GLOBAL CONVENING

PROGRAMMES
Convening Meeting Guidance
Overview
1. The British Academy’s Global Convening Programmes support international
programmes that convene researchers internationally together over three years to
develop sustained engagement across disciplines and borders. Global Convening
Programmes are not traditional research projects. For example, the Programme Leads
should not see themselves as Principal Investigators leading team(s) that will undertake
field work or other research activities organised around a central workplan or similar, as
that is not the purpose of these programmes.

2. The Programme Members will be expected to commit time to the Programme during the
course of the award including usually two or three in person two-to-three-day
international meetings every year, at least one of which will take place at the British
Academy (or a suitable and mutually agreed London-based venue should facilities at the
British Academy be unavailable).

Principles
3. It is a key principle for the Academy that all funding for activity related to the Global
Convening Programmes is funded by the Academy. This means that no additional
funding from other sources can be added to the Programme.

4. The convening element of each Programme is of inherent importance, adding value to

each Programme’s pursuit of their identified challenge, facilitating increased
interdisciplinary engagement between the humanities and social sciences and beyond,
and enabling greater international partnership. To this end, the Convening Meeting is a
meeting that will take place in a single location with the aim of enabling the sharing of
research, networking and collaboration between a quorum of Programme Members and
more widely.

5. As stated above, the purpose of the Convening Meeting is not to facilitate field work or
other research activities, so it is not expected for there to be a need for visits or
additional travel to be part of the agenda unless clearly specified well in advance and a
robust justification provided for any additional movement or visits. The Academy
appreciates that networking and collaboration may be facilitated by the context of the
meetings and embeddedness in particular places, but requirements in terms of risk, duty
of care and programme objectives necessitate further justifications as appropriate. The
Academy may request a detailed case for the location of any meeting in terms of
academic justification, rationale for the Programme, and feasibility. The Academy

Last updated 16 June 2023

 expects meetings to take place in English unless otherwise agreed by the Academy and
with Programme Members.

6. The Programme Members are responsible for designing the agenda for the annual
meetings, working in tandem with staff at the British Academy as partners on the
Programme. The Academy will wish to help and support the development of the agenda
as appropriate and as required to help with practical arrangements, as well as ensure we
are well-placed to support any additional knowledge translation or other activities that
could complement the insights of the programme. The Academy does require early
sight of the draft agenda or otherwise it may not be possible for the meeting
to be organised as originally planned. The Academy would expect early sight
of the draft agenda to be at least three months before the meeting is planned
in 2023-24 and six months in the years that follow. The Academy will not be
able to progress the practical arrangements without a draft agenda having
been provided. Any delays caused by this may lead to the postponement or
cancellation of the meeting.

Risk Assessment
7. The draft agenda is particularly important for the Academy to complete a risk
assessment and to undertake any necessary budgetary calculations. The risk assessment
is to be treated as a living document and updated as meeting preparations progress.
Until the Academy has been able to complete a risk assessment satisfactorily then a
meeting will not be able to be progressed in earnest. The risk assessment will be
completed by Academy staff and will thoroughly identify risks related to safety and
security, which includes travel, the political climate, crime, detention, health risks, and
also incorporates input from staff members, the Advisory Board, government and
Embassy officials, the media, and other relevant informants. The assessment will be
informed from a UK perspective, and thus Programme Members who are not UK
nationals are advised to supplement the assessments by checking their own
government’s advice.

8. The Academy has final discretion to determine whether a meeting will go

ahead. Where feasible, the Academy will aim to work with the Programme Members on
the locations of the meetings that are suggested, however, the Academy reserves the
right to move the location and timing of the meetings if it deems this necessary due to
reputational risk and/or the safety and security of participants. The Academy will
endeavour to work collaboratively with the Programme Members if this is the case and
will take advice from Programme Advisory Group Members, senior members of
Academy staff and the Academy’s Foreign Secretary & Vice President.

9. All accommodation for meetings organised by the Academy will be organised with safety
and security as the highest priority. The Academy will take relevant advice in advance of
booking hotels and venues for meetings. Travel between accommodation and meeting
venues will be minimised as far as possible to reduce any risk.

10. It should be emphasised that Programme Members travel at their own risk
and the Academy’s involvement does not provide any additional safety by
helping to organise these meetings than if the Programme Member was
travelling for their own research. If therefore a Programme Member is
uncertain at all about travelling to a location they are strongly advised by
the Academy not to do so. In addition, the Academy reserves the right to alter the
location of a meeting if in its view it is not possible for a sufficient quorum of
Programme Members to be available, including due to concerns with meeting in the
proposed location.

Last updated 16 June 2023

11. Participants are expected to be covered for the duration of their trip by their own
institution’s insurance. They are also expected to comply with any health guidance prior
to travelling. The Academy will request written confirmation from
Programme Members that such insurance is in place before their travel is
confirmed. Programme Members will also need to confirm to the Academy
that they will be following their own employing institution’s travel and risk
guidance and policies, as well as gained any necessary approvals in relation
to their travel. If this is not the case, then travel will not be supported.

12. If Programme Members undertake any additional activities not on the

outlined itinerary in the meeting organisation materials there will need to
be a strict separation of activity related to the Programme and individuals’
own activities for which neither the Academy nor the Programme can be
involved in, nor may the name of the Academy or Programme be used in
affiliation with such activities in any way. The Academy will pay close attention to
this for risk assessment purposes.

