Student-Led Conferences

The Jesus College MCR offers financial support to students who wish to run a conference or symposium. Members of the MCR who would like to apply for funding towards such an event should email an application to academic@mcr.jesus.cam.ac.uk.

Application Criteria

Successful applicants must meet both of the following criteria:

(i) be a current member of the Jesus College MCR

(ii) be studying for or have recently completed a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge at the time of the proposed event.

Application Material

Applications should include information on how the money is to be used. In particular, in order to aid the decision process of the decision committee, applicants should provide information on:

  • The theme of the conference
  • The date and location
  • Speakers (if known)
  • A breakdown of estimated costs

Intention of funding

Applicants may request funding for the following expenses related to the event they propose to organise:

  • Transport for speakers (not including air travel)
  • Refreshments provided to attendees of the event
  • The hiring of function rooms
  • Costs associated with promoting the event
  • Other reasonable associated costs

Estimates for costs associated with each item should be listed. Where possible, the event should be held at Jesus College and be open to members of the Jesus postgraduate community.

Selection Criteria

MCR Conference Fund awards are granted per student-led academic event, and successful applications will be awarded funding between £100-£300 in most cases. Under exceptional circumstances, a student-led academic event may be granted a larger sum. This may be the case for student-led academic events that are beneficial to a large number of Jesus College MCR members.

Applications for funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the MCR Committee, which meets fortnightly during the academic term. In most circumstances, applications will be considered in the committee meeting following the submission of the application. The MCR committee may choose to seek the advice of the graduate tutors before granting an MCR Conference Fund award. To allow sufficient processing time, applications should generally be submitted in advance of the event to be held and in most cases, at least two months prior to the event.

The MCR Committee will endeavour to support, at least in part, all applications that meet the criteria. However, the total funding available is limited and we regret that it may not be possible to accept all applications. Applications for events/groups that have not previously received funding from the MCR will be prioritised.

Payment

All funding that is requested should be fully documented, with receipts kept. However, the committee understands that student-led conferences may not be feasible if funding is not provided upfront. Therefore, funding can be requested upfront, but receipts will be required to document all spending that is claimed. Successful applicants will hear from the MCR Treasurer to facilitate the transfer of funds.

Previous conferences

A report about the initiatives supported by the student conferences fund in 2021/22 is available below.

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