The British Educational Research Association (BERA) is a member-led charity that exists to encourage educational research and its application for the improvement of practice and public benefit.

The BERA annual conference is the largest in the UK to focus on educational research and one of the largest social sciences conferences of its kind. Conference delegates include a wide range of academics, policymakers and practitioners who are engaged with, or have a strong interest in educational research.

As well as UK-based participants, the conference attracts attracts increasing numbers from further afield, reflecting the strong international component in BERA’s membership. They also have invited keynote speakers from their counterpart associations in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

The practitioner community is also increasingly represented at the conference, following BERA’s recent incorporation into the British Curriculum Forum.

For educational researchers the BERA Annual Conference is an important date in their professional year. It provides the opportunity to:

• network with existing colleagues
• support new colleagues at the start of their careers
• establish the beginnings of new collaborations
• exchange ideas with like-minded colleagues; and sometimes more profitably, with non-like-minded colleagues
• make new links with potential publishers or funders
• learn about research outside your own area and investigate possible connections
• indulge in discussions of ‘blue sky’ research that reminds you why you are a researcher