There are up to two awards available per year – each worth up to £2,000.00. Each award is tenable for a period of 12-24 months.

Applicants will be able to request financial support for a variety of development opportunities/activities including, but not limited to:

• Training courses (e.g. in new research methodologies to support post-doctoral work)
• Symposia and conferences (including the 2026/2027 BERA Annual Conference)
• Work placements
• Library access
• Resource development (i.e. short films/magazines to realise impact from existing research)
• Writing retreats
• It is also anticipated that mentorship will be provided to recipients on a quarterly basis

Eligibility

• Applicants should be Early Career Researchers in the first three years following completion of their doctorate
• Applicants must be BERA members
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate financial need (i.e show they are insecurely or precariously employed.)

Judging

The applications will be judged by members of the ECR Network.

The judges will take into consideration:

• The relevance of the proposed opportunities/activities to the applicant’s identified career route
• The potential to impact on the applicant’s development
• The value for money of the proposed opportunities/activities.