Nominate

Nominees should be women scientists working in Europe who have made outstanding contributions to life sciences research in their career and significantly advanced our understanding of a particular discipline in the last five years. Their research can cover any area of the life sciences including agricultural and biomedical research.

 

Please submit your nomination via the nomination submission site. The following documents are required:

• Nomination letter
• Support letter 1
• Support letter 2
• Nominee CV (max. three pages, including list of most relevant publications)

The nomination letters should give details of the nominee’s contribution(s) to the field and describe any outstanding achievements. Please include evidence of international recognition, leadership and mentorship qualities, as well as honours and awards.

 

The committee find it informative to have an overview of the candidate's career, but are most interested in contributions within the last five years.

 

Application

Annual application deadlines: 1 March and 1 August for lecture courses planned in the year following the deadline.

The application process is handled via the online application system.

EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Courses must be held outside of an EMBC Member State. Applications should be received jointly from a local and a European scientist.

Both the 1 March and 1 August application deadlines are for funding of courses taking place in the following year. However, organizers are encouraged to apply at least twelve months before the course takes place. This ensures enough time for the proper advertising and promotion of courses.

Each application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee. The final decision is made by the entire committee. Applicants are informed of the decision within ten weeks of the application deadline.

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer.

The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. answers any question concerning the application. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

Format

The ideal course should be between one and two weeks in duration. It should feature opportunities for the active involvement of participants including: lectures, discussion groups, poster sessions, and journal clubs. It should expose the students to high‐quality science and is expected to be theoretical rather than familiarizing participants with a particular set of techniques. Underlying concepts of a particular field should be made accessible to participants, regardless of their scientific background. Thus, it is essential that introductory basic lectures are followed by more in-depth lectures.

If desired, the lecture course can include a symposium featuring talks by the speakers on their current research. Unlike the rest of the course, this could be opened up to local scientists.

Registration fees
It is expected that the participants (other than the speakers) pay a proportion of their travel costs, but no other fees. A travel grant may be offered to offset local participant's travel costs. A small registration fee is allowed to ensure participants' commitment to attend the course. If participants from industry are attending the lecture course, they should sponsor the event in some way.

Speakers & Participants
An essential element to the success of the course is the local coordinator. His/her tasks include defining a general scientific topic of interest and collaborating with a European scientist. Together they will choose an additional 6 – 8 speakers, who are expected to give basic and more in-depth lectures.

When selecting speakers the following criteria should be applied:
• at least 75% should be international;
• at least 50 % should be scientists working in EMBC Members States;
• at least 30% should be female (if there is a lower proportion convincing justification must be provided).

Speakers are requested to stay for the entire duration of the course in order to interact extensively with the participants and other speakers. If this is not possible they should stay at least several days, 6 – 8 days is considered ideal.

The local coordinator will be responsible for advertising the course. Following discussion with co-organizers, the local coordinator will select the best 30 – 60 post-graduate or post-doctoral students. EMBO requests that organizers ensure a reasonable gender balance.

Participants:
• can be working in a different field from the focus of the course;
• should be stringently selected to ensure they are excellent students;
• should have a strong interest in pursuing a scientific research career;
• should be selected from a wide range of institutes/universities;
• should have sufficient command of English to benefit maximally from the course.

Location of the course
In order to allow local scientists to attend the possible symposium, the course should be held at an easily accessible research institute or university.

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

Financials

The maximum funding provided for an EMBO Lecture Course is 20,000 euro. EMBO should be provided with an estimated budget for the event. Decisions on the amount of funding are made by the EMBO Course Committee.

EMBO funds should cover:

• travel (Apex / Economy), accommodation and subsistence costs of the speakers and some of the local travel costs of the students;
• reasonable administration costs;
• room hire, audiovisual and IT facilities essential for the conference;

The host institution should cover part of the costs of meals and student accommodation during the course, if the total costs are estimated to exceed €20,000.

Payment of the grant
80 % of the allocated funding will be transferred to organizers approximately four months prior to the start of the course. EMBO must be notified of any significant changes to the course budget and/or scientific programme after its initially approval.

Once the final documentation has been approved EMBO the remaining funds will be transferred. The following documentation has to be submitted to EMBO within six months following the end date of the conference. Failure to do so will result in the final payment being forfeited.

