The RSA and its European Foundation RSA Europe are committed to supporting students and early career researchers via career development training and opportunities, knowledge exchange, webinars, publications, achievement awards and micro grant funding. Below are some of the many initiatives that we offer.
RSA News and Activities
To stay up to date with RSA and RSA Europe activities, sign up for our monthly e-Bulletin.
Career Development
The RSA offers early careers editor posts on all RSA journals, the online magazine Regions and the RSA Blog. In addition to social media editor posts and PhD and ECR representatives on the RSA Board and its Committees.
We currently have two exciting opportunities on our Board for a PhD Student Representative Board Member and an Early Career Representative Board Member, with a deadline for applications of 5th September 2023, 10.00 am BST. For more details on both positions, please see here.
We are also seeking to appoint an Early Career Researcher Journals Committee member, with applications are particularly sought from people with some understanding of the current academic journals’ publishing environment and from diverse geographical regions. The deadline for this role is 14th September 2023, 17:00 BST, and full details can be found here.
Publishing
Regional Studies Regional Science: Early Careers Papers Section
The editors of the Early Career Papers section are seeking submissions of paper proposals for short articles. Contributions are welcomed from any discipline in the field of regional studies or regional science and with any geographical focus. Authors (and co-authors) should be PhD students or early career researchers that have completed their PhD in the last five years. If selected for publication, the RSA will cover the article processing charge and the author will work with a mentor to develop the paper. There are two calls for paper proposals each year with deadlines for submissions on 31 March and 30 September.
Regions e-Zine
The Regions e-Zine is our online and open access digital magazine and has become a vital tool to showcase the excellent regional-based research carried out by all members and friends of the Regional Studies Association. Regions e-Zine has three issues a year, in March, September and December. If you would like to contribute or discuss an article suggestions, please email the Editorial team via office@regionalstudies.org using the subject line “Regions eZine”.
The RSA Blog
The RSA Blog has been running since 2010, providing an online platform for the RSA community to share short, engaging articles on research and the latest developments in the field. The writing style within the Blog is less academic than academic journal articles.
Guidelines for writing a blog can be found here. If you wish to discuss an idea for a Blog article, please contact the Blog Editor at RSABlog@regionalstudies.org.
The RSA Blog runs an annual student summer series for graduate students from any discipline of regional studies to blog about their research for a global audience. The submission deadline is usually in early May but details will be published in the Blog in due course.
Taylor & Francis Author Services
Taylor & Francis Author Services is a dedicated website offering support and guidance for every step of the research publishing journey, from researching potential journals for publication, through to drafting an article and the reviewing process. Visit their website for more details.
Events, Training & Knowledge Exchange
Write Here, Write Now – RSA Online Writing Sessions
The aim of “Write Here, Write Now” is to provide a space to continue working on draft papers, chapters and theses. The type of writing is open – you might want to work on tricky paper revisions that keep eliding you, that proposal to transform your thesis into a manuscript, or a first draft of your methods. They are led by the RSA’s Student Representative Tanya Chandra and the RSA’s Early Career Representative Vanessa Guerra.
The sessions are open to anyone and free to attend. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis with preference given to current RSA members.
Professional Development Webinar Series
This webinar series offers training and support for skills, knowledge and professional development on a variety of topics. Run by experts in their field, this ‘how to’ best practice webinar series aims to support RSA members and interested participants at different career stages. Live webinars are free to join and do not require an RSA membership. The sessions are usually around 30 minutes long and include time for questions and discussion.
Click here for forthcoming and previous webinars.
Recordings of previous webinars are available on-demand to current RSA members via the RSA Lounge.
Regions Cities Industry Webinar Series
Open to all and free to attend live, this webinar series showcases latest research in regional studies, science and policy by experts in the field. The sessions are usually around 1 hour long and include time for questions and discussion.
Click here for forthcoming and previous webinars.
Recordings of previous webinars are available on demand to current RSA members via the RSA Lounge.
EU Regions Week University Sessions
The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. The 2023 Week takes between 9-12 October 2023 and is held in-person in Brussels. More on the #EURegionsWeek can be found here.
You can find the list of free events (registration is required) here. The session by colleagues of the European Parliament, Research for Policy Makers: the European Parliament, being held on the 11th October, 14.30-15.30 CEST may be of particular interest to PhD Students and Early Career researchers,
2023 RSA Winter Conference: Cities and Regions of Tomorrow: Towards Better Regional Futures
London, UK, 9-10 November 2023
- Abstract submission deadline: 7th August 2023
- Registration opens: 14th September 2023
Discounted conference fees for Early Career Researchers and Students who are RSA members.
2024 RSA Annual Conference: Global Challenges, Regional Collaboration and the Role of Places
- Papers will be welcomed from all – academics, researchers, students and those working in policy and practice.
- The event is inclusive and offers networking opportunities for all in our field.
- The organisers welcome proposals for special sessions, themed workshops and innovative forms of networking and collaboration.
- Early career plenary speaker competition (to be announced)
Funding & Awards
RSA Early Career Grant Scheme
This funding is open to individual applicants in their early career (five years maximum between the date showing on the certificate and the application deadline). Applicants must be based within an eligible higher education institution and must be a current, early career member of the RSA. This grant aims to support a discrete piece of regional studies and/or regional science research.
- Value: up to £10,000 (c. €11,500; $12,000)
- Application deadline (Expression of Interest): 13th May 2024
RSA Awards
Nominations (both self-nominations and third-party nominations) of current members are being sought for the following awards in regional studies and related fields:
- Nathaniel Lichfield Award – this award is for a recent Masters student who has graduated within the last year.
- Paul Benneworth PhD Student Award – this award is for registered PhD students who have not yet received their PhD certificate.
- RSA Routledge Early Career Award – this award is for early career researchers (defined as being within five years of the date on their PhD certificate or equivalent).
The prize for each Award is: £500 and a certificate. Deadline: 22nd April 2024
Networking
- International territorial networks: Link up and extend your networks via the RSA’s International Communities – our divisions, country sections and UK Sub-national branches & sections
- Women’s Early Career and Mid Career Researchers Network (with both in-person and online meetings, an active WhatsApp group and Facebook group)
- Active Student and Early Career Facebook group
- RSA APP – Search for RSA Hub (or Regional Studies Association) in your app store to download
- Connect with us with our active social media channels: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or @RSAEurope
Other Opportunities
The RSA lists vacancies, scholarships, postgraduate courses and non-RSA events online at www.regionalstudies.org/about/opportunities/.
These are regularly updated. Please email Alex if you have a posting that we should add.
These initiatives are in addition to the many membership benefits we offer. The full list of benefits can be found under each membership category at www.regionalstudies.org/about/memberships/
If you would to talk to us to find out more about membership benefits and how we can support you, please get in touch and we can organise a phone call or Zoom meeting with you.