University support

We are looking for universities to partner with us or to become supporters. Before COVID, we covered all costs including student travel and accommodation from corporate sponsorship. However, the event has grown considerably, and companies are reducing their budgets for non-essential events and activities. Travel and accommodation for 150+ student finalists from across the UK adds up to a lot of sponsorship – particularly when you add in lunches and coffees for student non-finalists, staff and supporters too.

Thus, we are looking for universities to support us as sponsors, partners (covering their students’ travel) or both. We have evidence going back 17 years showing that students enjoy the event and leave more confident about the discipline, the profession and their studies, so this is an opportunity for institutions to contribute to this. Universities interested in hosting future events should also get in touch.

University supporters

Supporting universities offer substantial assistance to the event either financially or in kind. Levels of support are:

Gold: £2000

Silver: £1000

Bronze: £500

These funds will help offset our central accommodation costs, and if need be, lunches and coffee breaks.

We will list supporters on our website for each year, and can provide a certificate showing the level of support if needed. Our current list (and last year’s list) can be seen below. Note: the event is run on a not-for-profit basis, and so there will be a limited number of supporter places available.

University partners

Partner universities agree to fund the travel of all student finalists attending from their institution. This means return public transport to Glasgow for the day, or some kind of open return/two singles for students from farther afield universities.

We plan to cover accommodation centrally, for those students who can’t get to University of Glasgow for an 09:30 start. There’s a real benefit to having the students in the same hotel (in terms of block booking, and in terms of safety – with undergraduate and MSc women travelling to a strange city, many of them for the first time, it is better if they’re all in the same place). We have already booked over 80 hotel rooms in Glasgow to ensure safety of student attendees and will pay for this from funds raised by sponsorship and university supporters.

2025 university partners and supporters

Supporters

These universities pledge financial support to cover the running costs of the event in 2025, or have provided significant in-kind support e.g event chair, student chair, host institution.

University of Birmingham (Platinum)
Aberystwyth University (Gold)
City, University of London (Gold)
Glasgow University (Gold)
London South Bank University (Gold)
University of Bath (Gold)
University of Southampton (Gold)
Exeter University (Silver)
Sheffield Hallam University (Bronze)

Partners

These universities pledge to support their own students by refunding their travel to the event: University representatives should get in touch if they would like to be added to this list.

Edinburgh Napier University
Heriot-Watt University
King’s College London
Leeds Trinity University
Manchester Met University
Nottingham Trent University
University of Bath
University of Leeds
University of Manchester
University of Southampton
University of York

2024 university partners and supporters

Supporters

These universities pledged financial support to cover the running costs of the event in 2024, or have provided significant in-kind support e.g event chair, student chair, host institution.

London South Bank University (Platinum)
Aberystwyth University (Gold)
University of Liverpool (Gold)
The University of Bath (Gold)
The University of Sheffield (Gold)
University of Warwick (Silver)
University of Southampton (Silver)
Aston University (Bronze)
City, University of London (Bronze)
University of York (Bronze)
University of Edinburgh (Bronze)

Partners

These universities covered their students’ travel to the event in 2024.

Aberystwyth University
Birkbeck, University of London
Cardiff University
Durham University
Edinburgh Napier University
Kings College London
Lancaster University
London South Bank University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Middlesex University
Nottingham Trent University
University of Birmingham
University of Glasgow
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
University of Southampton
University of Stirling
University of Warwick

2023 university partners and supporters

Supporters

These universities pledged financial support to cover the running costs of the event in 2023, or have provided significant in-kind support.

London South Bank University (Platinum)
Aberystwyth University (Gold)
The University of Sheffield (Gold)
The University of Bath (Gold)
City University (Silver)
University of Manchester (Silver)
University of Warwick (Silver)
Aston University (Bronze)
Lancaster University (Bronze)
University of Edinburgh (Bronze)
University of York (Bronze)

Partners

These universities covered their students’ travel to the event in 2023.

Aberystwyth University
Aston University
Brunel University
The University of Buckingham
Durham University
Edinburgh Napier University
Kings College London
London South Bank University
Loughborough University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Nottingham Trent University
University of Glasgow
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
University of Salford
University of Stirling
University of Surrey
University of Warwick

Future hosts

To host the event we ask institutions to commit to providing rooms (a large flat space for ~125 posters, a theatre style space for talks holding ~250 people, space for lunch/coffees and employer stands, ideally some form of quiet chillout space), poster boards, and to assist in liaison with local businesses for social events, hotel accommodation and possible sponsors. Hosts usually provide one of the speakers (a research talk).

Contact

To be added to this page, contact Hannah Dee (hmd1@aber.ac.uk) copied to deputy chair Safia Barikzai (safia.barikzai@lsbu.ac.uk)