The British Institute of Persian Studies - The British Institute of Persian Studies

What BIPS grants give you

The British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS) supports research into the entire Persian cultural sphere: Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Transcaucasus, Iraq, the Persian Gulf and South Asia. It offers various funding schemes; the funding you receive will depend on which scheme best suits your work:

• Research Grants: to 1,400 euros (1,200 to 5,000 pounds) for fieldwork, archival research or the organisation of a conference or workshop leading to an academic publication.
• Research Assistant Grants: to approximately 5,900 euros (5,000 pounds) for the salary of a fixed-term doctoral or postdoctoral research assistant. This figure includes the salary only.
• Student Travel Grants: up to approximately 1,400 euros (1,200 pounds) for travel undertaken as part of research activities related to your studies.
• Early Career Conference Grant: to approximately 235 euros (200 pounds) per panellist, capped at approximately 1,180 euros (1,000 pounds) per group, to cover conference registration fees.
• Research Fellowship: euros 23,600 (20,000 pounds) for a one-year postdoctoral research project in the field of Iranian and Persian studies.

The money will be transferred to your UK organisation, not directly to you.

Who can apply

• Where you are based: To be eligible for the scholarship, you must be affiliated with a UK university or museum. This applies to all grants.
• Level: To be eligible for research grants and grants for research assistants, you must already have a PhD. Travel grants are aimed at enrolled students (undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD students).
• Field of study: All subjects in the humanities and social sciences that focus on the Persian-speaking world, such as art, anthropology, archaeology, history, language, literature, politics, religion and sociology.
• Nationality: Applicants of any nationality are welcome to apply. What matters is your connection to the United Kingdom.
• Membership: You must be a member of BIPS at the start of the project. You can apply for membership at the same time as submitting your grant application.
• Travel safety: Your university must provide a risk assessment for the trip. BIPS cannot fund travel to destinations that the UK Government (FCDO) advises against.

How to apply

You apply using the BIPS form via your university, which must first approve your receipt of the scholarship. Calls for applications for research, research assistant and travel scholarships take place approximately twice a year. The research scholarship has its own annual call for applications. You can find the current application deadline on the BIPS website. The Research Committee reviews the applications, and the BIPS Council makes a decision within approximately one month of the application deadline.

How realistic are your chances?

These funding opportunities are very narrowly defined. Applicants must be affiliated with a UK institution and their research must focus on the Persian cultural sphere; a completed PhD is required for the research fellowships. As a result, the pool of applicants remains small compared to open calls for applications. A suitable researcher with a clear research project and the necessary references has good prospects. Travel grants are scarce and highly competitive, so a focused, well-reasoned application is an advantage.