Travel Bursary – to travel to ISDCI-relevant training workshop or congress

What to apply for 

• Attendance to yearly NACI meeting ((North) America) or Annual Latin American Comparative Immunology workshop 

or 

• Attendance to yearly Fish Immunology and Vaccination Workshop (Europe) 

or 

• Attendance to the yearly ASDCI meeting (Asia) 

Conditions 

• PhDs and post-docs (within 2 years from the completion of their PhD) are eligible; if not yet a member they must become a member upon acceptance of the bursary. 

• Non-member PhDs/post-docs are only eligible if the PI is a member in good standing (only for 2025, ISDCI allows PIs to become a member (before end of January 2025), and have a student(s) from the lab applying; from 2026 onwards, the PI has to have been a member for at least 1 year for a PhD/post-doc from the lab to apply for the bursary). 

• Applications from LMIC (Low Medium Income Country) are encouraged and will be seen favourably; PhD/post-doc from a LMIC or the PI from a LMIC do not have to be members to apply, but must become a member upon acceptance of the bursary. 

• 3 bursaries/year, 1000USD each. 

• Funding has to be used within 12 months from the awards. 

• Within 1 month after attendance to the meeting, the PhD/post-doc provides photo evidence of the attendance and writes a short summary of the experience (download template) that will be posted on the ISDCI website and other social media. 

How to apply 

• PhD/post-doc submits a motivation letter (1 A4 max, download template ) 

• PhD/post-doc submits a short CV (2 A4 max) 

• PI provides a support letter confirming the PhD/post-doc is from his/her lab (1 A4 max).  

Submit the three files as 1 pdf to info@isdci.org to the attention of the ISDCI secretary of education. Follow the instructions in the template form on how to name the files and file’s format. 

Selection criteria 

Travel Bursaries are allocated on a competitive basis and in relation to the funds available. The Committee’s decision is final, and we are not able to enter into dialogue about our evaluation. However, candidates are free to apply again in subsequent rounds. 

• Travel Bursaries are assessed by the ISDCI board members based on the following criteria, which should be clearly addressed in the motivation or support letter: 

• • The level of contribution to the conference (poster; oral presentation) 

• • The level of travel grant support previously received from the ISDCI 

• • First-time attendance (or not) to the conference 

• • The level of additional support obtained for the proposed activity 

• • The value of the proposed travel activities to the applicant (e.g. relevance to career given the specific field of study) 

• • The level of seniority of the applicant (i.e. is the applicant in an established position?) 

• • The quality of the application (i.e. content and presentation of the application, not perceived ‘value’ of the work, clarity of the motivation letter)