Lab Visit Travel Bursary
This bursary is intended to cover the travel costs of visiting a lab for hands-on learning of a specific experimental or analytical approach in research areas of interest to the ISCBFM. The overarching goal of this opportunity is to support the applicant’s training (i.e. with a new technique, model, analytical approach, etc.) in a lab with established expertise. The host lab may or may not have existing collaborations with the lab of the applicant.
This bursary is being offered to investigators who are members of the ISCBFM, following an annual review of applications by the Education Committee of the ISCBFM. All evaluations will strive to maximize diversity among the recipients. The funding will cover economy class travel (by airplane, train, coach, or private vehicle) in accordance with the ISCBFM’s current geographical allocation scale based on the origination and destination locales. Applicants are requested to use the ISCBFM submission portal to submit an application that describes the proposed research activities and provides all required documentation.
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for the Lab Visit Travel Bursary, applicants must request a lab visit not exceeding 3 months’ duration, to the laboratory of an established faculty investigator who is a member of the ISCBFM. The applicant also must be a member of the ISCBFM Society and belong to one of the following categories:
- Student Early Career Investigator - This includes students who are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree programs offering BSc, MSc, MD and PhD degrees, and are undertaking research training in the laboratory of a faculty member who is an ISCBFM member.
- Research Specialist Investigator - This category includes laboratory professionals with BSc or MSc degrees who possess specialized expertise essential for the work of an established faculty investigator who is an ISCBFM member.
- Scholar Early Career Investigator - Postdoctoral Scholars with a PhD, MD or equivalent doctoral degree who have obtained their terminal degree and are completing training prior to taking a faculty position.
- Faculty Early Career Investigator - Investigators with PhD, MD or equivalent degree who have completed their training within the past 5 years (offset by leaves of absence related to family care or health reasons), and typically have a faculty or staff appointment in a research institution.
Only one application per originating lab per year will be considered: the head of the originating laboratory can sign at most one application per year.
Selection Process
The recipients of the travel bursary will be selected from all applications received in one round by the Education Committee based upon:
- Eligibility based on the criteria listed above;
- Relevance of the project proposed to the general interests and priorities of the ISCBFM;
- Impact of the proposed training on the applicant’s career trajectory and the associated field of research;
- Feasibility of the proposed plan in light of relevant resource availability, commitment of the host laboratory, existing expertise, time constraints and budget;
- Originality of the proposed work with emphasis on the rigor, reproducibility and novelty of the research plan; and
- Budget
How to Apply:
Completed application materials should be submitted via the ISCBFM submission portal below by midnight (AEDT), November 30, 2024. NOTE: Only active ECI members will have access to the portal.
Complete applications must include:
- An abstract of the proposed research plan that includes what the applicant will be learning at the host location. This abstract should be prepared using a 12 point font with one-inch margins and should not exceed 2 pages, including figures.
- A summary of no more than 500 words from the head of the host laboratory detailing the personnel and infrastructure support that will be provided by the host laboratory. This summary should confirm that the originating laboratory will cover the balance of all travel costs not covered by this Bursary.
- A letter of confirmation from the applicant’s institution and/or the head of the applicant’s laboratory attesting to the institutional support for, and eligibility of, the applicant for this Lab Visit Travel Bursary. This letter can include mention of any leaves of absence, as relevant for establishment of the Faculty ECI status.
- A Curriculum Vitae or NIH Biosketch of the Applicant (max 3 pages).
- A proposed budget with a total requested of $4000 or less.
- A letter of attestation from the recipient that they will acknowledge this support from ISCBFM in all presentations and publications of the work resulting from this training. This letter should also indicate that the applicant is willing to present at a future ISCBFM meeting a poster summarizing work accomplished during their Lab Visit Travel Bursary.
- ISCBFM membership numbers for both the applicant and the head of the lab hosting the proposed work.
Notifications of Bursary Acceptance will be sent within 3 months following the call deadline.
***Funds will be provided following final submission of receipts for approved expenses***
The awardees will be expected to provide detailed feedback to ISCBFM within one month after the completion of the travel including a signed letter from the head of the hosting lab confirming the dates of the scientific visit and completion of the proposed research plan.
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