The Geological Society: Research Grants

The Geological Society of London offers diverse research grants aimed at enhancing knowledge of Earth sciences. These grants, averaging around £1,500, support various research activities, including fieldwork in geology and funding for early career geologists. Applicants do not need to be Fellows initially but must become members upon receiving a grant. The society prioritizes scientific focus and innovation, ensuring that funds support impactful geological research while setting clear eligibility criteria.

The Geological Society of London is a not-for-profit organisation, and a registered charity (no. 210161). Its aims are to improve knowledge and understanding of the Earth, to promote Earth science education and awareness, and to promote professional excellence and ethical standards in the work of Earth scientists, for the public good.
Please note that you do not need to be a Fellow to apply, however if successful, you will need to become a Fellow in order to receive your grant.
The Society awards and administers a range of funds and grants for a broad scope of research activities (see individual below). The average grant has previously been about £1,750.
Mike Coward Fund
For fieldwork in structural geology as applied to regional tectonics
Edmund Johnson Garwood Fund
For the encouragement of research in stratigraphy, with palaeontology, and in physical geology
Gloyne Outdoor Geological Research Fund
For the prosecution of outdoor research preferentially of a palaeontological or stratigraphical character, and preferentially within the limits of the British Commonwealth
Elspeth Matthews Fund
For members of the Society for geological field-based research anywhere in the world
Joseph Burr Tyrrell Fund
To assist geologists of Great Britain and Ireland to travel to and in Canada; or to assist in the publication of meritorious papers by geologists of Great Britain and Ireland upon the geology of Canada; or to assist such geologists in any other way best adapted to further this object.
Robert Scott Memorial Award
CASP (formerly known as the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme) has generously bequeathed an endowment in memory of Robert Scott, one of their senior geologists, who died suddenly in 2012 of leukaemia. The interest earned will be used to support a single research award of £2,200 each year
Jeremy Ingham Fund
An annual award of up to £2,000 will be made for the encouragement of research into engineering geology
Distinguished Geologist Memorial Trust Fund
This bursary aims to assist early career geologists, particularly those in industry, with professional development by contributing to travel costs or gaining experience.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants for Elspeth Matthews Fund must be members of the society.Allowable costs include: Travel Local travel costsSpecimen shipping costsLaboratory expensesCosts of training programmes may be permitted if the research grant panel feel it is essential to the candidate being able to carry out the proposed projectSubsistenceIn regards fund requests for food, please note food is not an eligible cost except for in situations in which: no salary/stipend to cover such costs is available to the applicant, and/or food costs will be particularly high during the field period of the project. If you wish to request food costs, please ensure that your case is clearApplications should have a clear scientific focus. It is not the practice of the Society to
fund general proposals such as student expeditions.Applicants in receipt of NERC (or other UKRI) funding will need to make a strong case for funding although new, innovative opportunities will be considered.

Ineligibility

Non allowable costs include:Attendance at committee meetings of IUGS and similar international bodiesConference attendanceTuition feesFunding for taught MastersCosts associated with open access publishingUndergraduate field mapping projectsApplications which the Committee considers to be premature, e.g. too early in the
applicant’s course, will be ruled out.The Society will not consider applications for grants to compensate for insufficient funding of studentships.The Society will not provide funding where there has been a failure by the research supervisor to seek the full cost of associated field or laboratory work.