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Call for Institutions to Host the LMS Mathematical Symposia from 2031 - 2035. Deadline: 15 May 2027

The London Mathematical Society (LMS) invites UK-based institutions or consortia to submit proposals to host the LMS Mathematical Symposia from 2031-2035.

The LMS Mathematical Symposia are a well-established and recognised series of international research meetings which have been running since 1974. They were held at the University of Durham from 1974 -2019, at the University of Bath from 2020-2025, and will be hosted by the University of Sheffield from 2026-2030. The LMS Mathematical Symposia provide an excellent opportunity to explore an area of research in depth, to learn of new developments, and to instigate links between different branches of mathematics.

The Symposia offer opportunities to increase and celebrate equality, diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability within the mathematical sciences community. To ensure that all UK institutions have the opportunity to benefit from hosting the LMS Mathematical Symposia, the Society encourages applications from universities or consortia of universities that have not traditionally hosted such events e.g. a partnership between a place with experience of hosting mathematical events and a place with the infrastructure could help to expand mathematics in a particular geographical area.

Responsibilities of Host Institutions

Host institutions will be responsible for:

  • Hosting the LMS Mathematical Symposia for a period of five years, with the first event to be held in July/August 2031. Traditionally, two to three meetings are held each July/August/September.
  • Providing the infrastructure to host the Symposia i.e. lecture theatres, provision for online attendance, accommodation, catering, and support for those with caring responsibilities.
  • Designing the format of the Symposia so that each last two weeks to allow substantial time for interaction and research. Previous models are listed below but prospective hosts are welcome to suggest new models:
    • Two-week meetings, with 50-70 participants (roughly half from the UK).
    • One-week meetings, open to all with up to 50 participants (roughly half from the UK), and complemented for an additional week by:
      • either by a summer school, to prepare early career researchers such as PhD students,
      • or a “research incubator”, where problems related to the topic of the conference are studied in groups.
  • Budgeting and securing funding to host the Symposia; the events typically cost c £50,000-£60,000 each.
    • The LMS-Sheffield Symposia’s main funder is EPSRC, which will accept applications to support future LMS Symposia through the ESPRC Standard Research Grant scheme.
    • A small amount of funding (c £7,000) can be provided by the LMS for each individual Symposium held at the Host Institution.
    • Potential Hosts may also wish to consider approaching other funding institutions who have previously supported LMS Symposia e.g. INI, ICMS.
  • Working with the LMS Research Grants Committee and any external funders to solicit and assess proposals to organise LMS Mathematical Symposia at the Host Institution; this process usually begins up to 18-24 months prior to the first event being held. Typically, this would involve a member of staff from the Host Institution attending up to four LMS Research Grants Committee meetings per year, typically for 1 hour per meeting, as the Symposia Rep from 2027 - 2036.

Proposals

Proposals should include:

  1. A demonstration of the following:
    1. A strong mathematical case for the Symposia to be held at the applicants’ department, which highlights current expertise and/or how the department would use it to build human capital, that is, how the Symposia would be transformative for the department.
    2. A commitment to host at least two LMS Mathematical Symposia per year from 2031-2036 and to work with the Research Grants Committee from Autumn 2027 to discuss plans to host the Symposia, and to solicit and assess proposals from prospective organisers, which will start in 2029.
    3. A commitment to equality, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility across the community, i.e. amongst speakers, participants, and organisers.
    4. A commitment to sustainability goals, e.g. provision for hybrid meetings including how an online component would be supported.
  2. An outline of the proposed formats for the Symposia events.
  3. An outline of a typical budget per Symposium and plans for securing funding to run at least two Symposia per year over a five-year period, including likely sources and timescales required for applications.
  4. The names and short CVs (max three pages each) of the team at the Host Institution who will be supporting Organisers in running the LMS Mathematical Symposia at the Host Institution. The CVs should include examples of other events they have run. One team member should be nominated to join the LMS Research Grants Committee as the Symposia Rep in Autumn 2027. (Ideally, the same Symposia Rep would remain with the Committee from 2027-2036 but the Society understands that teams can change and a change of Symposia Rep in this period would be fine).
  5. A description of the proposed location and infrastructure i.e. lecture theatres, provision for online attendance, accommodation, catering, and support for those with caring responsibilities.
  6. The details of the administrative arrangements, including arrangements for dealing with any relevant visa or work-permit issues.

For further details about the LMS Mathematical Symposia in its current iteration, please visit the Society’s website: www.lms.ac.uk/events/mathematical-symposia

Proposals should be submitted by 15 May 2027 to grants@lms.ac.uk

The Society aims to confirm the Host Institution by September 2027. Since a condition of hosting the Symposia is to secure sufficient funding, the chosen Host Institution should be aware that Standard Research Grant applications to EPSRC will need to be submitted by March 2028. This deadline is in order to ensure that EPSRC confirm funding by the time that the Call for Proposals for the Symposia 2031 needs to be finalised. Organisers should be mindful of this timeframe and set aside sufficient time to prepare their grant application, if their sources of funding include EPSRC.

Before submitting: Prospective Hosts are encouraged to discuss informally their ideas with the Chair of the Research Grants Committee, or the LMS Grants Team (grants@lms.ac.uk).