The Company of Biologists’ journals – Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology and Disease Models & Mechanisms – offer Travelling Fellowships of up to £2,500 to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers wishing to make collaborative visits to other laboratories. These are designed to offset the cost of travel/accommodation and other related expenses. There is no restriction on nationality.
Apply
Travelling Fellowships
Applicants should be working in the field of the journal to which they apply and plan to visit another laboratory. Each application will be judged on the excellence of the candidate, as well as the importance and innovative quality of the work to be done.
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before completing and submitting your application.
Note: We are unable to pay awards to recipients in jurisdictions, countries or regions of the world subject to sanctions, embargoes or other political trade restrictions put in place by the United Nations, the EU or the UK.
Guidelines for completing the application form:
- Only one person per laboratory may apply for funding, per funding round, per journal
- Applications are strictly limited to one journal only, per round of funding, per person
- The date of travel must occur within six months of funding being awarded
- Applications will not be considered retrospectively
- We do not provide funds to attend training courses
- Applications will be considered from early career scientists, which includes graduate students and post-doctoral researchers
- The application form and all supporting documents must be completed in English
- Travelling Fellowships can only be awarded once every two years from any of our journals per applicant
- Expenses include travel, subsistence, accommodation, visa fees and bench fees. Travel insurance costs are not to be included in the expenses
- Please attach the following documents to your application:
- Letter of status from your Head of Department. (Note: If your Head of Department is also your Supervisor, two letters should be written, one in each capacity.)
- Letter of support from your Supervisor
- Letter of support from your host laboratory (Note: All letters of support must be in English, on headed paper and signed.)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Publication list
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the criteria required for a Travelling Fellowship.
Conditions of the Travelling Fellowship
- If your application is successful, you will be required to sign our Travelling Fellowship Agreement.
- You may only apply to one journal. Please ensure that the chosen journal is the most relevant to your field of study.
- If for any reason you do not carry out your collaborative visit or it is delayed beyond six months of the award, please email tf@biologists.com. Please also arrange for the Travelling Fellowship funds to be returned, in full.
- Any unspent funds must be returned within one month of the end of the visit.
- You must provide at least two bright, clear photographs and a 250-500 word summary of the results obtained from your visit within 3 months of return from the host lab.
- You must keep all of the receipts related to your visit and send to the Charity Administrator within one month of completion of your visit. These must be scanned and uploaded via the online application portal.
Deadline dates, applicant handbook & FAQs
Deadline dates for applications:
2019
- 31 May 2019 (for travel after 15 July 2019)
- 30 August 2019 (for travel after 14 October 2019)
- 29 November 2019 (for travel after 14 January 2020)
Our applicant handbooks provide useful information on the process. Please click on Travelling Fellowship Grant applicant handbook to download.
Please submit your application in plenty of time as it can take up to six weeks to reach a decision from the deadline date.
If I am awarded a Travelling Fellowship, will I get the funding before I go on my visit?
Yes, we pay the funds directly into your personal bank account once the award has been granted.
I assume any amount of money that I can’t explain with receipts will have to be returned?
Yes, we do require evidence for every expense incurred and paid.
Do supporting letters have to be signed?
Yes, all supporting letters must be on headed paper with a signature. They can then be scanned and uploaded via the online application portal.
What information needs to be included in the Letter of Status from my Head of Department?
The Letter of Status must include who you are, describe the work you are doing and how long you have been at that institution.
Is it acceptable to complete the application with estimated costs for expenses as I don’t know the exact costs at this stage?
Yes, that is acceptable, as you will be required to provide evidence of expenditure and return unspent funds.
Can my Supervisor send you his/her letter directly?
No that will not be possible.
Can I apply for a Travelling Fellowship even if I have already begun the project before the deadline?
No, we do not award funds to collaborations that have already commenced before the decision date and this can be up to six weeks after the deadline date.
Will I have an answer about the result of my application even if it is negative?
Yes, you will be notified even if your application is unsuccessful.
If my Supervisor and Head of Department are the same person, do I need to include two letters?
Yes, we will still require two letters, one in each capacity.
If my application is not successful, can I re-apply?
Unsuccessful applicants may not re-apply for a Travelling Fellowship for the same project and may not submit a new application within two years of their initial application.
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