Funding

WIGS Small Grants

WIGS is able to set aside a small amount of money each year to help fund the research activities of

1. a) postgraduate members,
   b) early career academics on fractional and/or fixed-term contracts, and
   c) other part-timers or retired members who are not eligible to apply for research funding from their institution or from a research council.

If you are unsure if you are eligible, please contact the Treasurer or Chair for guidance.

The money is intended to support members engaged in any activity central to their research, including presenting work at conferences in the field of German studies. The applicant must have been a member of WIGS for at least three months before applying. The awards fall into four categories:

1) Funding to present work at conferences: This support will not normally exceed £150. It will usually be limited to venues in the UK, Ireland or German-speaking areas. The deadlines for such awards are 1 March, 1 June, 1 September, 1 December. For this research grant, please apply to the Treasurer, providing a completed application form (click here to download application form).

2) Funding to carry out research abroad: A grant, which will not exceed £300, to carry out research abroad. The deadlines for such awards are 1 October and 1 March only. For this research grant, please apply to the Treasurer, providing a completed application form (click here to download application form) and a reference (in the case of postgraduates, this should be written by your supervisor).

3) Postgraduate WIGS meeting travel grant: WIGS is able to provide a contribution towards the travel costs of postgraduates presenting at a WIGS annual meeting. It cannot provide support to cover accommodation. Applications for this support must be made via e-mail to the Treasurer by one month before the date of the conference giving details of expenses. You do not need to send an application form.

4) Funding towards publication costs: We are also currently trialling a new small grant that offers support towards covering the costs related to publication (e.g. illustration permission fees). This support will not normally exceed £150. It will be used to support publications in the area of German Studies, broadly defined. The deadlines for such awards are 1 March, 1 June, 1 September, 1 December. For this research grant, please apply to the Treasurer, providing a completed application form (click here to download application form)

5) Funding to support any other research and teaching needs: we are currently able to consider other research- or teaching-related and emergency hardship funding applications from postgraduates, ECRs and members on fractional contracts. These may include, but are not limited to, funding a research assistant to copy archival materials where these cannot be accessed in person, translating texts for teaching purposes, paying for postage of necessary documents or books sent from abroad). Such applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and are subject to available funding. For this funding, please apply by e-mail to the Treasurer using the application form (click here to download application form)

All of these funding opportunities outline a maximum amount awarded. However, please note that this can be exceeded upon request if you have additional accessibility needs or require any other arrangements that incur extra costs (e.g. avoiding travel late at night due to safety concerns). Please outline the exact amount requested on the application form.

Applications will be considered by the WIGS Committee (by Chair OR Secretary AND either Postgraduate representative OR Early Career Academic Representative, depending on status of applicant) and grants will be made on the basis of the merit of the proposed project. The Committee reserves the right to wait until the outcome of other applications for funding are known. Applications must be received before the proposed project is undertaken: retrospective applications will not normally be considered.

Successful applicants will be asked to produce receipts for the expenses they incur. They will also be required to write a short report on the completed project and acknowledge the support of WIGS if their research is published. The report, containing details of the research undertaken / paper given, should be no more than 200 words and be sent by e-mail to the secretary, Catherine Smale.