This year we are delighted to be able to offer three types of bursary to support people to join conference who would otherwise not be able to attend.

We are offering up to 30 Early Career Researcher presenter bursaries, up to 20 Increasing Access to Research bursaries and a small number of bursaries for People with Lived Experience. Both the Early Career Researcher and the Increasing Access to Research bursaries will cover the attendance fee for both days of the in-person conference, and a maximum of £200 towards travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses, in line with BACP policy. The Lived Experience bursaries will cover the attendance fee for both days of the in-person conference, and reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses, in line with BACP policy.  We also recognise that those with accessibility needs may require additional financial support to be able to attend, please let us know if this is the case. We will assess applications on a case-by-case basis and may make additional financial support available in circumstances where we’re able to do so.

*Please note that these bursaries are not transferable for attendance at any other conference or BACP event.

Early career researcher bursaries:

These bursaries are aimed at early career researchers to enable them to present their work in-person at conference. There are up to 30 bursaries available, and each bursary will cover conference attendance fees for both days, and a maximum of £200 towards travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses, in line with BACP policy. We also recognise that those with accessibility needs may require additional financial support to be able to attend, please let us know if this is the case. We will assess applications on a case-by-case basis and may make additional financial support available in circumstances where we’re able to do so.

To be eligible for this bursary, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • have been accepted to present any presentation type at the 2026 BACP Annual International Research Conference as first author/main presenter
  • agree to attend and present in person
  • be UK-based
  • be an early career researcher.

    For the purpose of this award, early career researcher is defined by us as follows:
  • Currently undertaking doctoral level research in counselling, psychotherapy or coaching OR
  • within 8 years of their PhD award or equivalent professional training in which they have completed a research project (in counselling, psychotherapy or coaching) OR
  • within 6 years of their first academic appointment in counselling, psychotherapy or coaching (the first full- or part-time paid employment contract that lists research or teaching as the primary function)

These periods exclude any extended career breaks (3 months or more), for example, due to family care, health reasons or reasons related to COVID-19 such as home schooling or increased teaching load (you will need to provide evidence of this in the application form, such as a letter on headed paper from your institution or supervisor, or a copy of your doctoral certificate). 

  • must not be in receipt of other funding through institution or other funders to attend this conference.

Note: There is no requirement to be a member of BACP to apply for this bursary.

Application process:

To apply for this bursary, please complete the online submission via our application portal here.

Your application must include:

  • Your name, email and details of the abstract accepted for conference of which you are the first presenting author and confirmation of accepting the offer to attend and present in-person.
  • Declaration of early career researcher status.
  • Declaration that you are UK-based.
  • Declaration that you are not in receipt of any other funding to attend conference.
  • A letter of support from a relevant tutor/research supervisor/academic institution line manager confirming your early career researcher status and lack of other funding. (document to upload).

Applications must be received by the closing date of 11:59pm on Friday 20 February 2026.

After the closing date has passed, applications will be screened to ensure that eligibility criteria are met and all eligible applications will be entered into a lottery to choose winners. In the case of over-subscription, please note that priority will be given to applicants who have not previously benefitted from a BACP research conference attendance bursary of any kind. Results of the outcome will be notified to all applicants no later than Monday 2 March 2026.

Winners of bursaries will be notified of full details of how to claim their bursaries including eligible travel/accommodation expenses. As well as attending conference in person to present their research, winners are also expected to participate in publicity associated with awarding the bursaries, such as photos at conference, and contributing to the research communications about how attending conference has been of benefit

Applicants are strongly advised NOT to book onto conference or to book travel or accommodation in advance of being notified of the outcome of the application process.

Please note that these bursaries are not transferable for use to attend any other conference or BACP event.

Increasing access to research bursaries:

These bursaries are aimed at widening access to attend conference in-person for those with an interest in research who would not otherwise be able to attend, for instance where cost is a barrier to attending. There are up to 20 bursaries available and each bursary will cover conference attendance fees for both days, and a maximum of £200 towards travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses. We also recognise that those with accessibility needs may require additional financial support to be able to attend, please let us know if this is the case. We will assess applications on a case-by-case basis and may make additional financial support available in circumstances where we’re able to do so.

