Research and Travel Funds
Research Bursary
Applications are invited twice a year to the Science Fiction Foundation for a £250 bursary that can be put towards the cost of a research visit to the sf collections at the University of Liverpool. The maximum that can be awarded at any one time is £250, and does not include additional travel expenses. Preference will be given to those not normally resident in Liverpool and its region.
​
Please send a proposal of your planned research to either the SFF's Education Officer or Curator (see Contacts). It should consist of the following details: your name, address, email/phone, academic affiliation, and a clear description of your reasons, aims and objectives for researching in the collections.
The deadlines for applications are 15th April and 15th October. Decisions will be made at the next committee meeting, roughly one month after the respective deadline, and communicated to the applicants. Proposals will be judged on a case by case basis according to the needs of the applicant and merit of the research. Following your research visit, please submit all receipts to the SFF treasurer so that you can be refunded. We would also like you to consider submitting either a report, detailing your research findings, or an article to Foundation. Enquiries about the bursary may be sent to Dr David Clements at d.clements@imperial.ac.uk
Maureen K. Speller Travel Fund
​
Applications are invited from independent scholars, not affiliated to a university, to apply for a travel fund of up to £500. The fund is designed to help independent scholars, without access to institutional sources of funding, to attend events that will help them to further their research. Events may include in-person conferences, workshops, archival visits, conventions or other networking opportunities that will help to develop and promote research. The fund may be used to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, attendance, or other related expenditures.
​
Applicants should submit an A4 request to the SFF’s Education Officer (at the email address above), detailing what the application is for and how the fund will be spent. The deadline for applications is either 15 April or 15 October. Applications will be considered at the Spring and Autumn committee meetings of the SFF, and successful requests must be fulfilled within twelve months of the decision. Receipts should be retained as proof of how the fund has been spent and submitted for confirmation to the SFF’s Treasurer.
The travel fund is named in honour of Maureen K. Speller, an independent scholar, reviewer, editor and critic, who furthered the critical study of science fiction and fantasy through APAs, fanzines and journals, including Foundation, Strange Horizons and Vector.