Financial Aid & Bursaries:

Partial financial aid is available for a limited number of participants from South or Southeast Asia or Africa whose abstracts have been accepted for talks or poster presentations.

Travel Support

• Only travel expenses to and from the conference will be covered. Local accommodation and other expenses are not included.
• All bursary applicants must pay the full online registration fee at the time of registration.
• To apply, please indicate your need for financial assistance during abstract submission and provide a short justification (max 100 words) explaining why you require support.
• Your justification should also mention any other funds you can access to attend SCCS-Bengaluru 2025.

If your bursary application is unsuccessful and you wish to cancel your registration, the SCCS-Bengaluru cancellation policy will apply.

About SCCS Bengaluru 2025

SCCS-Bengaluru 2025 will highlight conservation research from Asia and Africa, with open registrations for participants worldwide.

The SCCS-Bengaluru conference aims to support deserving participants from diverse backgrounds by offering limited travel bursaries. These bursaries are intended to help early-career conservationists who would otherwise find it difficult to attend due to financial constraints.

Key Principles of Bursary Allocation

1. Eligibility:
   • Bursaries are offered only to shortlisted oral or poster presenters.
   • Applicants must be travelling from outside Bangalore.
   • Only those who requested a bursary at the time of abstract submission are eligible.
   • Last-minute requests will not be entertained.
2. Partial Support:
   • Bursaries provide partial travel support only. Registration fees, accommodation, local travel, and food (Dinner) are not covered.
3. Financial Need:
   • Priority is given to applicants who demonstrate genuine financial need
4. Diversity and Inclusion:
   • The committee strives to ensure bursary support is spread across:
     • Geographical diversity (with focus on underrepresented regions).
     • Gender balance.
     • Career stage diversity (early-career researchers, students).
5. Transparent Process:
   • Decisions are made based on:
     • Availability of funds.
     • Number of eligible applications.
     • Need and merit.
6. Fixed Caps:
   • Travel bursary amounts are capped to ensure broader distribution:
     • International participants: Up to 70% of travel cost, within region-specific caps.
     • Indian participants: Up to 80% of travel cost, within region-specific caps.

Accommodation

• Shortlisted presenters will be provided with accommodation by the conference.
• Non-presenters who require accommodation must place a request during registration. Accommodations for non-presenters will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we aim to accommodate cancellations where possible within the given timeframe.

Refund Deadline

• If you need to cancel your registration, you may request a refund (minus banking and transaction charges) until 23:00 hrs IST on 29th August 2025.
• To do so, please email us at sccs@sccs-bng.org before the deadline. The amount will be refunded to the original payment method.

No Refunds After Deadline

• Unfortunately, we will be unable to process any refunds for cancellations received after 00:00 hrs IST on 30th August 2025.
• This policy applies to all cases, including personal emergencies or travel difficulties.

Exceptional Circumstances

• If you are unable to obtain a visa in time, you may contact us at sccs@sccs-bng.org with supporting documents before the deadline. While we will do our best to assist, refunds in such cases cannot be guaranteed.

On-Spot Registrations

• Please note that refunds are not available for on-the-spot registrations.

We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to plan accordingly. If you have any concerns, feel free to reach out to us at sccs@sccs-bng.org before the refund deadline.