 

Documentation

• Short report (1-2 pages) about the course, including a short scientific overview, participants' reaction to the location and organization, and any other relevant comments.
• Final financial statement, including all income and expenditure for the practical course. (Please note that receipts, including those of travel grant awardees, must be retained by the organizer for five years after the practical course, for possible auditing.)
• Statistics – total number of applicants, and number gender, nationality and country of residence of academia & industry participants and speakers.
• Programme and/or abstract book (printed or electronic)
• Participants' questionnaires - participants submit their feedback to the online EMBO system. Results will subsequently be shared anonymously with organizers.
• List of travel grant awardees, including name, institute, country and amount awarded.

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding
The lecture course must be entitled an EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Course. All materials must include the EMBO logo prominently (co-sponsorship may be acknowledged). The website and poster must also include the EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Course stamp.
All EMBO Global Exchange lecture courses are advertised on the EMBO poster, EMBO website and social media channels and through selected other print and online media.
Additional advertising is left at the organizer's discretion. It is a strict condition of EMBO support that any additional publicity, as well as the programme and abstract book, should clearly indicate that the meeting is an EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Course.

Poster and website assistance
EMBO offers to create a website (including online registration) and design a poster, at no additional charge. Full details will be supplied to organizers shortly after funding has been confirmed.

 

Application

Annual application deadlines: 1 March and 1 August for courses planned for the following year.

 

The application process is handled via the online application system.

 

Priority is given to EMBO Practical Courses taking place in EMBC Member States or cooperating countries, although organizers can be based anywhere.

 

Both the 1 March and 1 August application deadlines are for funding of courses taking place in the following year. However, organizers are encouraged to apply at least twelve months before the course takes place. This ensures enough time for the proper advertising and promotion of courses.

 

Each application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee. The final decision is made by the entire committee. Applicants are informed of the decision within ten weeks of the application deadline.

 

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer.

 

The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. should be contacted with any questions concerning applications. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

Format

When planning the course, organizers are advised to:

• encourage students to bring their own samples/data (where appropriate);
• provide students with theoretical background material with selected references, in addition to the programme, well in advance of the course;
• ensure that instructors give a briefing at the beginning of each day;
• ensure that instructors and speakers stay for the entire duration of the course;
• ensure that accommodation for instructors and students is in the same facility;
• include round table discussions in the course programme;
• include poster sessions and/or student presentations in the programme;
• have practical sessions comprise at least 40 % of the programme.

Registration fees:

• should not exceed €400 for practical courses five days or more in length, or €250 for practical courses less than five days in length. Most EMBO Practical Courses charge a registration fee (including accommodation) of approximately €200;
• may be waived for selected students at the organizer's discretion;
• should be €1,000 for participants from industry;
• should be paid directly to the organizer and included as income in the final financial statement.

Instructors & Participants

Organizers are requested to ensure a wide geographical representation of instructors and participants. Organizers are strongly encouraged to aim for a minimum of 30 % female representation when selecting speakers/instructors (if there is a lower proportion justification must be provided).

 

There should be no substantial bias towards the host country with no more than 18 % local participants. At least two-thirds of the participants should be based in EMBC Member States. In the case of EMBO Practical Courses held in cooperating countries a greater representation of scientists based in the respective continent is encouraged.

 

Lectures

Course instructors will normally give lectures on the theoretical basis and applications of the techniques being taught. These lectures are strictly for the course participants and should be part of a coherent, full-time programme. Instructors may be invited to deliver additional research seminars to the wider local research community. These seminars should be completely separate from the practical course.

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

Financials

The maximum funding available for an EMBO Practical Course is 30,000 euro. The maximum amount of funding available for EMBO Practical Courses in non-EMBC/ non-cooperating countries is 20,000 euro. Decisions on the amount of funding are made on a case-by-case basis. Organizers are therefore required to justify all major costs in the budget section of the application form. EMBO funds must not be used to cover per diem expenses, poster prizes or other gifts.

 

EMBO funds cover:

• travel (Apex / Economy), accommodation and subsistence costs of the instructors;
• accommodation and subsistence costs of the students;
• room hire, audiovisual and IT facilities essential for the conference;
• reasonable administration costs ;
• grants to aid participants based in countries in need of scientific strengthening.

