British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Proposals for British Academy events
3. British Academy Conferences in 2013
A meeting of minds – help shape the future of your field with the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences.
Submission of proposals
The British Academy, the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences, is currently inviting outstanding proposals for our 2013 conference programme. This presents an exceptional opportunity for UK scholars who can demonstrate academic leadership and vision to run a landmark conference featuring leading-edge research as part of the Academy’s events programme.
Any UK-based scholar is eligible to submit a proposal. If successful, you will be the academic organiser of the conference, and the British Academy’s staff will handle the administration of the conference, so that you can focus on ensuring the quality of the scholarship presented is of the highest possible calibre.
We are inviting proposals for conferences to be held in 2013. British Academy conferences:
- are held at the British Academy’s premises at Carlton House Terrace (in central London close to Westminster and Piccadilly Circus, and easily accessible by train from each of London’s five airports)
- are ideal for up to 135 participants
- offer the opportunity to bring together a large number of academics from different subject areas
- include the possibility that a volume arising from the conference might be published in the Proceedings of the British Academy series
The British Academy is looking for proposals for conferences that will be pivotal events and of lasting significance in the field: a chance for leading and emerging scholars to examine current and future issues surrounding novel, dynamic, innovative and exciting subject areas in the humanities and social sciences.
Proposals should be submitted on the appropriate form, which can be downloaded here.
The deadline for the submission of proposals (including the references) is 24 February 2012. Selection of the successful academic conferences will be carried out by the Events and Prizes Committee in April 2012, and all applicants will be notified by the end of April.
Further information
The British Academy will hold up to six of these conferences each year.
They are generally of one or two days duration, with experts in their fields invited to present on the latest developments in the subject and to stimulate discussion among those attending. Where relevant, there should be appropriate international representation.
Proposals of an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary nature are especially appropriate to the Academy’s programme, and suggestions for subjects with policy implications are welcomed.
The Academy also welcomes proposals for conferences held in collaboration with other organisations.
What does the academic organiser do?
- Provides the academic theme and develops the overall objectives of the conference
- Selects and approaches speakers and chairs and briefs them on the required academic focus
- Provides and advises routes for publicity
- Where approved, acts as editor for a volume of Proceedings of the British Academy, and ensures adherence to a strict schedule leading to publication
What does the British Academy do?
- Provides the venue, facilities and catering
- Contributes to travel and accommodation for organisers, speakers and chairs
- Promotes and administers the conference
- Where approved, publishes a volume of the Proceedings of the British Academy arising from the conference
Conference structure
Conferences usually take place over one or two days, which restricts the timetable to a maximum of 16 papers with time for discussion (fewer if one paper presentation is replaced with a panel or roundtable discussion). Conferences should run between 10am and 6pm. The proposal form suggests a structure of up to four speakers per session. If you would like to discuss alternative formats, or if (exceptionally) you wish to make a case for a three-day conference, please contact the Events Team (conferences@britac.ac.uk).
Publication
The Proceedings of the British Academy series publishes themed volumes of papers, many of which arise from the British Academy’s own programme of conferences. (Further information on how to submit a publication proposal for the Proceedings series.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much does it cost?
A. The Academy covers the cost of administration, printing of programmes, flyers and limited publicity. A contribution is made to all speakers, chairs and organisers’ travel costs, based on the distance to be travelled to the conference; in the case of speakers from relatively well-resourced countries, such as the US, the organiser is asked to confirm that reasonable enquiries about alternative funding have been made. The Academy also funds accommodation and lunch for all speakers, chairs and organisers on the days of the conference (accommodation is booked at a nearby hotel), and hosts a reception for all participants. The exact scale and financing of each conference will be discussed in greater detail with successful applicants.
Q. I am not a UK national, can I apply?
A. The requirement is that the principal proposer/organiser must be a UK-based academic.
Q. Don’t you have to be a Fellow of the British Academy to organise a conference?
A. No – any UK-based scholar is eligible to propose a conference. Applications are judged on merit by the British Academy’s Events and Prizes Committee. However, we do request that one of your two referees should normally be a Fellow.
Q. If the proposal is successful, when will the conference take place?
A. Conferences accepted by the Events and Prizes Committee will take place between January and December 2013.
Q. When do I find out if I have been successful?
A. We will contact you with the outcome of the Committee’s decision by 30 April 2012.
Code of practice
The British Academy has a Code of Practice for assessing applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for academic support. The Code of Practice also covers Data Protection, the Academy’s ethics policy and the appeals procedure. The Code of Practice may be viewed on the Academy’s website (www.britac.ac.uk/funding/codepractice.cfm). Feedback is not a feature of the British Academy Conferences scheme, and the Academy is regretfully unable to enter into correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice. Please note that by applying in this scheme, applicants undertake to accept the terms under which applications are assessed.