SLSRSA Career Development Fund application

The SLSRSA has a budget available to fund researchers to go to courses they would otherwise not be able to attend. Often, but not exclusively, this will include non-research, science-related interests such as science communication, public engagement or general interest scientific conferences, such as BioDundee.

The SLSRSA regards the Career Development Support programme as a precious resource, but the budget is constrained and funds are limited. For this reason, it is the intention of the SLSRSA that, where possible, the Division of the researcher is the primary source of funding for conferences, with the SLSRSA funding to be used as a supplemental source.

Grants are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the funds are allocated, the SLSRSA is unable to issue further funding regardless of individual circumstances, but will add the individual to a waiting list. Funding is generally limited to conferences within Europe due to travel costs, and overall limits of roughly £500 per person have been put into place in order to avoid spending all of the available funds on a limited number of researchers. However, each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please don’t disqualify yourself from consideration before speaking to a SLSRSA committee member.

Funding guidelines

1. The SLSRSA can help researchers to fund:
   
   1. Attendance at networking and career development conferences and meetings.
      For events (even free ones) that take place within the UK and Europe, the SLSRSA can help fund travel costs.
   2. Participation in workshops that train improvement in transferrable skills.
   3. Participation in courses or long-distance learning classes that allow researchers to learn knowledge/a skill/qualification that will help them in their future career but that they do not get experience of in their current position.
2. Scientific conferences can only be funded under exceptional circumstances.
   
   1. They cannot be related to current research interests
   2. Applications must be supported by strong evidence of how attendance will assist future career plans.
3. Claims are limited to £500 per person (per year), even if total costs are more than that.
4. Priority is given to those who have not had previous funding from the SLSRSA.
5. Applications should be made as early as possible and at least two weeks prior to the event taking place/commencement of course.
6. Final decisions on funding may only be granted following a committee meeting (usually held monthly).

Career Development Fund application form