 

Payment of the grant

80 % of the allocated funding will be transferred to organizers approximately four months prior to the start of the course. EMBO must be notified of any significant changes to the course budget and/or scientific programme after its initially approval.

 

Once the final documentation has been approved EMBO the remaining funds will be transferred. The final documentation has to be submitted to EMBO within six months following the end date of the conference. Failure to do so will result in the final payment being forfeited.

Documentation

• Short report (1-2 pages) about the workshop, including a short scientific overview, participants' reaction to the location and organization, and any other relevant comments.
• Final financial statement, which should include all income and expenditure for the workshop. (Please note that the organizer must retain receipts for five years after the workshop, for possible auditing.)
• Statistics: total number of applicants, and the number, gender, nationality and country of residence of academia & industry participants, and of instructors and speakers.
• Programme and/or abstract book (printed or electronic).
• Participants' questionnaires: participants submit their feedback using the online EMBO questionnaire. Results will subsequently be shared anonymously with organizers.
• List of travel grant awardees (including name, institute, country and amount awarded). Travel receipts from the awardees must also be submitted.

 

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding

The practical courses must be entitled "EMBO Practical Course". All materials must include the EMBO logo prominently (co-sponsorship may be acknowledged). The website and poster must also include the EMBO Practical Course stamp.

 

All EMBO Practical Courses are advertised on the EMBO poster, EMBO website and social media channels and through selected other print and online media.

 

Additional advertising is left at the organizer's discretion. It is a strict condition of EMBO support that any additional publicity, as well as the programme and abstract book, should clearly indicate that the course is an EMBO Practical Course.

 

Application

Annual application deadlines: 1 March and 1 August for workshops planned for the following year.

The application process is handled via the online application system.

Priority is given to EMBO Workshops taking place in EMBC Member States and in cooperating partner countries, although organizers can be based anywhere.

Both the 1 March and 1 August application deadlines are for funding of workshops taking place in the following year. However, organizers are encouraged to apply at least twelve months before the workshop takes place, to ensure enough time for the proper advertising and promotion of their workshop, in the case of acceptance.

Each application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee. The final decision is made by the entire committee. Applicants are informed of the decision within ten weeks of the application deadline.

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer.

The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. should be contacted to answer any questions concerning applications. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

Format

Organizers should indicate a provisional timetable, that includes session titles with brief explanations of the subjects covered and how they fit together. The provisional timetable should also include confirmed speakers for each session and the reason for their selection.

The EMBO Course Committee considers very seriously the efforts made to optimize the benefits for early stage researchers. These include:

• ensuring that at least 50% of the speakers are different to those who spoke at a similar EMBO Workshop in the past (if applicable);
• ensuring that the number of talks is not excessive, so that there will be time for participants to discuss informally;
• inclusion of presentation slots for early-stage researchers;
• including poster sessions and ensuring that poster sessions are not solely relegated to late night slots;
• making other conscious attempts to promote interactions amongst attendees.

Registration fees:

• may be charged up to a maximum of €450 per academic participant (excluding accommodation);
• may be charged up to €600 for participants from industry (excluding accommodation);
• should be paid directly to the organizer (or the organizer's nominee) and included as income in the final financial statement;
• must be waived for one EMBO editor staff wishing to attend the workshop;
• may be waived for editorial staff from other scientific journals who attend an EMBO Workshop and publish a report in their journal.

Speakers & Participants
When selecting speakers and participants, organizers are requested to ensure a wide geographical representation. At least two-thirds of the participants should be based in EMBC Member States with no more than 15 % of participants residing in the country where the workshop is being held. In the case of workshops held in cooperating partner countries a greater representation of scientists based in the respective continent is encouraged.

Organizers are strongly encouraged to aim for a minimum of 30 % female representation when selecting speakers (if there is a lower proportion justification must be provided). Applications with an excessive gender imbalance are generally not successful.

Both established and early stage group leaders/investigators should be included in the speaker list and clearly indicated in the application form.

