Call for Grants and Membership Committee Chair Nominations

Nomination Information

Members of the Society are cordially invited to stand for nomination for the following role, due to retirement as indicated below:

• Grants and Membership Chair and General Secretary: Dr Rebecca Blanchard (1 position).

If elected, full responsibility will start immediately for the duration of four years (until January 2030 SRF AGM). There will be a period of shadowing the current Chair to be agreed with R Blanchard once the election has been completed.

What does the role of a SRF Council Member and Chair of the Committee entail?

The successful candidate will be working alongside the Council Members, Journal Editors in Chief and Early Career Representatives listed below.  At the AGM, all members of Council will be invited to confirm their intention, given their current circumstances, to fulfil the next year of their term on Council.

Period of Office
The GMC Chair will hold office for a period of four years.

Under the current constitution Trustees (all voting and Ex Officio members) may not be beneficiaries of the Society and are ineligible to receive, awards, grants, travel support and other such benefits available to members.

Attendance at meetings

The GMC Chair will be expected to attend the following meetings during each year;

• Three Council Meetings
• Three Officer meetings
• Organise and chair regular committee meetings to complete the committee activities, see below for further information.

The foreseeable meetings are due to be held in 2026:    

 Officer – Tuesday 24 February, 12.00-13.30 (virtual)

Council – Thursday 14 & Friday 15 May (in person, usually Manchester Airport)

Council – Thursday 12 & Friday 13 November (in person, usually Manchester Airport)

2027:   13-15 January (to coincide with Fertility 2027)

Council Meetings are held at a hotel in an accessible UK location, currently at Manchester Airport on Thursday/Friday, attendance will be required for both days. Meetings will start on Thursday at 14.00, followed by a working dinner (the meeting is on location) and continue Friday from 09.00 – 16.00. Overnight accommodation and food will be provided during the meetings and travel (economy) expenses reimbursed according to the SRF Expense policy.

You should expect to attend all in-person

• May and November this will require two working days to include travel time.
• Fertility 2027 you will be expected to arrive a day preceding the Fertility Conference for an afternoon meeting and partake in the full programme of activities including, chairing, judging SRF awards and posters, and social activities.

Virtual meetings

• Officer meetings are scheduled between the main Council meetings, held virtually, and are usually two hours
• Committee meetings – These are scheduled as per the approach of the chair. Given the responsibilities of the GMC, the current approach is one monthly virtual meeting to process membership applications, other grants and scholarships, and oversee the working of the committee and it’s members

Council Members are also expected to be available throughout the year to assist in ad-hoc decision making and have a key role in running and leading the Society, supported by the Secretariat.

GMC Chair Responsibilities

Below are the responsibilities of the GMC committee, the chair will work closely with the SRF secretariat and committee members to manage and process them.

Membership

• Applications are processed monthly in accordance with the society membership criteria.

Grants – SRF Grants and Scholarships (Grants & Awards | Society for Reproduction and Fertility).

• Travel Grants – three times a year
• Fertility Bursary – annually
• Vacation Scholarship – annually
• Research Grant – annually
• Stuart Rhind Communication Award – annually
• Educational Equipment Grant – annually

Role as Charity Trustee

As a Member of the Council, you are taking on the responsibility as a Charity Trustee, whose responsibilities cover the following:

You and your co-trustees must make sure that the charity is carrying out the purposes for which it is set up, and no other purpose. This means you should:

• ensure you understand the charity’s purposes as set out in its governing document
• plan what your charity will do, and what you want it to achieve
• be able to explain how all of the charity’s activities are intended to further or support its purposes
• understand how the charity benefits the public by carrying out its purposes

To assist with your understanding of the Society, please refer to the Articles of Association and Byelaws which can be found under the “Who We Are” tab on the SRF Website www.srf-reproduction.org

Further details about the duties of a Charity Trustee can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-cc3/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-what-you-need-to-do#trustees-duties-at-a-glance

Eligibility (Articles of Association 47 – 50)

• Under the Society’s rules, eligible SRF Members (fully paid as of Monday 23 March 2026) may stand for election.
• Members who have previously served on Council as an Officer may stand if one year has elapsed since the end of their previous years of service.
• Nominations must be supported by two references from two fully paid (as of Friday 13 March) members of the Society. (For reference, a list of current Members can be found in the Members Area of the SRF website under “Notice of Elections”).
• Please note that under the current constitution Trustees (all voting and Ex Officio members) may not be beneficiaries of the Society and are ineligible to receive, awards, grants, travel support and other such benefits available to members.

How to apply

Members wishing to stand for election must complete the Council Nominations form with their letters of recommendation to the SRF Secretariat via the SRF website.  Nominations must be submitted by application on the SRF member area by 09.00 hrs GMT on Monday 23 March 2026.

Please include:

• What you would bring to the role and goals for your term as a Council member. Brief details about yourself including your research and interest in reproductive biology
• For Officer roles (Grants & Membership Chair previous experience in a similar and/or trustee role and knowledge of the Society is preferred).

• Nominees must obtain at least two letters of support from at least two SRF Members (who have paid for 2026 membership). Letters must be uploaded with their applications.
• Recent photo – head and shoulders.

Timeline 

Monday 23 March 2026 – Deadline for Nominations

 Article 50.5

To be eligible for election candidates must be nominated by at least two Company Members and must be recommended for election by the Council. The Council will review all nominations and may invite candidates for an interview prior to being put forward to an election.

Week Commencing 23 March 2026 Candidate interviews as necessary.

Monday 30 March 2026

Providing the above, should the number of nominations put forward by the Council exceed the number of vacancies, then, as indicated in the Articles of Association Article 50.7 to 50.10, the Secretary shall issue voting instructions to each eligible member of the Society who has paid for their membership by Monday 13 March 2026.

Monday 16 April 2026:

Voting closes. Results of the elections will be announced on Wednesday 6 April 2026 and confirmed at the SRF AGM 2027.

January 2027: The names of those successfully elected as Trustees will be formally announced at the SRF AGM.

If you have any questions regarding this role, please contact the SRF Secretariat at srf@conferencecollective.co.uk