDB meetings are given to BSDB members at student and postdoctoral level as well as to PIs without active travel funds.
  4. All applications to attend BSDB meetings must be sent to grants@bsdb.org. This will allow applications to be assessed and funds to be distributed in plenty time for applicants to discover the size of their award before having to register. Applications arriving after the deadline will not be considered.
  5. If demand exceeds the funds available, preference will be given to graduate students presenting posters.
  6. Applicants for a BSDB Conference grant are not eligible for The Company of Biologists Travel Grant (see below).
  7. When presenting a poster or talk, your support has to be acknowledged using these downloadable jpg or PDF files (the latter is an Illustrator file which can be opened in all Adobe programs).
  8. A further condition of the grant is that you may be asked to write a short meeting report for the newsletter.

To apply

  • Download the BSDB Conference Grant form as a Word document or PDF
  • Return the completed form by email to grants@bsdb.org.
  • The application should include a letter of support and, if appropriate, the abstract of the poster or talk you intend to present
  • Applications should include details of the proposed visit and the breakdown of the amount of money requested

(2) The Company of Biologists Travel Grants

These grants are sponsored by The Company of Biologists, the not-for-profit publisher of Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open. The Company of Biologists Travel Grants are to attend meetings and courses outside the UK  and pay for a proportion of the total cost, to a maximum of £600. We will accept applications for funds to attend online conferences and courses. These applications are not restricted to meetings and courses outside the UK.  All other conditions of the application process remain the same:

  1. Only BSDB members are eligible and no travel awards will be made to members paying the incorrect subscription fee.
  2. The purpose of the award must be clearly linked to developmental biology
  3. The awardee should be UK based and travelling outside the UK.
  4. Applicants for The Company of Biologists Travel Grant are not eligible for a BSDB Conference grant (see above).
  5. When presenting a poster or talk, your support has to be acknowledged using these downloadable jpg or PDF files (the latter is an Illustrator file which can be opened in all Adobe programs).
  6. A further condition of the grant is that you may be asked to write a short meeting report for the newsletter.
  7. Further conditions apply for the attendance of overseas meetings:
  • The amount given depends on demand and normally provides only a portion of the requested amount for each application.
  • Applications will be grouped and reviewed at the end of each month, so members should apply at least 2 months before they need the grant.
  • No application will be considered for a refund on money already spent.
  • No more than one person from one lab and two people from one department will be supported for any one meeting.
  • Normally, and unless demand is low, a member will only receive a single grant per year.
  • Only applications from fully paid up members will be considered.

To apply:

  1. Download The Company of Biologists grant application form either as Word document or PDF.
  2. Return the completed form to grants@bsdb.org.
  3. The application should include a letter of support and, if appropriate, the abstract of the poster or talk they intend to present
  4. Applications should include details of the proposed visit and the breakdown of the amount of money requested[/box]

(3) The Company of Biologists travel and attendance grants for practical courses

These grants are sponsored by The Company of Biologists, the not-for-profit publisher of Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open. The funding scheme supports the attendance at practical courses such as Woods Hole, Cold Spring Harbour and EMBO lab management courses. A proportion of the total cost can be applied for up to a maximum of £1000.

  1. Only BSDB members are eligible and no travel awards will be made to members paying the incorrect subscription fee.
  2. The purpose of the award must be clearly linked to Developmental Biology
  3. The awardee must be UK based and travelling outside the UK.
  4. When presenting a poster or talk, your support has to be acknowledged using these downloadable jpg or PDF files (the latter is an Illustrator file which can be opened in all Adobe programs).
  5. A further condition of the grant is that you may be asked to write a short meeting report for the newsletter.
  6. Further conditions apply for the attendance of overseas meetings:
  7. The amount given depends on demand and normally provides only a portion of the requested amount for each application.

