How to Get Conference Funding: Intro to Scholarships for Conferences
Are you looking to attend an academic event but unsure how to go about securing conference funding? Scholarships for conferences can be tricky to navigate. However, we hope you don’t feel discouraged. There are multiple strategies at your disposal, and we are here to help you make sense of them.
There are numerous costs associated with attending or presenting at a conference:
- The application fee for paper submission
- Travel
- Accommodation
- Miscellaneous expenses that would typically be covered by stipends: food, transportation, etc.
Despite these expenses, attending and presenting at academic conferences present a myriad of benefits, from career growth opportunities to strengthening soft skills.
In this piece, we will provide you with tips on how to get started with identifying conference funding avenues and where to look for scholarships for conferences.
Securing conference funding: The four main sources
Generally speaking, there are four strategies you can pursue. They are not mutually exclusive, so to stack the deck in your favor, we encourage you to explore multiple avenues at the same time.
These avenues are:
- Institutional grants
- Independent, third-party grants
- Corporate/private business scholarships
- Conference scholarships by event organizers
We will go through these one by one.
#1. Obtaining conference funding through institutional grants
The first place to start is to explore opportunities within your academic institution. Many of them offer information on their websites. Here are examples from Imperial College London, Princeton University, and Viterbo University.
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for online – or would like additional insights – we recommend booking a meeting with the chair of your department. This person will be able to guide you through the opportunities. Come prepared. Have a specific conference in mind and be ready to explain how participating in this particular event will help your research.
The additional benefit of discussing this subject with your department chair is that he/she can guide you toward third-party associations and non-profit organizations that your institution may have partnerships with or membership in.
#2. Applying for third-party grants by research centers and non-profit institutions
The next strategy to investigate is grants by associations, research institutions, and other relevant non-profit organizations. A good place to start is with the partners of your academic institution and/or associations that your university is a member of. For example, MIT, Stanford University, Tuft University, Washington State University are among the many academic partners of the Association for Women in Science.
If you can’t find relevant partners connected to your university, start independent research. For example, the European Burden of Disease Network – a group within World Health Organization – offers conference grants to researchers and innovators for their participation in high-level conferences.
#3. Exploring private sector scholarships for conferences
There are numerous private businesses and organizations that fund academic research. Here is a sample list of such organizations. It features various private foundations like Open Society Foundation, Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, and others.
Don’t just stop at foundations. Look for corporations that fund research in your discipline. NVIDIA is one such example. For many corporations, supporting academic research is a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.
#4. Inquire about scholarship opportunities from conference organizers
Finally, reach out to the organizers of the academic conference you are interested in. Some of them might be able to offer you full or partial scholarships. It’s possible that the even organizers will wave your application fee, for example, or provide you with acommodation.
Getting assistance to cover even some of the expenses can go a long way. It will strengthen your grant application with your institution.
In conclusion, remember that securing funding can be competitive, but persistence pays off. We hope you do not get discouraged by the obstacles in your way but take it as an opportunity to practice the vital skill in academia – applying and securing research funds.
Our final piece of advice is to start your search early. Some grants may take weeks – if not months – to hear back from. Stay organized, and apply for multiple grants to increase your odds.
Good luck!
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