To be eligible for this bursary, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Current counselling/psychotherapy/coaching trainees OR those who have completed core training within the past 12 months. For the purposes of this bursary, applicants who have completed the taught element of their training but who are still completing practice hours are considered to be current trainees and are therefore eligible to apply for this bursary (you will need to provide evidence of this in the application form, such as a letter on headed paper from your institution or a copy of your training certificate)
  • be UK based
  • be able to demonstrate that attendance at conference would be beneficial to practice and professional development
  • be a current member of BACP (this can include as a student member)
  • must not be in receipt of other funding to attend this conference.

The bursary is intended to support those who would like to attend conference as a non-presenting delegate. However, applicants wishing to attend conference in-person who meet these criteria who have also had an abstract accepted for conference are also welcome to apply for consideration.

Application process:

To apply for this bursary, please complete the online submission via our application portal here.

Your application must include:

  • Your name, email and contact details.
  • Details of current or recently completed training.
  • Declaration that you are UK-based.
  • A short written statement (no more than 400 words) summarising your reasons for applying for the bursary and what you hope to gain from attending conference.
  • A letter of support from a current or recent tutor or supervisor confirming training details and supporting the benefits to you of attending. (document to upload).

Applications must be received by the closing date of 11:59pm on Friday 20 February 2026.

After the closing date has passed, applications will be screened to ensure that eligibility criteria are met and all eligible applications will be entered into a lottery to choose winners. In the case of over-subscription, please note that priority will be given to applicants who have not previously benefitted from a BACP research conference attendance bursary of any kind. Results of the outcome will be notified to all applicants no later than Monday 2 March 2026.

Winners of bursaries will be notified of full details of how to claim their bursaries including eligible travel/accommodation expenses. As well as attending conference in person to present their research, winners are also expected to participate in publicity associated with awarding the bursaries, such as photos at conference, and contributing to the research communications about how attending conference has been of benefit.

Applicants are strongly advised NOT to book onto conference or to book travel or accommodation in advance of being notified of the outcome of the application process.

Please note that these bursaries are not transferable for use to attend any other conference or BACP event.

Bursaries for people with lived experience:

These bursaries are aimed at supporting the inclusion of People with Lived Experience of as clients of counselling/psychotherapy or other mental health interventions who might not otherwise be able to attend, for instance where cost is a barrier to attending. There is a small number of bursaries available, and each bursary will cover conference attendance fees for both days, and costs of travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses, in line with BACP policy to cover reasonable accessibility requirements.

The bursaries are aimed particularly at People with Lived Experience who have participated in research or acted as co-researchers in projects that have been accepted at conference, to enable co-presentation of these projects.

To be eligible for this bursary, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Have participated as a person with Lived Experience of counselling/psychotherapy or other mental health intervention as a research participant/co-researcher that has been accepted for presentation at conference in-person in any format
  • be UK based
  • be able to demonstrate why attendance at conference would be beneficial and of interest
  • must not be in receipt of other funding to attend this conference.

Application process:

To apply for this bursary, please complete the online submission via our application portal here.

Your application must include:

  • Your name, email and contact details.
  • Declaration that you are UK-based.
  • A short written statement (no more than 400 words) summarising your reasons for applying for the bursary and what you hope to gain from attending conference.
  • A letter of confirmation from the first author/presenter of the abstract accepted at conference, confirming the title of the presentation and the presentation type.

Applications must be received by the closing date of 11:59pm on Friday 20 February 2026.

After the closing date has passed, applications will be screened to ensure that eligibility criteria are met and all eligible applications will be entered into a lottery to choose winners. In the case of over-subscription, please note that priority will be given to applicants who have not previously benefitted from a BACP research conference attendance bursary of any kind. Results of the outcome will be notified to all applicants no later than Monday 2 March 2026.

Winners of bursaries will be notified of full details of how to claim their bursaries including eligible travel/accommodation expenses. As well as attending conference in person to present their research, winners are also expected to participate in publicity associated with awarding the bursaries, such as photos at conference, and contributing to the research communications about how attending conference has been of benefit

Applicants are strongly advised NOT to book onto conference or to book travel or accommodation in advance of being notified of the outcome of the application process.

Please note that these bursaries are not transferable for use to attend any other conference or BACP event. 

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