Overview
The British Society for the Philosophy of Science gives small conference grants to support conferences relevant to research and education in the philosophy of science. The society can award up to £750 in a conference grant, to go towards travel, lodging, and subsistence costs for philosophy of science speakers. We will not normally fund events that primarily involve speakers from a single institution, unless the organiser makes a case (as part of their application) that the event will lead to opportunities of networking and collaboration outside of that institution. Moreover, we will not normally fund events that are components of projects funded by major research grants, unless the organiser makes a case (as part of their application) that the grant could not reasonably have been expected to fund the event in full. The Society favours open conferences. Normally, only those conferences taking place in the British Isles are eligible for funding. Sponsored conferences must follow the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme. In publicity for conferences that are financially supported and in any publications arising from them, it is expected that the contribution of the Society will be acknowledged appropriately. The Society prefers that contributions towards travel and accommodation costs for participants who are junior, or in insecure employment, be prioritized over those who are senior/securely employed. The Society also encourages applications for grants for conferences that are online. Letters of application should be sent to the Honorary Secretary of the Society (bspssecretary@gmail.com), and must set out the objectives of the conference and a detailed estimate of the costs. Payments will be made by online banking to the host institution, following receipt of the post-event report (see Awardee Requirements below). The BSPS no longer makes payments by cheque.
Applications
Conference organisers seeking a conference grant for meetings are asked to submit a funding application to the Committee that addresses the following points. Make sure you are a paying member of the BSPS before applying. Applications should then be sent to the Society’s Honorary Secretary (bspssecretary@gmail.com). In correspondence concerning a conference grant, please put the title of the conference in the subject line. Do not simply use ‘BSPS conference grant’ as the subject line. Note that all conference grant applications must include: (0) Contact details of an appropriate person in the relevant department who supported the application, and who could act as a point of contact should problems with the application arise; (1) Amount requested; (2) Topic of the meeting; (3) Whether it is exclusively a philosophy of science meeting; (4) Type of meeting and the planned dates (inclusive); (5) Expected number of participants; (6) Number of speakers, with names, affiliations and talk topics where available; (7) Estimated total budget (please itemise) with estimated subsistence costs per day per person; (8) Whether there will be a registration fee and if so how much; (9) Whether the meeting will be open to all or invitation only (if the latter, please explain); (10) Which other bodies are to be approached for support, and for how much; (11) If the meeting is not based in the British Isles, please make clear how this project will help enhance philosophy of science in the British Isles; (12) confirmation that the BPA/SWIP Good Practice guidelines and the BPA Environment/Travel guidelines will be followed, with information on what measures, if any, will be taken for compliance in each case. (See below for more details.)
Awardee Requirements
Conference organisers receiving a BSPS conference grant agree to the following requirements.
- BSPS Publicity. Conference webpages, programmes and publicity must include acknowledgement of BSPS sponsorship. Images of the BSPS logo in a variety of forms are available below.
- Post-Event Report. The BSPS Treasurer must receive, not more than three months after the meeting, a report of not more than one page. This should list a) the main speakers; b) their affiliations and the topics of their talks; c) report the number and status of the participants, and d) be accompanied by checked accounts.
- Confirmation of Compliance with relevant BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme items. The Society has adopted the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme‘s recommendations. It is a requirement of BSPS funding that conference organisers confirm that the relevant items in the Good Practice Scheme recommendations were followed, as detailed here. If a proposed conference involves three or more keynote speakers none of whom are women, the Society will require a detailed assurance that the Scheme’s recommendations have been followed before any award is made. Note that the Good Practice Scheme requires implementing a chairing policy. Organisers can download the BSPS recommended chairing guide here: DOCX / PDF.
- Confirmation of Compliance with relevant BPA Environment/Travel Guidelines. The Society endorses the BPA Environment/Travel Guidelines. It is a requirement of BSPS funding that conference organisers confirm that due consideration was given to measures to mitigate environmental impact, and what measures, if any, were taken.
- Accessibility Information. Organisers are required to include appropriate accessibility information in the public announcement and website for their conference. The Disability Office of the hosting institution typically has such information prepared.
- Volumes for Large Meetings. Organisers of larger meetings are expected to make an effort to produce a volume, proceeds from whose publication would be used to help repay the grant.
- Prioritization of Junior/Insecurely-employed Participants. Organisers are required to explain how travel and accommodation costs were prioritized across participants, having regard to the Society’s preference for the prioritization of junior and insecurely-employed participants.
Conference Preprint Pages
To meet the conference grant “output” requirement, organisers are encouraged to invite their participants post preprints of their papers in a special Conference page on PhilSci-Archive for their conference or workshop, so that audience members can view the papers before and after the conference. This service is available to organisers for free upon request.
Download BSPS Logos
Download a ZIP file containing the BSPS logo in various formats and sizes below.
