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BIA Travel Awards

British Infection Association

Supporting registration and travel to major national or international meetings to present original research.

These awards support registration and travel (if appropriate) to major national or international meetings (either in person or on-line), in particular, ASM, ICAAC, IDSA, and ECCMID to present original research, where the abstract is already accepted. Accommodation costs may also be included up to the grant limit. You can make applications for retrospective expenses if the timing of the conference, or abstract notification, did not align with the application deadlines.

To apply, please forward to admin@Britishinfection.org

Applications can be made at any time throughout the year, and will be assessed after the 31st January, 30th June and 30th September. Each award is for a maximum of £1000. Four awards will be made in each round, with one ring-fenced for undergraduate students.

A cover letter/email summarising the potential impact and case for support

Name of conference

Accepted abstract

Letter of acceptance

2-page C.V.

*3rd round applications to conferences other than FIS will be prioritised, given the availability of separate FIS bursaries, please see below for more information.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to infection research (highest predictor)

This is the most important success factor.

Competitive proposals should focus on infection-related topics such as:

Infectious diseases
Medical microbiology
Clinical virology
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Infection prevention and control
Diagnostic microbiology
Emerging pathogens
Sepsis
Healthcare-associated infections
Vaccines
Host–pathogen interactions

Projects outside infection-related disciplines are generally not competitive.

2. Importance and significance of the research question (very high predictor)

The BIA Scientific and Research Committee explicitly evaluates the importance of the proposed project.

Competitive proposals should:

Address an important unanswered question
Solve a clinically relevant problem
Advance infection medicine
Have clear scientific or clinical value

The significance of the research is one of the formal scoring criteria.

3. Clear aims and well-defined objectives (very high predictor)

Applications are formally assessed on the clarity of aims.

Strong proposals include:

Clearly stated hypotheses
Focused objectives
Logical study aims
Well-defined outcome measures

Projects with concise and coherent objectives are more competitive.

4. Appropriate methodology and scientific rigor (very high predictor)

The BIA specifically scores applications on the appropriateness of the research methodology.

Competitive proposals demonstrate:

Appropriate study design
Robust methodology
Statistical justification
Suitable laboratory or clinical methods
Ethical and regulatory planning

The research should be scientifically rigorous while remaining proportionate to the scale of the award.

5. Feasibility within the available funding and timeline (very high predictor)

Feasibility is another explicit review criterion.

Competitive applications should demonstrate:

Realistic timelines
Achievable milestones
Appropriate budget
Access to patients, samples, or laboratory facilities
Practical implementation

For the Early Career Research Grant, awards can support salary and/or research costs over one to three years. Small Project Grants support non-salary research costs for one year.

6. Potential impact on infection research or clinical practice (very high predictor)

The BIA explicitly scores projects for their potential impact.

Competitive studies should show potential to:

Improve diagnosis
Improve treatment
Enhance antimicrobial stewardship
Improve infection prevention
Inform clinical guidelines
Generate new biological insights

The impact should extend beyond publication to influence infection research or patient care.

7. Strong early-career investigator potential (very high and distinctive predictor)

A defining feature of the Early Career Research Grant is support for trainees who have not yet completed a PhD and who lack dedicated research salary support.

Priority is given to applicants who:

Are pre-PhD
Do not already have protected research time
Wish to develop an academic career
Need preliminary data for a future fellowship application

The grant is intended to help investigators transition toward higher-degree research and independent funding.

8. Strong supervision and institutional support (very high predictor)

All applicants must be supported by named supervisor(s) at the intended research institution.

Competitive applications include:

Experienced supervisors
Appropriate academic environment
Institutional infrastructure
Access to laboratory or clinical facilities
Protected research time where possible

The quality of supervision is fundamental to successful early-career applications.

9. Generation of preliminary data for future fellowships (high and distinctive predictor)

One of the explicit aims of the Early Career Research Grant is to enable applicants to generate preliminary data that supports:

PhD fellowship applications
Clinical academic fellowships
Larger external grants

The strongest applications clearly explain how BIA funding will serve as a stepping stone toward future independent research funding.

10. Membership and eligibility compliance (essential predictor)

Applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements, including:

Being a UK or Ireland-based salaried trainee
Not holding a consultant-level post
Working on infection-related research
Having BIA membership (membership can be obtained when applying)

These are essential eligibility criteria before scientific review.

Specialties

Infectious Diseases

Eligibility Requirements

Travel grants are assessed by the Scientific and Research Committee and awarded according to pre-determined criteria that include:

UK or Ireland-based salaried trainees who are not in a consultant-level post, working on infection-related research. This includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, trainee clinical scientists, high specialist scientist trainees, and other healthcare-focused careers.
UK or Ireland-based undergraduates working on infection-related research.
Acceptance of an abstract for an oral or poster presentation at the conference.
Benefit to the applicant from attending the conference.
All applicants will be required to be members of the British Infection Association. Individuals can join at the time of submitting their applications. Membership is free of charge for all undergraduate students, medically-qualified doctors-in-training in the UK and Ireland, as well as non-medically qualified personnel including nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists.

Eligible Countries:

Ireland

United Kingdom

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: British Infection Association

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Blackburn House Redhouse Road Seafield West Lothian EH47 7AQ

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