Guidelines for the allocation of financial support for scientific conferences by VALS-ASLA / Applying for financial support from the SHAS

VALS-ASLA can provide financial support for the organisation of scientific events if the event’s topic is within VALS-ASLA's area of interest, i.e. if it is connected to Applied Linguistics in all its forms (see points 1-5).

In addition, applications for financial support for conferences in the field of Applied Linguistics addressed to the SHAS must be submitted via VALS-ASLA (see point 5).

1. Scientific Events
Organising a scientific event is defined as the organisation of a colloquium or a conference for scientists on a topic within the field of Applied Linguistics.

Preference will be given to the following four event categories:

• VALS-ASLA's annual conference (multi-day event, takes place every two years) 
• VALS-ASLA's study days (one-day event)
• Colloquia or conferences that are directly connected to VALS-ASLA's activities as well as organised by one or more interest groups of VALS-ASLA
• Colloquia or conferences that are organised by or intended for junior scientists

2. Requests
The following documents must be enclosed with an application for financial support: 

• An event description that includes a provisional programme of the event (planned keynotes, call for papers, description of the selection procedure).
• A detailed budget that particularly shows evidence of other financial contributions. In addition, conference fees must generally be charged.

3. Contributions
VALS-ASLA contributes an annual amount of up to CHF 10,000 to support the organisation of scientific events. Individual events may be supported but events falling under the categories mentioned under point 1 will be prioritised. The following contributions can usually be applied for: 

• For VALS-ASLA’s annual conference: A contribution of CHF 3,000 to 5,000
• For VALS-ASLA’s study days: A contribution of CHF 1,500
• For all other events: A contribution of CHF 500 to 1,500 (applying for financial support from another institution is mandatory and conference fees must generally be charged).

4. Criteria
Basic criteria

• There must be a connection to Applied Linguistics.
• The event has to be a colloquium or a conference, however, events falling under the categories mentioned under point 1 will be prioritised.
• The application must include all documents that are mentioned under point 2.
• Scientific quality, originality and topicality of the conference must be given.
• The budget has to be accurate and adequate.

5. Examination and Decision
VALS-ASLA's Board assesses the applications for financial support in the order of their arrival during one of three annual board meetings. The Board informs the applicant of its decision as soon as possible.  The next submission deadline is 15 Mai.The applications must be sent by email to VALS-ASLA’s President (lorenza.mondada@unibas.ch). In cases of hardship, the Board may deviate from the guidelines.

In addition, applications for financial support may be submitted to VALS-ASLA with a request to forward it to the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHAS). Such applications are subject to both the conditions defined by the SHAS and the special submission deadlines by VALS-ASLA.

Applications to the SHAS must be submitted to VALS-ASLA at an early stage in order to be assessed before being forwarded to the SHAS and, if necessary, to consult the conference organisers. The submission deadline for conferences taking place in 2025 is expected to be 15 December 2023 (in the case of a positive assessment, the application will be forwarded to the SHAS by begining of March 2024).

If you would like to submit an application to both VALS-ASLA and SAGW, please submit two applications, one to the President of VALS-ASLA by email and one to VALS-ASLA by using the SAGW form.

Announcement of travel grants for prospective researchers 

VALS-ASLA supports Swiss doctoral students with contributions to costs arising from participating in conferences in the field of Applied Linguistics in Switzerland and abroad. A maximum amount of CHF 500 per request is intended to facilitate the financing of conference trips. The following criteria are to be considered:

• Travel grants from VALS-ASLA cover a maximum of half of the travel expenses. 
• When applying for grants from VALS-ASLA, applying for grants from at least one other institution is mandatory. The requested amount must be stated in the request sent to VALS-ASLA.
• Double financing by VALS-ASLA and the “Schweizerische Sprachwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft” (SSG/SSL) is not allowed.
• Applications for financial grants must be submitted before the conference. Applications submitted after the relevant deadline and retroactive applications will not be considered. Applications must be sent by email to VALS-ASLA’s Vice President (regula.schmidlin@unifr.ch) with the subject line “Grant VALS-ASLA”.
• There are four possible submission dates per year: by March 1 (for events from April 1 onward), June 1 (for events from July 1 onward), September 1 (for events from October 1 onward), and December 1 (for events from January 1 of the following year). Applications will be examined by VALS-ASLA’s Board.

The application should contain the following information, compiled in a single PDF document:

• a letter stating both the reason for the application and the relation to Applied Linguistics
• the submitted or accepted lecture abstract
• a budget containing transport and accommodation costs as well as conference fees
• details regarding additional applications for financial support from other institutions such as the Swiss National Fund, a university or other academic institutions or foundations
• a Curriculum Vitae

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

The Vice President shall inform the applicants of the Board’s decisions as soon as possible. In the case of a lecture abstract that has not been accepted yet, a positive decision is not final until the lecture abstract has been accepted. Payments are made after lectures have been held.