Educational Bursaries & Funding

Information about available bursaries & funding

Overview

The ABS offers educational bursaries with the aim of raising the standard of breast care in the UK by supporting the education and training of its members. Bursaries can be used for a variety of educational purposes and are at the discretion of the Trustees.

Members can now apply for bursaries at two points in the year, to facilitate greater access for the members to these awards.  

Upcoming Bursary Deadlines

The upcoming deadlines for submissions are as follows:

  • Friday 2 October 2026
  • Friday 2 April 2027

More information on how to apply will be available in due course.

Information on ABS Educational Bursaries

Educational bursaries

All ABS members can apply for an educational bursary to facilitate a fellowship/ observership or attendance at a recognised breast educational meeting or course.  Overseas members from low and middle-income countries may use these bursaries to attend the ABS Conference, or an ABS course or event.  UK based members may not apply to attend an ABS event with these bursaries.

Bursaries involving international travel can be for up to £2,000
Bursaries based in a members’ country of residence/ employment can be for up to £1,000

Nurse member bursaries

In addition to the educational bursaries, ABS affiliate and nurse members can apply for a bursary of up to £500 to support attendance at a recognised breast educational meeting.  These bursaries can be used to attend the ABS Conference or an ABS course or event.  These bursaries are in addition to the ABS Conference bursaries, which are available to those presenting an abstract at the ABS Conference.  

Possible uses for the bursaries

  • Visits to the UK or international breast units of good standing to observe/ learn new techniques or practice
  • Visits to low and middle-income countries to experience perspectives of the management of breast disease in other areas
  • Visits to low and middle-income countries to act as faculty on courses associated with projects being run in association with the ABS International Committee or ABS recommended courses or events.  
  • To support attendance/ presentation at breast focused scientific conferences (e.g. San Antonio, ASCO, ESSO etc)
  • To support attendance at recognised breast educational meetings 
  • Other novel or innovative educational initiatives will be considered with an appropriate and detailed application
  • Applications for bursaries will NOT be considered for examination or degree courses

Eligibility criteria

  • Educational projects and courses NOT otherwise funded through the usual routes (Trust stay leave allocation/ industry grants/ Deanery funding etc)
  • Membership of the Association of Breast Surgery for a minimum of 3 months
  • Clear evidence of a breast special interest/ practice
  • Agreement to present a report (within 3 months of completion) of how the award was used, detailing what was learnt and how this will be applied to future practice

Previous ABS Bursary Recipients

To find out more about how ABS Educational Bursaries have been used, please click here to read reports from ABS members who have previously been awarded bursaries.