To apply:

  1. Download The Company of Biologists grant application form either as Word document or PDF.
  2. Return the completed form to grants@bsdb.org.
  3. Applications will be grouped and reviewed at the end of each month, so members should apply at least 2 months before they need the grant.
  4. Applications for a refund on money already spent will be considered only under exceptional circumstances.
  5. No more than one person from one lab and two people from one department will be supported for any one course.
  6. Normally, and unless demand is low, a member will only receive a single award per year.
  7. Only applications from fully paid up members will be considered.

(4) The Company of Biologists Travel grants for group leaders and PIs

These grants are sponsored by The Company of Biologists, the not-for-profit publisher of Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open. This funding scheme allow group leaders and PIs without sufficient grant funding to attend meetings and courses outside the UK and pay for a proportion of the total cost (maximum of £1000 for meetings in USA and Asia, £600 in Europe). We will accept applications from Group Leaders / PIs to attend online conferences and courses. These applications are not restricted to meetings and courses outside the UK.

  1. Applicants must provide a reasonable justification for their request, supported by a brief statement from their Department Head (or equivalent) confirming that the applicant does not have substantive funding for travel.
  2. Only BSDB members are eligible and no travel awards will be made to members paying the incorrect subscription fee.
  3. The purpose of the award must be clearly linked to Developmental Biology
  4. The awardee must be UK based and travelling outside the UK.
  5. Career stage will be taken into account when considering applications.
  6. When presenting a poster or talk, your support has to be acknowledged using these downloadable jpg or PDF files (the latter is an Illustrator file which can be opened in all Adobe programs).
  7. A further condition of the grant is that you may be asked to write a short meeting report for the newsletter.
  8. The amount given depends on demand and normally provides only a portion of the requested amount for each application.

To apply:

  1. Download The Company of Biologists grant application form either as Word document or PDF.
  2. Return the completed form to grants@bsdb.org.
  3. Applications will be grouped and reviewed at the end of each month, so members should apply at least 2 months before they need the grant.
  4. No application will be considered for a refund on money already spent.
  5. Normally, and unless demand is low, a member will only receive a single The Company of Biologists grant per year.
  6. Only applications from fully paid up members will be considered.

(5) BSDB Childcare grants

The BSDB have set up a fund to help offset additional child care costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at BSDB Spring or Autumn meetings. Eligible costs include contributions towards fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a care giver, or travel costs for taking the child to the meeting etc. This fund is not strictly restricted to childcare – requests for costs related to other caring responsibilities will also be considered. Please note that (for now) this fund can only be used for attendance at BSDB meetings where the applicant will present their work as a poster or a talk.

 We will provide up to a maximum of £250 per applicant.

 Applicants must be BSDB members. 

 The application deadline is 6 weeks prior the start of the relevant BSDB meeting. We aim to inform applicants of the outcome within 2 weeks of the deadline.

To apply please email the meetings secretary at  meetings@bsdb.org with the following information:

* Your name and email address

* Your current place of work (Institution /City /Country)

* Which BSDB meeting you plan to attend

* Title and co-authors for the poster or talk that you will present at the meeting

* Confirmation that you are a member of the BSDB

* A justification for why the support is required (no more than 250 words)

* A breakdown of the costs requested (no more than £250)

(6) BSDB Disability Support Grants

The BSDB have set up a fund to help offset additional costs due to disability that are incurred by participants or speakers when participating at BSDB Spring or Autumn meetings.  Eligible costs might include contributions towards travel and accommodation for a companion to provide support, but any justified expenses will be considered.  Please note that (for now) this fund can only be used for attendance at BSDB meetings where the applicant will present their work as a poster or a talk.

 We will provide up to a maximum of £250 per applicant.

 Applicants must be BSDB members. 

 The application deadline is 6 weeks prior the start of the relevant BSDB meeting. We aim to inform applicants of the outcome within 2 weeks of the deadline.

To apply please email the meetings secretary at  meetings@bsdb.org with the following information:

* Your name and email address

* Your current place of work (Institution /City /Country)

* Which BSDB meeting you plan to attend

* Title and co-authors for the poster or talk that you will present at the meeting

* Confirmation that you are a member of the BSDB

* A justification for why the support is required (no more than 250 words)

* A breakdown of the costs requested (no more than £250)