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Funded events

A key part of the BIH mission is the promotion of new ideas and forms of understanding in the humanities by fostering a climate of interdisciplinary research and collaboration among colleagues across Birkbeck and beyond.

We develop events in collaboration with external partners. For example, in early 2020, the Dissent in Dark Times festival of critical thought was held in partnership with the London Review of Books in the main Birkbeck building in London's Bloomsbury, while its second iteration (March 2021) was an entirely virtual event.

Each year, the BIH Steering Group allocates part of its annual budget to support conferences, symposia, workshops and other events organised by Birkbeck colleagues. Staff and researchers are invited to apply for funding for activities aligned with the BIH’s remit: interdisciplinary research, critical thinking and social justice in the humanities, including questions of inequality, the rise of authoritarianism, decolonisation, sexuality and gender.

Applicants may wish to organise a conventional academic conference. We also, however, encourage experimental forms of intellectual exchange, including collaborative workshops, public conversations, artistic interventions, screenings with discussion, and events that bring together academic and non-academic forms of knowledge.

As an outward-facing institute, the BIH generally holds events that are open to the public. We encourage applicants to make their events accessible to the public, either in full or in part, and to consider using media resources to document and disseminate intellectual exchange more widely.

What to expect

  • Applications are considered annually by the BIH Steering Group. The next decision-making meeting will be in November 2026.
  • In 2026/7, we can fund up to two events, with a total budget of £2,000, to take place between early December 2026 and the end of March 2027.
  • We particularly welcome proposals that challenge conventional thinking and address urgent critical questions under three main themes broadly conceived: Dissent; Aesthetics and Transformational Politics; and Psychoanalysis and Freedom.
  • BIH funding can cover speakers’ fees, travel and accommodation, and other eligible event expenses, as detailed in the following pages. Catering costs cannot be funded.
  • Read the event funding guidelines and further information.

How to Apply

  • View and fill out the application form for the BIH 2026/27 Funded Events scheme. Applications close on Monday 16 November 2026.
  • Applications will be presented to the BIH Steering Group by your School or Faculty representative. Please ensure that they are aware of your application and are prepared to speak in support of it. Representatives may contact you with questions or offer advice ahead of the meeting. You can find here the current list of steering group members.
  • Please make sure you have consulted the scheme guidelines before applying.
  • For queries about the themes or scope of your proposal, please contact the BIH Co-Director Prof Esther Leslie. For any other queries, please contact BIH.
  • Applicants will be informed of the outcome within three weeks of the application deadline.