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The Cambridge Philosophical Society will consider requests for small grants or sponsorships to support academic or science communication events in the general area of Natural Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science and Clinical Sciences. These events will normally be organised and take place in Cambridge, UK. Applications should clearly outline the scope of the event, its target audience, and how its purpose aligns with the aims of the Society; they should also summarise the proposed budget, and confirm what contribution is being requested from the Cambridge Philosophical Society and the precise purpose for which it will be used. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the guidance notes below in full before applying.

Applications must be submitted online in good time. There are two application rounds per year with the closing dates of 30 April and 30 November.

Guidance Notes to Applicants

Details

• The majority of grants awarded are expected to be in the range of £500–£2,000, but the Society will consider applications of up to £3,000.
• The event for which support is sought must take place within the Cambridge area.
• Applications must be received by the deadlines of either the 30^th April or the 30^th November each year at 23:59 UK time.
• Applications must be made in good time. The proposed event must commence no earlier than 6 months after the application round deadline applied to.
• All applications are to be made by the scientific organiser(s) of the meeting using the online application form. The corresponding scientific organiser (principal applicant) must be a member of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.
• Applications will be considered by a working group and presented to Council of the Society at either the July or January Council meetings each year.
• Applicants will normally be informed of the application outcome by the end of July or February (i.e. 2–3 weeks after the July or January Council meetings).
• If the application is successful, we require that Grant Awardees publicly acknowledge support from the Society and promote the purpose of the Society via their various channels of communication with the event audiences, preferably including reproduction of the Society's logo.
• The Cambridge Philosophical Society may be able to assist Grant Awardees with promotion of their event.
• Any monies granted must only be used for the specified purposes stated in the original grant application. Should circumstances change and the monies cannot be used or are no longer required for the purpose specified in the original application, then it is expected that all unspent funds will be returned to the Society.
• Retrospective changes to grant applications, i.e. after the proposed event, are not permitted.
• In the event of unforeseen changes in circumstances prior to the start of the proposed event (e.g. due to pandemic, illness of keynote speakers, etc.) advice should be sought from the Society’s Executive Secretary.

Pre-submission enquiries may be made to the Executive Secretary (philosoc@group.cam.ac.uk).

Required supporting information

Applications must be made through online submission, for which you will need the following information:

1. Title of meeting / workshop / event.
2. Date and location of the proposed event.
3. Name, position, and affiliation of the organiser(s).
4. Brief description (not more than 200 words) of the rationale behind the meeting / workshop / event.
5. Anticipated number of attendees.
6. A complete budget for the meeting, including information on other sources of funding applied for and the dates by which those request outcomes will be known. Applications must detail how the remaining costs of the event will be funded, if not by the Scientific Meeting Support fund of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.
7. Amount requested from the Cambridge Philosophical Society.
8. Specific use to which requested funds will be put – applications must detail the planned allocation of funds from the Cambridge Philosophical Society Scientific Meeting Support fund.

Note 1: The Society will prioritise applications to support students and Early Career Researchers (e.g., for conference attendance, speaking, or training) above other meeting / workshop organisational aspects (e.g., conference refreshments, room costs, etc.). The Society will also welcome evidence that (for international meetings) attendance by low income country attendees has been promoted, and that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion / Widening Participation and sustainability initiatives (such as proposals that include measures to minimise the carbon footprint of the event) have been considered.

Note 2: If funds are requested to support keynote speakers, then full details of their names, affiliations and titles of presentations must be included. Note that the Society does not typically award funding to support the attendance of non-Early Career Researcher keynote speakers, nor high costs for attendance of a single keynote speaker, particularly where this requires long-haul, high-cost flights. If funds are requested to support high-profile Keynote speaker attendance, the Society will favour events that offer the opportunity for the keynote lecture to be attended by Cambridge Philosophical Society members.

Note 3: If an application is for recurring payments, any commitment will be for a specified, rather than an indefinite, period.

Note 4: Funding from the Cambridge Philosophical Society will be provided only after relevant alternative resources have been explored. In particular, the applicant/s must demonstrate that they have already applied to relevant Colleges, University funds, or professional or charitable bodies and institutions for financial or in-kind support, and state the amounts requested / received. The applicant/s should notify the Society’s office as soon as the result of any other application for funding is known.

Receiving a decision and claiming Scientific Meeting Support
Applications will be considered by the Society as a field after the closing date, with due attention to the individual circumstances of each event, merits of their application, and in line with this guidance. Decisions and further information will usually be communicated to applicants within 3 months after the application deadline. Once the decision is confirmed, we will not be able to offer further comments on it.

Awardees are encouraged to promptly accept or decline the award within 7 days of confirmation sent by the Society. Successful applicants are expected to claim their Scientific Meeting Support within the claim period (one calendar year from the application deadline). If an awardee has not claimed / declined the award within the claim period of one calendar year, the award will be withdrawn by the Society. The claim period can be extended if the applicant’s individual circumstances (communicated to the Society in a timely manner) warrant an exception.

The Cambridge Philosophical Society may be interested in using brief news items reporting on past events as part of our publicity. Grant Awardees are encouraged to contact the Cambridge Philosophical Society office to explore options if you would be interested in participating.

Regulations revised January 2026.

Previous sponsorship

The 8th Biennial Cambridge Neuroscience Symposium, Interventions & Recovery
Inside AI Partnerships: How Big Tech, Startups & Universities Shape the Future
67th Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association, 2023

Testimonials

"Thank you very much for your message and for the generous support provided through the Early Career Researcher bursary from the Cambridge Philosophical Society. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to attend the Cambridge Neuroscience Symposium in September"
- Cambridge Neuroscience Symposium

"The bursary was instrumental in enabling my participation, as it covered key expenses that would otherwise have been a barrier due to limited research travel funding. The event offered an invaluable platform to learn about the latest advancements in neuroscience, particularly in areas overlapping with my research on motor symptom monitoring in psychiatric disorders. I had the chance to interact with senior scientists, gain constructive feedback on my work, and explore possibilities for future collaborations. I am very thankful to Cambridge Neuroscience and the Cambridge Philosophical Society for this initiative, which truly empowers young researchers by providing access to such enriching academic environments."
-Cambridge Neuroscience Symposium