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

Financials

The maximum funding available for an EMBO Workshop is 30,000 euro. The maximum amount of funding available for EMBO Workshops in non-EMBC/ non-cooperation countries is 20,000 euro. Decisions on the amount of funding are made on a case-by-case basis. Organizers are therefore required to justify all major costs in the budget section of the application form. It is expected that participants (other than the speakers) will pay for their travel, accommodation, subsistence and a modest registration fee. EMBO funds must not be used to cover per diem expenses, poster prizes or other gifts.

EMBO funds can be used to cover:

• travel (Apex / Economy), accommodation and subsistence costs of the speakers;
• reasonable administration costs (max. 4000 euro);
• room hire, audiovisual and IT facilities essential for the conference;
• grants to aid participants from countries in need of scientific strengthening.

Payment of the grant
50 % of the total funding will be transferred to organizers approximately four months prior to the start of the workshop. EMBO must be notified of any significant changes to the workshop budget after it has been initially approved.

Once the final documentation has been approved EMBO the remaining funds will be transferred. The final documentation has to be submitted to EMBO within six months following the end date of the conference. Failure to do so will result in the final payment being forfeited.

Documentation

• Short report (1-2 pages) about the workshop, including a short scientific overview, participants' reaction to the location and organization, and any other relevant comments.
• Final financial statement, which should include all income and expenditure for the workshop. (Please note that the organizer must retain receipts for five years after the workshop, for possible auditing.)
• Statistics: total number of applicants, and the number, gender, nationality and country of residence of academia & industry participants, and of instructors and speakers.
• Programme and/or abstract book (printed or electronic).
• Participants' questionnaires: participants submit their feedback using the online EMBO questionnaire. Results will subsequently be shared anonymously with organizers.

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding
The workshops must be entitled "EMBO Workshop". All materials must include the EMBO logo prominently (co-sponsorship may be acknowledged). The website and poster must also include the EMBO Workshop stamp. EMBO does not consider co-funding workshops when the other funder insists on the proceedings being published (although publications can arise from EMBO Workshops, provided that all contributions are solicited voluntarily).

All EMBO Workshops are advertised on the EMBO poster, EMBO website and social media channels and through selected other print and online media.

Additional advertising is left at the organizer's discretion. It is a strict condition of EMBO support that any additional publicity, as well as the programme and abstract book, should clearly indicate that the meeting is an EMBO Workshop, without subtitles relating to previous similar meetings.

Poster and website assistance
EMBO offers to create a website (including online registration) and design a poster, at no additional charge. Full details will be supplied to organizers shortly after funding has been confirmed.

Application

Annual application deadline: 1 April for lecture courses planned for the following year.

 

The application process is handled according to the FEBS application procedure. However, applications need to be approved by both parties.

 

Courses can be organized in any of the EMBC Member States or any country of a FEBS constituent society.

 

Each application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee and by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee. The final decision is jointly agreed by both committees.

 

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer.

 

The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. should be contacted to answer any questions concerning applications. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

Format

Joint EMBO | FEBS Lecture Courses intend to provide up to 120 students and postdoctoral fellows with opportunities for career development through meeting experts in their fields.

 

Because the focus is on training, lecturers should deliver introductory lectures followed by state-of-the-art scientific talks.

 

Lecturers are expected to interact with students in poster sessions, oral presentations and round-table discussions, as well as tutorials.

 

The course should be facilitated by 18 – 24 lecturers and the ratio of speakers to participants should be around 1:5.

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

 

Financials

The maximum funding available for an EMBO | FEBS Lecture Courses is €40,000. The grant available from EMBO and FEBS will normally be used to meet the expenses of the invited speakers and selected young scientists. Experience shows that it is often possible for speakers to obtain some of their travel costs from other sources, if the sponsor offers partial support. Funds cannot be used to cover per diem expenses.

Funds can be used to cover:

• travel (Apex / Economy), accommodation and subsistence costs of the speakers;
• reasonable administration costs;
• room hire, audiovisual and IT facilities essential for the conference.

Payment of the grant is handled through FEBS.

 

Additional funds
Joint courses are eligible to apply for additional EMBO funds to support one Keynote Lecture by an EMBO Member, one EMBO Young Investigator Lecture, one Science Policy Lecture, as well as one Women in Science Lecture. Finally, joint courses are eligible to receive Youth Travel Fellowships (YTF), covering attendance of up to 30 students/postdoctoral students, based on FEBS YTF guidelines.

