The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is inviting bids against its budget for the core summer schools to be held in 2026.
STFC’s Education, Training and Careers Committee (ETCC) conducted a review of the summer schools in 2019 and recommended supporting the following fundamental schools for the core remit and budget:
- Introductory Course in Astronomy
- British Universities Summer School in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics (BUSSTEPP)
- STFC Introductory Course in Solar and Solar-terrestrial Physics
- UK Nuclear Physics Summer School (occurs every two years)
- STFC High Energy Physics (HEP) Summer School
The schools listed will be expected to submit a high-quality application should they wish to have support in 2026. No other summer school applications will be accepted or supported in 2026.
The summer school must align with the STFC core science programme, which includes:
- astronomy
- particle physics
- nuclear physics
- accelerator science
Even though we are currently only supporting the core summer schools, it is important that organisers clearly demonstrate how their programme aligns with STFC’s core science remit.
The programme should be designed to address key STFC scientific questions and contribute meaningfully to the development of expertise in these areas.
To ensure wide accessibility and impact, the content should be broad enough to appeal to a diverse cohort of students across the STFC community, while maintaining scientific depth and relevance.
STFC summer schools should allocate places to STFC-funded students as a priority, and the application must detail how many of the total number of planned attendees will be STFC-funded students.
Students in receipt of other sponsorship will be required to cover the cost of their own attendance through their sponsoring body. Places for self-funded students (these are students who cover their own fees and do not receive a stipend) and Centres for Doctoral Training-matched funded students (receiving at least 50% funding from STFC) will have their costs covered as part of the course application. Course organisers are required to submit their application using the official format and templates provided by STFC.
Download the template from Summer school costs template.
Please note the following financial restrictions within the summer school costs template:
- lecturer fees: a maximum of £170 per day or £85 per half day, as appropriate
- conference dinner: a maximum of £50 (£60 in London) per delegate in total for conference dinner or excursion, or both
- management fees: £500 one off fee
- contingency costs: 5% of the total cost or £1,500 (whichever is the least)
- accommodation: not to exceed £170 per night including breakfast and VAT within Edinburgh and London or £120 per night for all other places
When applying to host a core summer school, you are strongly encouraged to contact the previous organisers of that school. This helps ensure continuity, share best practices, and support the ongoing development and improvement of the course.
Final reports and student feedback from previous years are available and can be requested from the STFC Studentships Team: studentships@stfc.ukri.org
These resources can be valuable during the planning process to inform content, structure, and delivery.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
There is an expectation that Ernest Rutherford Fellows and UKRI Future Leaders Fellows will be invited to participate as lecturers or tutors. When involving Fellows, organisers should consider how to ensure the experience is mutually beneficial, for example by:
- providing mentoring opportunities
- offering formal feedback to support their development of lecturing skills
- helping to enhance their prospects for future academic positions
Host organisations are responsible for making fee payments and covering travel expenses for eligible tutors and lecturers, using the funds awarded for the summer school.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
STFC is committed to ensuring that its policies and practices reflect the diverse needs and experiences of its employees and stakeholders. Organisers of STFC-funded summer schools must ensure that all arrangements comply with UKRI’s key principles on equality, diversity and inclusion. In particular:
- there must be no barriers to participation for students from any of the protected groups (gender, disability and race)
- the selection of lecturers and tutors must be free from discrimination or bias
Read the University of Oxford’s guide on planning inclusive events.
Feedback
It is the responsibility of all Summer School Organisers to submit a final report to STFC upon completion of the course. STFC will present the report at the next meeting of the STFC ETCC.
The report:
- must use a standardised report template which will be provided
- must be submitted by mid-October, in preparation for the November ETCC meeting
- should be a maximum of three sides of A4, using Arial font (or equivalent), size 11
The report must include:
- a summary of student feedback
- information on the gender balance of student participants
Please note, reports may be shared with future summer school hosts to support planning and continuous improvement.
Guidance for funding core summer schools
See our guidance for funding core summer schools in 2026.
Contact us
For further information on this funding
Email Sian Giles-Titcombe: studentships@stfc.ukri.org
For advice on public engagement
Email Public Engagement Team: stfcpublicengagement@stfc.ukri.org
Last updated: 17 July 2025