These grants provide funding for researchers to travel to or from the UK, to attend conferences, workshops or short courses. They can also provide funding for travel to partner institutions to develop international collaborative links. Different schemes have different requirements and eligibility criteria, and provide different levels of funding with different restrictions; some will cover all costs, including the registration fees and travel costs; some only a part of the costs. The purpose of a travel grant is to enhance research capabilities of individual scientists and develop collaborative links. Whether you are a UK based researcher wanting to travel abroad, or an overseas researcher wanting to come to the UK, the list below shows the major organisations active in the UK which offer funding for international research at postdoctoral level or above. Click on the highlighted text to visit the relevant websites for further details.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. The Researcher Exchange Programme (RXP) is an initiative that aims to promote the development of research cooperation and contacts between the UK and other countries. RXP fund short term exchange visits for postdoctoral researchers to make international connections. The Darwin Now Awards offer small grants to allow individuals working in the sciences, humanities, arts and media, the opportunity to pursue a stand-alone piece of fieldwork/research outside the UK. The INSPIRE: Talented Researcher Exchange Programme (TRXP) is an initiative that aims to promote the development of research cooperation and contacts between the UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.
The BBSRC is a non-departmental public body and aims promote high-quality basic, strategic and applied research relating to the understanding of biological systems. International Scientific Interchange Scheme (ISIS) helps scientists add an international dimension to their BBSRC funded research.
EPSRC are the main UK government agency for research and training in the engineering and physical sciences. Overseas travel grants provide funding for international travel and subsistence so that researchers can visit non-UK centres to study new techniques.
The ESRC funds research and training in social and economic issues and are an independent organisation. Their small grants scheme welcomes applications for travel expenses only.
The Royal Society is the leading independent scientific body of the UK and the Commonwealth. Funded research has to be within the natural sciences. Their Short Visits to the UK scheme supports new and on-going international collaborations by providing grants to a UK scientist hosting a visiting overseas scientist. Short Visits from the UK support new and on-going international collaborations by proving grants to cover mobility costs for UK based scientists travelling abroad. Conference Grants support UK based scientists to either present their own paper/poster or chair a session at an overseas conference.
The British Academy is the national academy for the humanities and the social sciences and is responsible for the promotion of historical, philosophical and philological studies in the UK. It provides overseas conference grants to cover the travel expenses of a scholar delivering a paper at a conference abroad.
The Trust is an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. It awards Research Travel grants for short-term visits by scholars within their own country, or to another country, for the purposes of collaborative research. Flexible Travel awards provide opportunities for mobility and collaboration, and enable successful scientists to obtain experience in new disciplines.
The RAEng is Britain’s national academy for engineering. Their International Travel Grants Scheme is intended to help Engineering Researchers in the UK make study visits overseas for a short period of time with a view to establishing ongoing collaboration. Their Global Research Award scheme is intended to help Engineering Researchers employed in the UK to travel and work overseas.
The Academy of Medical Sciences is a registered charity. It promotes advances in medical science and campaigns to ensure these are translated into health care benefits for society. Their UK/Middle East Travel Fellowship scheme developed in partnership with the Daniel Turnberg Trust Fund provides opportunities for short-term exchange of medical researchers between the UK and the Middle East, offering researchers the chance to gain further research experience, learn new techniques and foster scientific collaboration.
The RSE is an independent and non-party-political, educational charity, registered in Scotland. It’s International Bilateral and Open Exchange Programmes, encourage and support research collaboration between Scottish and overseas research groups.
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