The WSC Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Initiative, supported by the WSC Foundation, offers travel grants and registration fee waivers to help researchers from economically disadvantaged and underrepresented regions attend WSC 2026 in Glasgow in person. It also provided mentorship support to help selected applicants to make the most of their participation in WSC conferences and engagement with the WSC community.
Apply by
15 October 2026
23:59 Anywhere on Earth
Decisions by
30 October 2026
by email
WSC 2026
December 6-9, 2026
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
What is offered?
- Up to 3 travel grants of up to USD 1,500 each towards registration, travel and accommodation (at least one travel grant is reserved for a female applicant from the aforementioned regions)
- Up to 3 registration fee waivers of up to USD 400 each; and
- Mentorship support to help selected applicants to make the most of their participation in WSC conferences and engagement with the WSC community. Mentorship will be offered based on an expression of interest and may be available to applicants irrespective of whether they are selected for financial support.
You apply for one of the two, so that up to 6 applicants can be supported. The travel grant is expected to cover the registration fee for most recipients. Only in exceptional circumstances, if registration fee waivers remain unassigned, may a travel grant recipient with a justified need also receive a waiver; you can request this in the form.
Who can apply?
You can apply if all of the following are true:
- You are a PhD student, postdoctoral researcher, or academic or research staff member;
- Your university or institution is in a country classified as low or middle income in the World Bank FY2027 classification, or in a country on the Simulation Around the World (SATW) eligible list
- You are an author of at least one contribution accepted to WSC 2026 in any track, including SATW extended abstracts (PhD Colloquium submissions alone do not qualify);
- You have registered for WSC 2026; and
- You will attend in person and present your work if you receive an award.
Preference is given to PhD students, followed by postdoctoral researchers and then other academic or research staff, depending on demand. Priority is also given to applicants from low-income countries, from countries on the SATW list, and from countries on the World Bank FY2027 fragility and conflict lists. No society membership is required.
How are applications selected?
- Eligibility check based on your answers.
- Structured score from your answers: financial need (40%), your WSC contribution (30%; full papers and first authorship count more), and career stage and first-time participation (30%).
- Committee review of the highest-ranked applications by the WSC D&I Committee, including your CV, letter and motivation statement.
What to prepare before you start
Required
- CV (PDF, maximum 4 pages)
- A letter (PDF, signed, on institutional letterhead) from your PhD advisor if you are a PhD student, or from your line manager otherwise. It should confirm your position, comment on your research and your accepted WSC work, and explain your need for financial support.
- Proof of your status (PDF): PhD enrolment certificate or student ID; for others, a staff ID card, contract/letter of employment, link to university webpage.
- Your WSC 2026 registration confirmation number and the fee you paid
- Your WSC 2026 submission ID(s)
- Name and email address of your PhD advisor or line manager
- A short motivation statement (about 250 words), including why you need financial support
- Your approximate annual stipend or salary in USD and, for travel grants, the estimated cost of your trip
Optional
- ORCID iD and personal webpage
- Travel grant applicants only: a short justification if you also wish to be considered for a registration fee waiver
Tip: Write your statement offline first; the form has a character limit. You need a Google account to upload files. You can edit your application until the deadline.
How are awards paid?
Travel grants are paid as a reimbursement after the conference, once you have attended and presented. You submit receipts for eligible costs (registration fee, economy airfare or rail, and accommodation during the conference days) within 30 days after the conference, up to USD 1,500 in total. Visa costs are not covered. Registration fee waivers are paid as a refund of your registration fee, up to USD 400, also after the conference once you have attended and presented.
Tutorials & Mentoring
As part of the D&I Initiative, a mentoring programme is being started alongside the free WSC online tutorials; see the updates on the WSC 2026 website. You can express interest as a mentee, a mentor, or both in the application form; postdocs, faculty and practitioners are welcome as mentors. This is separate from financial need and does not affect your application.
Key dates
- October 15, 2026: Application deadline (23:59 Anywhere on Earth)
- October 30, 2026: Decisions sent to all applicants
- November 4, 2026: Recipients confirm acceptance
- December 6-9,2026: WSC 2026, Glasgow
- January 8, 2027: Deadline for reimbursement claims
Questions
My paper is in the SATW track. Can I apply?
Yes, if you can attend in person. SATW authors who commit to travelling receive a small priority in the
score.
What if my visa is refused or I cannot travel?
Please tell us immediately. The award lapses and passes to the next applicant on the waiting list.
I finish my PhD in November. Am I still considered a PhD student?
Yes, if you are enrolled on October 15, 2026.
Can I receive both a travel grant and a registration fee waiver?
Normally not: the travel grant can be used to cover the registration fees. If you apply for a travel grant, you can tick a box and explain why the grant alone would not be enough. This is considered only if registration fee waivers remain unassigned.
Your Data
Your application is seen only by the WSC D&I Committee and its reviewers. It is used to select recipients, administer awards and prepare anonymised reports to the WSC Foundation, and is deleted by December 31, 2029 (one year after the end of the D&I Initiative), except for recipients’ records.
Contact
WSC D&I Committee: [email protected]
The WSC D&I Initiative is supported by the WSC Foundation for WSC 2026, WSC 2027, and WSC 2028.
