Mineralogical Society of the UK and Ireland

Registered charity 233706 · since 1964minersoc.org·England, Wales·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

If your work sits in environmental, applied or bio mineralogy, the Society's group funding may fit, and a request to the Applied Mineralogy Group should name the event, where and when it will be held, its aims, and how the money will be used.
Its bursaries are generally around £200, and the EMG Early Career Researcher Bursary can go up to £1,000, so a modest request is the more realistic fit.
Check eligibility closely: the EMG bursary is only for PhD holders working at a higher education or research institution in the UK or Republic of Ireland, and it does not cover conference attendance or supplementing existing research, while MSG bursaries do not cover fieldwork costs and are awarded only once per degree.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, though the Applied Mineralogy Group asks for requests well in advance of an event, and the Student Travel Bursary and Scientific Meeting Support have three application rounds each year.
The annual report gave no grants total, so the scale of giving and how competitive the awards are cannot be judged from what is available.

Overview

Mineralogical Society of the UK and Ireland is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 233706).

The Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland exists to advance the education of the public, particularly scientists, on mineralogy and related disciplines, and to promote research for the public benefit and publish its useful results. It was amalgamated with the Crystallological Society. Its funding is spread across groups: the Geochemistry Group alone has four separate funding opportunities, and bursaries are generally of a value of around £200.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Society supports mineralogical and related sciences, including environmental, applied and bio mineralogy. Its group-specific funding includes bursaries for students and early-career researchers, alongside event support: the Applied Mineralogy Group welcomes applications from organisations and individuals for events within the group’s remit. Its awards and bursaries can support academic work through conference and meeting attendance, international collaboration, research of high merit and fieldwork. The Society also aims to train new mineralogists, serve as a source of information for the public and share scientific knowledge through its publications. Eligibility and application arrangements differ between schemes.

Themes

Environmental mineralogy
Applied mineralogy
Bio mineralogy

What they don't fund

EMG - Early Career Researcher Bursary Scheme only: conference attendance; supplement existing research
MSG-Bursaries only: fieldwork costs

How to apply

For Applied Mineralogy Group event funding, send a request well in advance of the event so the committee can consider it at a meeting.

Who can apply:

AMG Funding: The AMG welcomes applications from organisations/persons for funding in support of events which are covered by the remit of the group.
EMG Early Career Researcher Bursary: Applicants must hold a PhD and be working at a higher education or research institution in the UK or Republic of Ireland as a postdoctoral researcher, fixed term research fellow, a fixed term academic, or an equivalent early career staff position. The applicant’s research post must extend beyond the end date of the proposed research.
MSG Bursaries: Are open to any postgraduate student (UK or international), plus postdocs who have completed their PhD within the last 2 years.

What to send:

AMG Funding: Information which will help to make your application successful includes: the name of the event, where it is to be held, the date, and the aims. Be as specific as possible about how you plan to use the money requested.

Applying again: MSG Bursaries: Awards are given only once per degree.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Requests are strengthened by naming the event, where and when it will be held, its aims, and specifying how the requested funds will be used.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Mineralogical Society of the UK and Ireland.

Royal Microscopical SocietyNo public processGave £61,892 The Society for Radiological ProtectionRollingGave £2,000 GesgbNo public process British Pharmacological SocietyRollingGave £42,141 The Society for Experimental BiologyFixed deadlinesGave £66,564 The Duncan Wordsworth FoundationNo public processGave £43,257 Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway SocietyNo public processGave £88,850 The Royal Agricultural Society of EnglandNo public process Cambridge Philosophical SocietyFixed deadlines 10 % For The OceanInvitation onlyGave £213k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 30 June 2021	£250,741	£231,719	—	Accounts for year to 30 June 2021
year to 30 June 2022	£253,069	£269,381	—	Accounts for year to 30 June 2022
year to 30 June 2023	£325,412	£310,141	—	Accounts for year to 30 June 2023
year to 30 June 2024	£299,573	£338,557	—	Accounts for year to 30 June 2024
year to 30 June 2025	£486,535	£447,488	—	Accounts for year to 30 June 2025

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.