BES: Training & Travel Grants

BES: Training & Travel Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: British Ecological Society (BES)
Amount: Up to £500
Last Updated: March 06, 2026

Summary

The British Ecological Society offers Training & Travel Grants up to £500 to support the professional development of PhD students and research assistants. These grants assist with costs for field training courses and attending workshops or conferences, fostering networking and research dissemination. Applicants must be BES members and fulfill specific eligibility criteria, including presenting their work at meetings. Funding is contingent upon justification of expenses, and retrospective claims are not permitted.

Overview

NOTE: Our Training and Travel grants are awarded on a lottery-based system once the two week deadline has passed; submitting an application does not guarantee funding. Training & Travel Grants This grant supports the training and development of PhD students and postgraduate research assistants. Grants of up to £500 are available. Objectives These grants help PhD students and postgraduate research assistants to meet the costs of specialist field training courses and to network and publicise their research by presenting their work at workshops and conferences. Funding Unless the applicant is self-funded, their organisation is expected to provide at least £150 of support towards the event’s costs. A maximum of £250 is available to cover the registration fees for virtual conferences/courses.A maximum of £500 is available for events in person.the grant will be paid after the event has taken place, on receipt of a brief report, certificate of attendance and any appropriate receipts. All costs must be justified within the budget section. Costs that are not justified will not be considered. Please ensure all costs are calculated in GBP (British Sterling).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. All applicants are required to:Be a BES member. Be a PhD student, postgraduate research assistant (within 3 years of completing relevant degree) or equivalentIf you were previously awarded a BES training and travel grant, it must be at least three years before you can apply for another BES training and travel grant Work or study at a university or research institution (including field centres, NGOs, museums, etc.) that provide research facilities. Work in scientific areas within our remit (the science of ecology) and of relevance to the training course or meeting they are applying to attend. Give a presentation if attending a meeting. For example, poster presentations, delivering workshops, delivering a plenary talk, etc.Clarification on eligibility criteria for training courses:Applications for specialist training/identification courses that have an ecological focus that will help improve your current research will be considered Applications for building analytic skills for analysing results will be considered, for example, statistical courses Training courses must not be longer than a monthApplications should demonstrate what ecological skills they will learn on the training course.A maximum of two places per training course may be funded. No more than two applicants from the same institution may attend the same meeting/conference.The applicant is responsible for booking to attend the course/event/workshop and as the grants are paid in retrospect, must pay the relevant institution/organiser the required fee at the time of booking as well as all monies additional to the award amount i.e. single supplements.Successful applicants are bound by the booking conditions of the organisation running the event, course or workshop and non-attendance on a booked course or event will result in the applicant being personally liable for the cancellation fee. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member.

Ineligibility

Postdoc researchers, undergraduates and masters students are therefore not eligible to apply.Clarification on eligibility criteria for training courses:Applications for travel to informal training or masters/degrees/fellowships etc. will not be considered. Applications to attend mandatory training in order to complete their degree will not be considered; examples include health and safety courses. Applications for skills-based training courses that do not have a strong ecological focus will not be considered, e.g. diving courses, mountaineering courses, hunting courses.No applicant may receive more than two Training & Travel Grants in any five year period. There must be at least three years between grants.No retrospective claims for funding will be considered.