Twice a year we welcome applications from WGSSS funded students and their supervisors for small amounts of funding (up to £1,000 per application) under our small grants schemes.

These grants can be used towards costs for travel & subsistence for WGSSS students, venue hire, refreshments, the brokering and advertising of opportunities, or specialist expertise.

Costs documented on a small grant application must be clearly associated with development activities which would benefit the wider student cohort.  Small grant funding does not cover the costs associated with an individual’s own PhD research. The Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) is available for this purpose.

Collaborative small grants

These funds can be used for activities such as knowledge exchange, user engagement, forms of public engagement, or ongoing discussion of design, analysis or outcomes of research with relevant non-academic interests or audiences.

Interdisciplinarity small grants

These funds can be used to support interdisciplinarity, for example through a short seminar series, a mini conference, or some sort of exchange arrangement to enable interdisciplinary work (perhaps involving a Doctoral Training Facility funded by another Research Council). The activity involved must be for postgraduate research students and open to all ESRC funded students from across the WGSSS institutions.

Cohort building small grants

These funds can be used to support cohort building events within a WGSSS pathway or a cluster of pathways.

Application Process

Bids under the scheme should be made on the WGSSS application form. You may bid for any amount up to a maximum of £1,000 and can bid as an individual or as a group (though one applicant will be signalled as the main applicant and will be responsible for the small grant). Please describe, in up to 500 words, what activities are proposed, the anticipated timescales, and how the activities will be organised. You should also provide costings. Please include details of any funding applied for or received from other sources. The value of any financial contribution towards costs will be taken into consideration when assessing applications.

Please note that we are unable to accept retrospective applications for an activity or event which has already taken place.

Please note that WGSSS support, whether financial, technical, or in terms of publicity, is conditional on event organisers agreeing to follow DTP EDI Guidance for Conferences and Events (LINK to EDI guidance doc).

Completed application forms should be returned to enquiries@walesdtp.ac.uk

 Application Deadline

Selection Process

A WGSSS assessment panel will consider small grant applications. Successful applicants will be expected to provide a short end of funding award report on their activities, a version of which will be published on the WGSSS web site.  All expenditure must be auditable and a breakdown of the actual costs incurred will be required at the end of the activity. The funds must be used within 12 months and costs will be reimbursed following submission of the end of funding report, accompanied by a breakdown of expenditure supported by receipts/copies of invoices.  A list of delegates will be required for all events and seminars organised.

We will announce the outcomes in May 2024.