BGS Movement Disorders Section Travel Grants

The British Geriatrics Society Movement Disorders Section is offering a limited number of grants of up to £500 to:

  1. support attendance of meetings in Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, by Specialist Registrars, other trainee doctors and allied health professionals, if the applicant’s study leave allowance is unavailable or insufficient to meet expenses to attend such meetings. 
  2. to support Specialist Registrars, other trainee doctors and allied health professionals who have been accepted to present work relating to Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders at scientific meetings, where the applicant’s study leave allowance is unavailable or insufficient to meet expenses to attend the meeting and Central BGS office have not already funded the applicant once within the last two years.
  3. in exceptional cases, to support international medical graduates from developing countries (as defined by the World Health Organisation), who have been accepted to present work at Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders Scientific Meetings, where the applicant is unable to raise sufficient finance to meet the expenses to attend the meeting. 

Eligibility

  • Where applicants are applying to attend a meeting abroad, the applicants must be a member of the British Geriatrics Society, and depending on their year of training, have attended at least one BGS Scientific Meeting in the last two years. 
  • Priority will be given to applicants presenting papers (posters or platform communications). 
  • At the discretion of the BGSMDS, travel grants may also be used to help a few International Medical Graduates with insufficient funding to attend and present at meetings in Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.

How to Apply

Ensure that you can comply with all the conditions of award set out below.  Complete the application form which forms part of this document.  Decisions are usually made within five to six weeks. Where possible, applicants should submit their application well in advance of the proposed date of travel. Enquiries and requests for the ‘Applications procedures’ document and Conditions of Award should be directed to Joanna Gough the scientific officer at the BGS, scientificofficer [at] bgs [dot] org [dot] uk or 0207 608 8574.

Conditions of Award 

  1. United Kingdom applicants must complete the application form which requires the applicant to list the courses and meetings attended in the current financial year and the associated expenses. 
  2. For United Kingdom SpRs the application form must be endorsed by the Deanery STC Chair in Geriatric Medicine or Study Leave Adviser and for SHOs by the Clinical Tutor who must confirm the study leave taken and also that no other funding source is available for the proposed meeting. Allied health professionals’ applications will be vetted by the Chair of the BGS MDS in conjunction with the BGS Office. (If the applicant is from the same deanery as the Chair, the Deputy Chair will undertake this role)
  3. The grant must be used solely for the purpose set out in the application and approved by BGS MDS. 
  4. Within the limits of the total budget, the spending should conform broadly to the original estimate, unless changes are agreed with the BGS MDS. After attending the meeting financed by the grant, any remaining balance, where applicable, must be returned to the Society, unless approval has been given otherwise.
  5. Any changes in planned travel, as agreed by the BGS MDS, must be reported to the Committee.
  6. Any support of the planned travel from other sources must be made known to the BGS MDS.
  7. Within two months following the meeting, recipients should submit to the BGS MDS a report of between 300 - 600 words describing what benefit they gained from the grant. Comments on the content of the programme together with ideas for improvement are also invited.
  8. Acknowledgement of the BGS MDS grant should be made in any publication resulting from the travel being funded
  9. These Conditions of Award may be subject to change, at the discretion of the BGS MDS.
  10. In the case of international medical graduates, the grant money will be released AFTER the applicant has attended and presented his/her paper at a BGS Meeting, and upon presentation of appropriate receipts. It should be noted that the Grant will not exceed £500.
  11. All applicants should provide two copies of the application, together with the relevant supporting documentation (copies of air tickets, event registration material, letter accepting the abstract for presentation, etc.)
  12. Applicants are asked to ensure that they have allowed sufficient time for the application to be processed before the research project is to commence, as a decision may take between 5-6 weeks following receipt of the application.
  13. Correspondence will not be entered into concerning the adjudicators' decision.