Documentation

All reporting forms are handled through the FEBS office and can be downloaded from the FEBS website.

 

The award of a EMBO | FEBS grant is contingent on the following commitments by the organizer(s)

1. A comprehensive course report has to be provided after the joint lecture course. The report must include (i) a scientific report, (ii) statistical data, (iii) a questionnaire evaluation summary and (iv) a financial report. All reporting must use standardized forms found in the Application/Reporting Package available on the FEBS website.
2. Electronic copies of all report forms (Scientific Report, Statistics Form, Evaluation Summary of Questionnaires, Financial Report) must be uploaded through the FEBS online system using the Log-In and Account Information obtained during application submission.
3. An original financial report, duly signed by the principal applicant, documenting all major items of expenditure, as well as all income (i.e. any other sponsor support) has to be sent by surface mail to the FEBS ACC Office in Estonia no later than 3 months after the course. The standard Financial Report Form must be used for finance reporting – no other financial reports will be accepted. Furthermore, all original Questionnaires returned by participants must also be mailed to the ACC Office in Estonia. At least 75% of the original Questionnaires need to be filled out by participants and returned to organizers.

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding
The joint lecture course must be entitled "EMBO | FEBS Lecture Course". All materials must include the EMBO logo and the FEBS logo [link] prominently. The website and poster must also include the FEBS | EMBO Lecture Course stamp [link].

 

After approval, Joint EMBO | FEBS Lecture Courses will be advertised through the annual EMBO & FEBS Courses & Workshops posters and announced in the FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters, the EMBO e-newsletter, and through the EMBO and FEBS websites, EMBO social media channels and through selected other print and online media.

 

All organizers are also encouraged to advertise their courses by other means.

 

Poster and website assistance
EMBO offers to create a website (including online registration) and design a poster, at no additional charge. Full details will be supplied to organizers shortly after funding has been confirmed.

Application

Annual application deadline: 1 March for symposia taking place at least 22 months later.

 

The application process is handled via the online application system. Applications should be received in the calendar year, two years before the proposed symposium date (e.g. the 1 March 2013 deadline is for symposia taking place in 2015).

 

Each proposal is reviewed by the EMBO | EMBL Symposia Committee. Applicants will be informed of the decision within 12 weeks of the application deadline.

 

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer. All correspondence concerning applications should be conducted with the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Any attempts to influence the decision process by contacting individual members of the EMBO | EMBL Symposia Committee will result in disqualification of the application.

 

Format

Programme details

Organizers should propose an outline programme, including session titles with brief explanations of the subject matter that will be covered and how they fit together, plus the names of suggested speakers for each session and the reason for their selection. Approximately 30 first choice speakers should be listed, if backup speakers are included, these should be clearly identified.

 

When selecting speakers organizers are requested to ensure a wide geographical representation of scientists with no substantial bias towards any one country. Both established and early stage group leaders/investigators should be included in the speaker list.

 

Organizers are strongly encouraged to aim for a minimum of 30 % female representation when selecting speakers (justification for a lower proportion must be provided). Applications with an excessive gender imbalance are generally not successful.

 

Logistics

A dedicated conference officer will be responsible for all logistics and budgetary issues relating to each EMBO | EMBL Symposium (e.g. dealing with enquiries; liaising with participants and speakers; arranging catering, travel and accommodation etc.)

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

Promotion

EMBO | EMBL Symposia will be advertised on the EMBO and EMBL's respective event posters, websites and social media channels as well as well as to the European life science community.

 

A dedicated website will be set-up and posters will be designed and distributed widely, in addition to the event being advertised in selected journals.

 

Application

Annual application deadlines: 1 March and 1 August for conferences planned for the following year.

 

The application process is handled via the online application system.

 

Both the 1 March and 1 August application deadlines are for funding of conferences taking place in the following year. However, organizers are encouraged to apply at least twelve months before the conference takes place, to ensure enough time for the proper advertising and promotion of the conference, in the case of acceptance.