Travel and Logistics

13. There is funding available for venue hire, catering, travel and accommodation for the
Programme Members. It will be necessary to confirm the timings well in advance and
stick to those timings for organisational purposes, including catering.

14. The Academy will assist with the logistics for the annual meetings, booking Programme
Members’ travel and accommodation. Programme Members will be asked to inform the
Academy of travel and accommodation requirements so that bookings can be made
through the Academy’s travel agent. There will be deadlines provided for this
information to be supplied. If these are missed then the Academy will not be able to
organise the travel or accommodation.

15. Upon receiving confirmation of their booking, participants are responsible for ensuring
that the ticket shows the correct information in respect of both their personal details and
the details of the itinerary. Any mistakes must be flagged to Academy staff within 24
hours of receipt of booking confirmation. Programme Members should note that they
are responsible for any costs incurred after the initial booking is made.

16. All travel bookings for participants travelling to a meeting are expected to be booked
through the Academy’s travel agent and with the prior agreement of British Academy
staff. Train travel may be booked by participants and reimbursed, but must be approved
by Academy staff before booking. The Academy encourages, where feasible, travel by
means other than air travel and will be willing to consider higher costs associated with
such travel on a case-by-case basis. The Academy also expects that when travel has not
already been pre-arranged from an airport to the venue that only reasonable costs will
be reimbursed. Programme Members are encouraged to check with the Academy if they
are unsure what is reasonable as otherwise the Academy has the discretion to not
reimburse if the costs are judged as unreasonable. For example, in London public
transport would be expected to be utilised not taxis.

17. The Academy will cover expenses from the point at which a participant leaves their
home until an agreed point at which the meeting has ended and it would be feasible for
the participant to have reached their home upon return. It will not cover any expenses
related to ongoing travel. Should a participant wish to make their own arrangements to
travel at a different date to those outlined in the meeting organisation materials, they are
responsible for their expenses before the meeting begins and/or after it ends, unless
another timeline is agreed in writing in advance.

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18. For travel to Academy meetings, it is expected that all travel will be booked in economy
class unless extenuating circumstances necessitate other classes of travel. In this
instance, prior written agreement (along with evidenced justification) must be obtained
before any travel is booked.

19. The Academy can provide a letter of invitation to confirm the individual's attendance at
a Convening Meeting, but is not able to help with any applications for visas.

20. The early career researchers supported through the Programme are expected to commit
time to the Programme including attendance and participation at the meetings.

21. Invitations can be extended beyond the Programme Members. Suggestions for
additional participants should be shared as early as possible with the Academy alongside
the draft meeting agenda to enable further suggestions. The Academy will assist with
suggestions and coordinate sending any additional invitations.

22. The budget for the annual programme meetings will be managed by the
Academy, and should not be used to undertake fieldwork or other non-
meeting activities. Please contact the Academy if you would like to enquire
about the use of these funds.

Last updated 16 June 2023

Finding the British Academy
One meeting per year is to be held at the British Academy.

From Heathrow Airport: Take the underground (Piccadilly Line) direct to Piccadilly
Circus (journey time about one hour). Alternatively, take the Heathrow Express rail service
from Heathrow to Paddington station (trains every fifteen minutes; journey time: 15 minutes)
then take the underground to Charing Cross station (Bakerloo Line) or Piccadilly Circus
(Piccadilly Line).

From Gatwick Airport: Take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station (trains every fifteen
minutes; journey time c. 30 minutes) and then take the underground (Victoria line) one stop
north to Green Park. It is possible to walk from Green Park to the British Academy (c.15
minutes); or change at Green Park and take the Piccadilly Line one stop north to Piccadilly
Circus.

From Stansted Airport: Take the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street station (trains every
fifteen minutes; journey time around 50 minutes) and then take the underground (Central
Line) west towards Holborn. At Holborn change trains and take the Piccadilly Line south to
Piccadilly Circus (total underground journey time c. 20 minutes).

From the Eurostar: Take the underground from King’s Cross/St Pancras (Piccadilly Line)
south direct to Piccadilly Circus (journey time c. 10-15 minutes).

Useful web links:

Transport for London (for underground network): http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
Heathrow Express: https://www.heathrowexpress.com/
Gatwick Express: https://www.gatwickexpress.com/
Stansted Express: https://www.stanstedexpress.com/
Eurostar: http://www.eurostar.com/

Last updated 16 June 2023

The British Academy is at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, on the north side of The Mall, on the
east side of the Duke of York steps which run between Waterloo Place and The Mall.

The nearest underground stations are Piccadilly Circus station and Charing Cross station.

From Piccadilly Circus station: take exit number 3 from the ticket concourse, and take the
left-hand flight of steps, signed "Lower Regent Street". Walk straight ahead from the top of
the steps, down Lower Regent Street. Cross Pall Mall and enter Waterloo Place. Walk down
Waterloo Place to the column at the head of the steps down to The Mall. The Academy is the
building on the left of the steps.

From Charing Cross station, it is easiest to take the exit adjacent to the Bakerloo line.
Therefore, if travelling on the Northern line, follow the signs for the Bakerloo line and then
follow the exit signs to the escalators next to the Bakerloo line. At the top of the escalator turn
sharp left, and take the exit marked "Cockspur Street and The Mall". Follow the tunnel to the
steps to the street. At the top of the steps, turn left and follow the road round towards
Admiralty Arch. Walk under Admiralty Arch and along the Mall to the Duke of York steps.
Walk up the steps. The Academy is the building on the right at the top of the steps.

The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH, +44 (0)20 7969
5200

Last updated 16 June 2023