FEBS Bursaries

Update April 2021: The FEBS bursaries scheme presented on this webpage is closed. Notifications on abstract outcomes were sent on 7 April 2021. The text below is retained for reference.

FEBS bursaries are awards funded by FEBS to help early-career researchers from outside the host country participate in a FEBS Congress when submitting an abstract to the event as first author.  Given the conversion of the 45th FEBS Congress to a virtual format, FEBS bursaries will now cover only the registration fee for the event, since travel and accommodation support are no longer needed for attendance in Ljubljana.

As set out below, FEBS bursaries are for early-career FEBS members (1) studying for a PhD in a FEBS country, or (2) working as a postdoctoral scientist in a FEBS country, or (3) working elsewhere after obtaining their PhD in a FEBS country. A 'FEBS member' is a member of one of the national biochemical and molecular biology societies that make up FEBS (its Constituent Societies); a 'FEBS country' is a country where there is a FEBS Constituent Society.

‘FEBS 2020’ bursary applicants

Applications for FEBS bursaries made ahead of the 5 March 2020 deadline with paid registrations have rolled over to FEBS 2021 following the postponement of the 45th FEBS Congress. These existing applications will take priority in the selection of FEBS bursary recipients alongside abstract review in spring 2021. Applicants will not need to upload new supporting docs unless they wish to, and eligibility for a FEBS bursary can be taken as the criteria that applied at the time of registration in 2020. Please note however that abstracts were released after the event postponement for any updates applicants may wish to make, so must be resubmitted by March 11, 2021.  

New FEBS bursary applications for FEBS 2021

Funding from FEBS is available for a new call for additional FEBS bursary applicants and we look forward to receiving further applications ahead of the deadline. 

FEBS bursary applications deadline: March 11, 2021

Eligibility criteria

FEBS bursary applicants must:

• Be submitting an abstract to the Congress as first author
• Be a registered PhD student or within 5 years of having received a PhD
• Be, or have been, a PhD student at an institution of higher learning in a country where there is a FEBS Constituent Society, or be working as a postdoctoral scientist in such a country*
• Be a member of a FEBS Constituent Society
• Be resident outside Slovenia and Croatia (FEBS bursaries are not available to scientists resident in the countries in which the Congress and YSF is taking place)
• Not have received an award from the FEBS Youth Travel Fund to attend a FEBS Advanced Course in 2020, nor a FEBS Congress bursary or FEBS YSF grant for the previous FEBS Congress and Young Scientists' Forum (Krakow, 2019)

Please note that the number of meeting travel awards you have previously received from FEBS (FEBS Congress bursary, FEBS YSF grant, and FEBS YTF award for FEBS Advanced Course) may also be taken into consideration in your selection.

*Under exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis decided by merit, FEBS may support scientists studying or working in countries within the FEBS area of interest (Europe and bordering countries) that do not currently have a FEBS Constituent Society.

How to apply

Applications for FEBS bursaries for the 45th FEBS Congress must be made through the Congress registration system before the bursary deadline of March 11, 2021.

(1) Select the Young Scientist participant type (or, if applicable, 'Young Scientist – FEBS Sprinzl' category)

(2) Click yes to the question in the registration form about applying for a Congress bursary

(3) Upload the following documents as a single pdf file:

• Proof of Status: PhD student or postdoctoral scientist within 5 years of receiving a PhD
• Proof of current FEBS Constituent Society membership (scanned copy of current membership certificate/letter from your FEBS Constituent Society)
• Curriculum Vitae, prepared using the FEBS Congress CV template
• Letter of Motivation, describing reasons why you would benefit from attending the FEBS Congress, in not more than 300 words
• Proof of Age for registration within the Young Scientist category: a scanned copy of ID showing date of birth (over 35s with special circumstances can upload additional documents)

(4) Submit your abstract as first author, according to the guidelines on the Call for Abstracts webpage.

(5) Complete your registration order including payment of the registration fee by March 11, 2021.

Assessment and notification

Abstracts submitted with eligible FEBS bursary applications will be assessed by the International Scientific Committee for scientific quality; in addition, CVs and letters of motivation will be considered by the Local Organizing Committee. The outcome of the bursary application will be notified via e-mail by April 7, 2021.

FEBS is supplying funding for over 200 bursaries for the 45th FEBS Congress. Unsuccessful bursary candidates who are unable to attend the Congress without this bursary support can request refund of the registration fee from the Congress Secretariat if necessary, according to the Congress’s cancellation policy. A further option relevant to unsuccessful bursary applicants who applied from the FEBS Sprinzl scheme can be found here.

The FEBS bursary award value and reimbursement

The FEBS bursary will cover your payment of the early registration fee for the participant categories ‘Young Scientist’ or, where applicable, ‘Young Scientist – FEBS Sprinzl’ for the 45th FEBS Congress. The fee level that applied at the time of your applications will be the amount refunded to you. 

Delegates awarded FEBS bursaries will be reimbursed after the Congress by bank transfer from FEBS. A FEBS Treasury bursary form, which will be available via your participant account on the Congress website following the notification from the Congress Organizers that you have been selected.