 

Priority is given to EMBO Conferences taking place in EMBC Member States or cooperating partner countries, although organizers can be based anywhere. EMBO aims to support a diverse range of conference series topics, thus overlapping topics are discouraged.

 

A new application is required for each individual conference within the series and will be evaluated competitively. Follow-on applications are generally successful in obtaining funding, provided reviews of the previous conference are positive and significant efforts are made to improve areas that were considered suboptimal.

 

For all conferences in the series, organizers are strongly urged to:

• provide a convincing scientific justification that the conference serves an active and evolving community;
• rotate the organizing committee;
• ensure diversity and gender balance in the list of speakers;
• ensure that no more than 50 % of the speakers have spoken at the previous conference in the series;
• include talks by both early stage and established investigators/group leaders.

 

Each application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee. The final decision is made by the entire committee. Applicants are informed of the decision within ten weeks of the application deadline.

 

All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer.

 

The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. should be contacted to answer any questions concerning applications. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

Format

Organizers should indicate an outline timetable, session titles with brief explanations of the subjects covered and how they fit together, confirmed speakers for each session and the reason for their selection.

 

The EMBO Course Committee considers very seriously the efforts made to optimize the benefits for early stage researchers. These include:

• ensuring that at least 50 % of the speakers are different to those who spoke at the previous EMBO Conference (if applicable);
• ensuring that the number of talks is not excessive, so that there will be time for participants to discuss informally;
• inclusion of presentation slots for early-stage researchers;
• including poster sessions and ensuring that poster sessions are not solely relegated to late night slots;
• making other conscious attempts to promote interactions amongst attendees.

 

Registration fees:

• may be charged up to a maximum of €450 per academic participant (excluding accommodation);
• may be charged up to €600 for industry participants (excluding accommodation);
• should be paid directly to the organizer and included as income in the final financial statement;
• must be waived for one EMBO editor wishing to attend the conference;
• may be waived for editorial staff from other scientific journals who attend the EMBO Conference and publish a report in their journal.

 

Speakers & Participants

 

When selecting speakers and participants, organizers are requested to ensure a wide geographical representation. At least two-thirds of the participants should be based in EMBC Member States with no more than 15 % of participants residing in the country where the workshop is being held. In the case of conferences held in cooperating partner countries a greater representation of scientists based in the respective continent is encouraged.

 

Organizers are strongly encouraged to aim for a minimum of 30 % female representation when selecting speakers (if there is a lower proportion justification must be provided). Applications with an excessive gender imbalance are generally not successful.

 

Both established and early stage group leaders/investigators should be included in the speaker list and clearly indicated in the application form.

 

Further advice is available on the advice for organizers page.

Financials

The maximum funding available for an EMBO Conference is 30,000 euro. The maximum amount of funding available for EMBO Conferences in non-EMBC/ non-cooperation countries is 20,000 euro. Decisions on the amount of funding are made on a case-by-case basis. Organizers are therefore required to justify all major costs in the budget section of the application form. It is expected that participants (other than the speakers) will pay for their travel, accommodation, subsistence and registration fee. EMBO funds must not be used to cover per diem expenses, poster prizes or other gifts.

 

EMBO funds can be used to cover:

• travel (Apex / Economy), accommodation and subsistence costs of the speakers;
• reasonable administration costs (a max. 4000 euro) ;
• room hire, audiovisual and IT facilities essential for the conference;
• grants to aid participants from countries in need of scientific strengthening.

 

Payment of the grant

 

50 % of the total funding will be transferred to organizers approximately four months prior to the start of the conference. EMBO must be notified of any significant changes to the conference budget and/or scientific programme after it is initially approved.

 

Once the final documentation has been approved EMBO the remaining funds will be transferred. The final documentation has to be submitted to EMBO within six months following the end date of the conference. Failure to do so will result in the final payment being forfeited.

Documentation

• Short report (1-2 pages) about the conference, including a short scientific overview, participants' reaction to the location and organization, and any other relevant comments.
• Final financial statement, which should include all income and expenditure for the conference. (Please note that the organizer must retain receipts for five years after the conference, for possible auditing).
• Statistics - total number of applicants, and the number, gender, nationality and country of residence of academia & industry participants, and of instructors and speakers.
• Programme and/or abstract book (printed or electronic).
• Participants' questionnaires: participants submit their feedback using the online EMBO questionnaire. Results will subsequently be shared anonymously with organizers.

