Funding

Each year we spend three times as much as membership income received on working group and PGN activities, as well as providing funding to support our members. Our three individual funds are tailored to provide support at each stage of your academic career.

To be eligible for BISA funding you must be a current member and remain a member throughout the funding period. Your research or teaching should relate to International Studies.

Early Career Small Research Grants (ECSRGs)

What is it? Apply for a grant of up to £3,000 to cover the cost of research expenses.
Application timeline: Applications are closed and will re-open towards the end of 2024.
Eligibility: You must have been awarded your PhD within the last five years and you must hold an academic post for the period of the grant.
Period: Awards are tenable for 1-12 months.

Founders' Fund

What is it? Apply for a grant of up to £500 to contribute to your personal living costs during your thesis write up period.
Application timeline: Opens each quarter so that funds are available when needed. Check back soon for the next application period.
Eligibility: You must be undertaking a PhD in an International Studies subject area and be undertaking the final write up of your thesis (within six months of expected submission date). You must have been a BISA member for at least six months before applying. You will also need to remain a BISA member for at least three months after receiving your funding.
Period: Awards are tenable for one year.

Learning and Teaching Small Grants

What is it? Apply for funding of up to £3,000 to conduct a discrete piece of research related to pedagogy/teaching.
Application timeline: Applications are closed and will re-open towards the end of 2024.
Period: Awards are tenable for one year.

Virtual Event Fund - Working Groups

What is it? A small virtual event fund is available to support working groups with their virtual events. Examples include requests for non-academic speaker fees. We already have a paid Zoom account in place as well as a Conference and Events Assistant on hand to help with virtual event administration. All working groups are encouraged to take advantage of these.

Deadline for grant applications: Applications will be accepted throughout the year, but conveners are strongly encouraged to submit applications as early as possible and well in advance of their event.
Eligibility: Grant applications must be made by the conveners of each working group. You must have detailed plans for the funds requested and provide a detailed budget. Joint applications between working groups are welcomed.

How to apply: Please email Juliet.dryden@bisa.ac.uk clearly laying out the following:

  • Name of working group convener
  • Name of working group
  • Details of request
  • Amount requested.

Applications will be assessed by BISA officers on a case-by-case basis.

Face-to-Face Activity Fund - Working groups

What is it? To support cases where a face-to-face event is required, a small central Face-to-Face Activity Fund has been established for working groups that can clearly demonstrate the added value of holding a face-to-face event as opposed to a virtual one.
Deadline for grant applications: Applications will be accepted throughout the year, but conveners are strongly encouraged to submit applications as early as possible and well in advance of their event.
Eligibility: Grant applications must be made by the conveners of each working group. You must have detailed plans for the funds requested and provide a detailed budget. Joint applications between working groups are welcomed. We encourage working groups to obtain match funding or in-kind contributions where possible and priority is given to working groups who demonstrate this. Requests up to a maximum of £2,000 will be considered.

You can also read working group guidance or find out more general information about our working groups.

Postgraduate Network support

What is it? Each year we provide funding to the PGN to run activities and events.
Deadline for applications: None. The PGN committee request funds on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

All the above awards are subject to terms and conditions and these should be read before application. By making an application you are agreeing to abide by the current terms and conditions. Please note that terms and conditions are subject to change from time to time.

"Applying for BISA funding was by far the most straightforward external funding application I’ve encountered. The process is easy to understand, and the funding amount was ideal for finishing up fieldwork for my book project. I would highly encourage anyone considering applying to do so—the ECSR grant is well-tailored for all sorts of early-career projects."
Anna Meier, Early Career Small Research Grant Recipient 2022
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