Frequently Asked Questions
- Why was my Travel Grant application rejected?
We are not able to give one to one feedback on decisions.
The commonest reason is simply that an applicant has not followed the instructions. Did you include a copy of the abstract as required or merely the conference acceptance email? Was the letter of support from the Head of Department or Director as required, or a junior faculty member? Did you enter a travel date that is after the meeting, to circumvent the 9-week rule?
The next commonest reason is that the topic of your presentation lies outside the scope of brain. E.g. although skeletal muscle is very much part of the nervous system, a very good case would need to be made for cardiac myopathy research to be support by Brain! We do not support the presentation of audit, or other non-research activities.
Some applicants do not meet essential criteria, for example, junior ACFs (before ST3), MSc students, research nurses and undergraduates.
And remember, the awards are competitive with over 700 applications per year, and our funds are limited.
- The registration page rejects my registration request.
This may occur if you do not correctly enter data in the field provided. Check first that you are doing what is asked for. If the problem persists perhaps you have an unusual email address. Please Contact Us if you think this might be the case. Please do NOT open multiple accounts.
- I registered but the activation email has not arrived.
If you received the message :
"Thank you for registering! A confirmation email has been sent to your address. Please click on the link in that email in order to activate your account."
You have been provisionally registered and the activation email has been sent. It should normally reach you within 10 minutes but may sometimes take longer. If, however, it does not appear then the problem probably lies at your end. Please check your spam filters and ensure that emails from our domain (guarantorsofbrain.org) are not blocked by your system. Do not open another account, Contact Us for help.
- How can I ensure all emails sent to me by Guarantors of Brain will reach me?
To ensure that our emails will reach you in the future it will be helpful to put the following address in your email address book.
----------------webadmin@guarantorsofbrain.org---------------
Do not include the dashes around the email.
It will be helpful to ensure that your system doesn't attempt to block emails from our site or mark them as spam.
- My activation email has arrived but the link in it doesn't work.
Please try to select the link contents, copy this URL and then paste this activation URL link into your browser location field and then press Enter. If this fails Contact Us, retaining the activation email for reference purposes. Do not open another account, Contact Us for help.
- I want to start a travel grant application but my meeting date is earlier than the earliest allowed by the system.
As we point out on our information page, you must start your application at least 9 weeks before your meeting date and the system automatically provides you with the earliest date you can enter when you start making your application. Your application should then be completed and submitted at least 8 weeks before your nominated meeting date. This "9-week" rule is applied firmly to all applications.
- I have started a travel grant application but entered the wrong meeting date.
You should delete your partially completed application by selecting the Travel Grant Applications menu item when logged in. You should see a button marked Delete when you select the application you are working on. Unfortunately you must then restart the data entry required. Completed applications where the form has been submitted and all required documents uploaded cannot be deleted by you. Please Contact Us.
- I started a travel grant application but did not finish it in time.
Applications which are never completed or pass the administrative deadline for consideration and action will be deleted in due course by the system. But if you find that such an uncompleted application is blocking you from starting a new one - for an alternative meeting date - please go to the Travel Grant Applications menu item when logged in and use the delete facility there. You should then be free to reapply, subject to the earliest meeting date then allowable.
We periodically remove user accounts which see no use (that don't get activated, or have no applications). You can of course repeat the registration process when you're ready to apply for a grant.
- Can I register more than once?
NO. Please do not do this since you should provide a single record of your awards and applications. If you find difficulty with activating your registration and try another email address please do not activate both registration attempts. The system monitors duplicate registrations and we will contact you to clarify the situation if there appears to be a duplicate registration. If you move institutions and lose the use of your original registered email address please Contact Us us to make arrangements to change your registration while preserving your previous records. Please quote your previous redundant email address in your message.
- When would I hear the outcome?
Decisions are made in the order of the meeting date, not the order of submission date. We aim to let you know around four weeks ahead of the meeting date.
Please do not reply to the automated notifications, these emails are 'no-reply' and will not be received. Please use the Contact Us form if you need get in touch with us.
- My cheque has not arrived?
It takes up to 2 weeks after the award notification for the cheques and letters to be prepared and posted. Please allow at least 4 weeks after notification of award before contacting us.
We use the address you nominated on your application, and letters are sent by 2nd class post, not tracked or recorded. Please note, we do not issue replacement cheques until 8 weeks after the notification email. Please allow at least 4-6 weeks before contacting us.
- I am unable to travel to the conference, can I use the grant to go to another conference?
You cannot carry forward an award to pay for another conference. If you are unable to travel, you must notify the Guarantors of Brain Contact Us for help and return the cheque.
- Post meeting report
You are required to complete a post-meeting report and upload this on your application within 3 months of the conference. Failure to comply will result in a ban from applying to future grants. There is no set template but please make sure the report is signed by your supervisor confirming the full award was required. Please include in your report your experience at the conference, i.e. how well received was your presentation, networking opportunities, and how you had benefited from the conference.
