ISME Travel Grants
The International Society for Microbial Ecology offers Travel Grants to Early Career Scientists to help support travel to ISME20. ISME student members are encouraged to apply for funding, where needed, at the time of abstract submission.
Eligibility
The Grants are divided into:
- Student Grants – ISME student members currently engaged in research toward a higher degree: Masters or PhD
- PostDoc Grants – ISME regular members currently holding a PostDoc position; they obtained their highest academic degree less than 5 years ago*
The applicant must also be the first and presenting author of an abstract submitted to the symposium.
The amount of the grant will be determined based on the region where your employer is based. Within each region, all grantees will receive the same amount.
Apply
Applications for “The ISME Travel Grants” should include:
- Applicant’s name and full contact details (full work address, email address)
- Proof of ISME membership
- Gender, age and nationality (this info is only needed to guarantee a balanced distribution)
- Letter of support from current supervisor
- Personal statement explaining why you believe the committee should select you for a grant
All applications should be in a .pdf file format (no longer than 3 pages) with the filename containing the applicant’s name as follows: “ISMETravel_Surname_Firstname.pdf”
You can upload your file when you submit your abstract.
Important notes:
- Applications should be complete and submitted under the correct name. Failure to comply with these terms will not be considered.
For this type of travel grants ONLY ISME members are eligible to apply. - Grantees need to report in person to the ISME Office booth during the Symposium to prove their attendance.
- The travel grants will be distributed 4-6 weeks after the Symposium in Auckland via PayPal or bank transfer. For safety reasons, we do not distribute grants in cash during the conference.
- If incorrect bank details are provided, an administrative fee of €50 will be deducted from the grant for each subsequent bank transfer.
- Being awarded a travel grant does not imply that you will be selected for an oral presentation at the conference.
Information on deadlines:
- The online call for applications opens 10 January 2026
- The final deadline for applications is 22 February 2026
- Successful applicants will be informed by e-mail in by 30 March 2026
*counting from the application deadline date, 22 February 2026. Please indicate the starting date of your postdoc in the application.