7th BSA Postgraduate conference in aesthetics

 

The British Society of Aesthetics is offering a grant of up to £5,000 to support its seventh postgraduate conference in aesthetics.

The conference should either be a general one in aesthetics or on a particular theme. If the latter, the theme can be foregrounded in promotional materials, such as the conference title, calls for papers and participation, etc.; but papers outside of the theme should still be admissible for consideration, something that organisers must make clear in their Call for Papers.

Though it must be for postgraduates, the conference can be organised by either postgraduates or academics.

Besides covering the conference costs, funds may be used to support postgraduate bursaries, including travel, accommodation and food costs, both for speakers and delegates, as well as the costs of any invited speakers.

Conditions:

The organisers of the conference are responsible for all practical matters concerning its running; and the conference must be held by the end of May 2021. The conference must be held in the UK, though the organisers need not be based here. The BSA expects to be the sole funder of this conference, which should include ‘The Seventh British Society of Aesthetics Postgraduate Conference’ in its title, and all conference materials should publicise the role of the BSA.

Proposals:

Proposals should be sent to admin@british-aesthetics.org no later than Wednesday 1 April 2020. They should be no more than 2,200 words long, and include:

  • the names of the organisers and conference committee,
  • a proposed date range and venue,
  • a draft budget (if including registration fees, applicants must justify this as the BSA strongly prefers to sponsor conferences that are free and open to all),
  • an explanation of the procedures for choosing papers and awarding bursaries,
  • a draft Call for Papers and
  • a list of invited speakers, clearly indicating which, if any, are actually confirmed (applications with no confirmed speakers are unlikely to be funded; those without even invited speakers will be rejected).
  • In addition, the BSA has adopted the Good Practice Policy of the British Philosophical Association and the Society for Women in Philosophy, and the application should explain how the conference would comply with these guidelines (Read a summary of the Policy).  Organisers are also asked to encourage members of other underrepresented groups to submit papers/abstracts and to take diversity into account when making decisions for inclusion in the programme.

Guidance about how to produce a detailed budget is provided on this web page, right hand column.

Notification:

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications by the middle of May 2020. Any questions about this Call for Proposals should be addressed to the BSA Manager at the email address above.

How to present a budget

Provide a breakdown of your projected income and expenditure. Include full details wherever possible to avoid us having to seek clarification.
Examples of income:

  • Registration fees
  • BSA grant requested
  • Grants from other organisations

Examples of expenditure:

  • Speaker travel (details and estimated cost of each speaker’s flight/train fare etc)
  • Speaker accommodation (number of nights and estimated cost)
  • Venue hire
  • Equipment hire
  • Refreshments and meals
  • Marketing materials

Any ‘in kind’ support, such as meeting rooms provided free of charge by your institution, or wine reception provided by sponsors, should also be listed. The projected income, including grant requested, should match the projected expenditure, as the BSA will not support projects which aim to make a profit.

We advise that, before applying, you enquire whether your department or institution is willing to bankroll the project and invoice the BSA as sponsors afterwards. This not only simplifies payment of the grant but also frees up your time, as organisers, to concentrate on the academic side. Funds may only be released in advance of the project at the Treasurer’s discretion.