As the UK’s national institute for health data science, we are committed to working with early-career researchers (ECRs), patients and members of the public. This creates an accessible and inclusive environment and makes sure health data research can be shaped and influenced by ECRs and the public. Our bursaries offer support to help ECRs, patients and members of the public to join our conference and get involved in the discussions and sessions.

The HDR UK Conference 2025 will celebrate the latest advances in health data science that are improving people’s lives, with keynote speakers and a range of contributed presentations across the breadth of our science. We are expecting delegates with academic, health care, industry, research software and technology backgrounds at all career stages.

ECRs are the research leaders of the future. However, limited funding and tight budgets often prevent ECRs from participating in key conversations.

HDR UK’s work is guided by patients and the public, who are welcome at our conference. This is a research conference; however, we will encourage speakers to make their talks accessible to all those with an interest.

Our bursaries offer

ECRs, patients and public members can apply for a bursary to cover registration, travel, and/or accommodation costs that would have otherwise prevented them from attending the event in person, in addition to receiving a free ticket for the event.

We will be offering 30 bursaries: 20 for ECRs and 10 for patients and members of the public.

How much will the bursary cover?

The bursary covers a maximum of up to £250 per person to attend the Conference on 15 – 16 October 2025. Please note, that those in receipt of a bursary may be subject to personal tax. This is the responsibility of the individual and not HDR UK.

Bursary places are limited to one individual per year and will be awarded at HDR UK’s discretion.

Who is eligible?

All ECRs, patients and members of the public who are interested in health data research, and do not have access to other sources of funding.

You do not need to have been previously involved in an HDR UK activity to apply for the bursary.

Please note, that this particular bursary is not open to researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and other key stakeholders who are not currently eligible.

How do I apply?

You will need to complete the following action by 5.00 pm on 12 May 2025:

Please do not book any travel and/or accommodation until we have confirmed your application for the bursary has been successful on Monday 20 June 2025; otherwise, we may not be able to cover the costs.

If your application has been successful, we will provide you with a code to book your registration ticket.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please email our Public Engagement and Involvement team. They will be happy to help.

We will also be updating the FAQs as and when people get in touch with questions, so please revisit this page for further information.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. There will be no registration fee for those with a bursary.

  • We are able to provide a bursary for 30 people to cover registration and/or travel and/or accommodation costs up to a maximum of £250 per person.

  • Our team of HDR UK staff and public advisors will review all bursary applications anonymously. We will let you know the final outcome by Monday 20 June 2025.

  • If we are able to offer you a bursary, we will let you know and ask that you:

    • Organise your own travel and/or accommodation as needed.
    • Register to attend the conference with a special code provided by HDR UK.
    • Fill in a form so that we may set you up on the finance system to enable us to provide the bursary of up to £250 within one month from the event.

  • We will provide you with detailed instructions and drop-in sessions on how to submit your receipts. Please note that you will need to keep your receipts for us to be able to process your bursary.

  • No, the bursary is in place to cover in-person registration and/or travel and/or accommodation costs only to enable individuals to join the conference in person.

    You are, of course, welcome to register to join the conference online should you not wish to attend in person. You can register for the online event through our website.

  • Unfortunately, as a charity, our payment process must adhere to strict guidelines. All payments must be processed through our online portal, which means we can only reimburse expenses after the event and are unable to provide funding upfront. We acknowledge that waiting to receive the bursary after the event may be difficult for some. However, we also need to ensure that recipients of the bursary attend the conference.

  • Once informed of your bursary application, you will receive a code to register on the registration platform. This code is only for bursary applicants and is not to be shared with anyone else.

  • Early-Career Researchers are those within the first eight (full-time equivalent) years of their career (including post-graduate training, if relevant). We will take a flexible and inclusive approach to this calculation, taking into consideration career breaks, non-linear career paths, non-academic career paths, etc.