Costs and expenses

Sir, I write to support a recent BDJ article entitled Are researchers paying too much for dental meetings? (BDJ 2019; 226: 927-929) from a student perspective.

The authors draw attention to the high and ever increasing fees for participants presenting research findings at dental meetings. Scientific meetings present valuable opportunities for networking and research interaction. The importance of research is emphasised in the undergraduate dental curriculum and students are encouraged to attend and share their projects at conferences. Such opportunities can foster motivations towards a career that includes research. However, conference fees present a significant challenge impeding student attendance and participation.

For many students, undergraduate years are a time when finances are stretched. It must be acknowledged that some conferences do offer discounted rates for student attendees, but these often remain costly. Expenses do not end with registration; printing of posters, subsistence, and travel to conference venues can all add up to surpass the standard student budget. To cover these additional expenses may simply not be possible, especially for students from lower-income backgrounds or who have carer or childcare responsibilities. High fees risk creating an even greater disparity between those students who can and those who cannot afford to attend meetings, yet this is not a criterion to be a good researcher.

Despite frequent inclusion in the 'early career researcher' category for conference registration (and payment), undergraduate students are not eligible to apply for funding from the same grants. While institutional support with costs is an alternative for undergraduates, this is variable and can range from a deficient subsidy to non-existent. Given that funding is limited, staff and researchers who are more established on the career ladder should be prioritised. Student researchers may not bring the same levels of research experience to the table, but costly conference fees and lack of financial support risk excluding students entirely. Are students not encouraged to become the future of these scientific meetings and research conferences? I fear that such costs will rule out, or even deter students from including research in their future careers.