Thank you for your interest in hosting the national conference of the British Association for Irish Studies in 2020. We anticipate that this will take place in early September 2020 in England, Scotland or Wales. This is our thirty-fifth anniversary and we are keen to mark it with a special event.

BAIS General Principles:

• Our constitution states that our mission is: ‘To promote a knowledge and understanding of (a) Ireland and the relations between the peoples of the two islands and (b) the experience of the Irish in Britain and their contribution to British society.’
• The BAIS programme should reflect the diversity of our field and foster inclusive, collegiate practices.
• BAIS is committed to supporting postgraduate research and professional development in our field.
• BAIS is an inter-disciplinary organisation. All CFPs must be inclusive of our various sub-fields and maximise participation from our membership.
• We want to foster institutional co-operation and so are keen for bids with multiple host institutions.
• We are keen to showcase new and cutting-edge perspectives from our discipline and argue for the vibrancy of Irish Studies in the twenty-first century.

Support for the BAIS conference:

The BAIS treasury is able to provide a grant of £750 to the host institution. The BAIS Council can help the organisers apply for further funding but this cannot be guaranteed at this stage, so budgets should be drafted accordingly.

All other costs must be met through institutional funding and conference fees, with the proviso that fees are kept manageable for postgraduates and the precariously employed.

Please register your interest to host the BAIS conference through the form below. The lead applicant must be a member of BAIS in good standing.

Please return this as a Word Document or PDF to the Chair of BAIS, Dr Caroline Magennis, no later than 10^stMay 2019 at c.magennis@salford.ac.uk We will communicate our decision on 18th May, for a CFP release in June/July. 

Institution(s)

Name of lead contact(s)

Email of lead contact(s)

Please detail below:

1. An outline of your interest in hosting BAIS 2020. This should be no more than 2 pages detailing:
   1. why you are interested in hosting the BAIS conference. You might like to include information relating to how hosting BAIS fits/connects with the research culture/environment in your department or school; details of anticipated plenary speakers and authors, or plenary speakers and authors who will be invited.
   2. how you will consider our general principles
   3. a proposed timetable
   4. a brief statement detailing how you have considered inclusivity in your conference planning

2. A draft budget of no more than 2 pages

3. CV(s) for the lead conference organiser(s)