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding

 

The conference must be entitled "EMBO Conference" or "EMBO Conference Series". All materials must include the EMBO logo prominently (co-sponsorship may be acknowledged). The website and poster must also include the EMBO Conference stamp. EMBO does not consider co-funding conferences when the other funder insists on the proceedings being published (although publications can arise from EMBO Conferences, provided that all contributions are solicited voluntarily).

 

All EMBO Conferences and EMBO Conference Series are advertised on the EMBO poster, EMBO website and social media channels and through selected other print and online media.

 

Additional advertising is left at the organizer's discretion. It is a strict condition of EMBO support that any additional publicity, as well as the programme and abstract book, should clearly indicate that the meeting is an EMBO Conference or EMBO Conference Series, without subtitles relating to previous similar meetings.

 

Poster and website assistance

 

EMBO offers to create a website (including online registration) and design a poster, at no additional charge. Full details will be supplied to organizers shortly after funding has been confirmed.

Application

Annual application deadline: September 15 for symposia taking place at least 18 months later.

 

Topics

 

The topics should be at the forefront of scientific research and should be interdisciplinary. ESF | EMBO Symposia concentrate on topics that are at the interface between life sciences (ensuring that 'molecular aspects' are covered) and other related science disciplines, such as: molecular biology, chemistry, physics, computer sciences, mathematical modelling, space science, clinical medicine, engineering, environmental science, humanities and social sciences.

 

Venue and Dates

 

ESF | EMBO Symposia take place in Pułtusk near Warsaw, Poland. The symposia may be held between March and December, but the summer months of July and August are not recommended. The typical duration of a symposium is five nights, including four full conference days. Participants will normally arrive on a Saturday afternoon, and depart on Thursday after breakfast. When submitting a proposal for a symposium, the desired dates should be indicated.

 

Logistical arrangements

 

The Chair (or the Co-chairs) will be responsible for developing the scientific programme for the symposium, and a small organizing committee may assist them.

 

The Chair and the organizing committee only have to undertake the scientific aspects of the symposium organization. This includes any decisions on financial support for invited speakers and other participants. However, it is recommended that the Chair seeks additional sponsorship from other sources, and they should advise ESF which organization(s) they intend to approach. All other organizational tasks and logistics will be the responsibility of the ESF Conferences Unit, working in close co-operation with EMBO. An ESF Conference Officer will be assigned to each symposium. His/her tasks will include all the administrative arrangements at the venues, publicizing the symposium, financial and budgetary matters, the processing of applications, communicating with participants and speakers, making payments and collecting fees.

 

The ESF Conferences Unit will also finalize all on-site administrative arrangements. A conference officer will be present for the duration of the symposium to take care of registration, travel payments and to oversee the local administrative organization. Owing to the size of the events, Chairs are encouraged to provide an assistant or young researcher to help at the registration desk, and to be responsible for the organization of the poster sessions and/or other on-site scientific aspects.

Format

The symposia feature lectures by invited leading scientists followed by time for extensive discussion. An informal exchange of ideas, both inside and outside the lecture room is encouraged, and the number of sessions in the daily timetable is limited in order to facilitate this. In addition to the 5 – 6 hours per day of lecture room activities, poster sessions, round-table discussions or discussion groups are organized. One afternoon is usually kept free of lectures in order to allow time for leisure activities, or the lunch periods can be extended.

 

One evening should be reserved for a 'Forward Look Plenary Discussion' about future developments in the field. The format of this discussion can be provided by ESF.

 

In order to encourage speakers to present their latest results and ideas, which may not yet be fully explored and ready for publication, no written papers are requested. The publication of selected papers may be prepared as proceedings and approved by the Chair after the symposium. This is subject to the agreement of the speakers concerned.

 

Participants will eat all their meals together to encourage further contact and networking. In order to gain optimum benefit from the symposium, both speakers and participants are expected to stay for the whole duration of the symposium.

 

When selecting speakers and participants, organizers are requested to ensure a wide geographical representation with a recommended ratio of about two-thirds European participation to one-third non-European. ESF | EMBO Symposia usually have between 80 to 150 participants. Special attention should also be paid to the involvement of younger applicants and those from developing countries, and over-representation of scientists from the host country should be avoided. Moreover, the gender balance should be taken into consideration.

 

Scientists working for private industry should be judged on an equal footing with those from universities. If scientists working for industry are invited as speakers, the additional fee will not be levied.

 

Poster sessions

 

Poster sessions are a very important feature of ESF|EMBO Symposia. Ideally, the venue for the poster session would be located close to the main meeting room and will be large and bright enough to host such an event. Moreover, a social event may be incorporated into the symposium. The following factors should also be considered:

• each participant should give a one-slide presentation about the contents of his/her poster contribution at the beginning of the scheduled poster discussion sessions;
• sufficient time should be allowed for posters to be viewed, ideally throughout the entire meeting.

 

Financials

The maximum funding available for an ESF | EMBO Symposium is €30,000. The grant available from ESF and EMBO will normally be used to meet the expenses of the invited speakers and selected young scientists. Experience shows that it is often possible for speakers to obtain some of their travel costs from other sources, if the sponsor offers partial support. It is expected that participants (other than the speakers) will pay for their travel, accommodation, subsistence and a modest registration fee.

 

Management of the grant
The ESF Conferences Unit, in close consultation with EMBO and the Chair, will manage the grant. ESF will be responsible for all payments.

 

Registration fees:

• may be charged between €200 – 300 per participant (excluding accommodation);
• may be charged up to €500 for participants from industry (excluding accommodation);
• must be all inclusive (full board & lodging, meeting facilities for the duration of the meeting, a social programme, and group bus transfers);
• should be paid directly to ESF (an online fee payment facility will be available);
• Editorial staff of scientific journals may attend the symposium without paying the higher fee, provided that the organizer(s) agree to their participation, and they guarantee to publish a report of the symposium in their journal (subject to the prior agreement of the Chair).

 

Documentation

It is a condition of funding that the Chair submits a scientific report after the symposium in the following format:

1. An introduction (up to two pages) on the topic in non-specialist terms.
2. Scientific content of the symposium:
1. a summary of the sessions focusing on the scientific highlights;
2. an assessment of the results and their potential impact on future research or applications.
3. 'Forward Look Plenary Discussion':
1. State-of-the-art in the field;
2. Emerging topics;
3. Visions for the future of the research field – identification of issues expected to be of relevance in the 5 – 10 years time;
4. Is there a need for a foresight-type initiative?
4. The reaction of the participants to the location and the organization, including networking, and any other relevant comments.

The reports should be sent to ESF no later than six weeks after the end of the symposium. The reports will be forwarded to the appropriate ESF Standing Committees and Expert Committees for information and consideration in their science policy discussions and to the EMBO Courses & Workshops office. The introduction may be posted on a 'Conference Highlights' page within the ESF Conferences website (subject to the explicit authorization of the author).

Promotion

Advertising & co-funding

 

The symposia must be entitled "ESF | EMBO Symposium". All materials must include the EMBO logo and ESF logo prominently (co-sponsorship may be acknowledged). ESF and EMBO do not usually favour co-sponsorship that requires proceedings to be published. There should be no confidential information disclosed. Eventual IPR or copyright are the property of all participants contributing financially or intellectually to the Symposium.

 

ESF and EMBO will be responsible for the publicity of each symposium, and for disseminating information to potential applicants. ESF and EMBO will publicize the symposia on the EMBO poster, EMBO and ESF website, social media channels and through selected mailing lists, partner organizations and other print and online media.

 

In addition, it is very important that Chairs provide a comprehensive emailing list for poster circulation.

 

As soon as it is agreed to go ahead with the symposium, Chairs will be expected to email the ESF Conferences Unit with the following documents in order to advertise the event:

• the preliminary scientific programme, including a paragraph about the scope of the symposium, the list of topics to be covered, the list of confirmed invited speakers with their affiliations and the titles of their lecturesthe full address and email list of the invited speakers;
• a comprehensive, geographically-balanced email list of all potentially interested scientists;
• a list of scientific journals or reviews and their websites for publicity and free inserts in calendars of events.