IBRO Research Fellowships
***Please note the Research Fellowships Program will not be offered in 2020***
Grant Amount: up to 35,000 Euros
IBRO offers research fellowships that aim to provide increased research opportunities for neuroscientists and support the global advancement of neuroscience research. These fellowships intend to foster neuroscience research in less scientifically funded countries by providing support to excellent scientists from diverse geographic and scientific areas that wish to broaden the scope of their neuroscience training by working in first-class laboratories.
Three one-year fellowships are available. Applications from candidates who have completed their PhD within the past three years and do not have postdoctoral experience are preferred. Scientists aged 35 or younger are eligible to apply. Personal circumstances such as parental leave or military service may also be considered.
There is only one application to complete. Requests for applications will take place once per year.
Location: host laboratories may be located in any country without restriction.
Length of stay: one year, non-renewable
The World Bank Atlas method is used to rank countries and identify low-income, lower-middle income and upper-middle income economies. Applicants from these countries are preferable but not exclusive. Those from high-income countries currently experiencing decreased support for research will also be considered.
Funds from an IBRO Fellowship should not be spent on indirect costs (such as administrative costs of a research institution or university). Qualified candidates will not yet have begun working at the laboratory where he/she is applying for the research fellowship at the time the application is submitted. The program generally does not allow duplicate funding. If simultaneous financial support from another source is offered, approval is required from the IBRO Secretariat.
Application requirements:
1. Project proposal (1-2 pages)
2. A letter of acceptance from the proposed supervisor (host scientist) indicating they are willing to accept the candidate and agree on the proposed project. The letter should also comment on how the proposed project could be integrated into the laboratory’s research program.
3. Two letters of reference are required, one of which should be from the current supervisor.
4. If available, evidence of an offer that the applicant will have a position to return to in his/her home country after the fellowship.
IBRO Return Home Fellowships
Grant Amount: Up to 20,000 Euros
The objective of the Return Home Program of IBRO is to provide support to researchers trained overseas who wish to return to their home countries.
Eligibility Requirements:
1. Postdoctoral fellows who have finished research training in neurosciences (including clinical research) in a center of excellence of a developed country.
2. Those willing to start up their own laboratory and/or work independently.
3. Scientists who are developing a successful basic/clinical research career in a developed country and wish to return to their country of origin or to a less developed country for personal or cultural reasons.
IBRO/IBE-UNESCO Science of Learning Fellowships
Grant amount: 20,000 Euros per fellow.
IBRO and the International Bureau of Education (IBE) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) offer at least 3 IBRO/IBE-UNESCO Science of Learning Fellowships each year. This is part of the IBRO Science of Learning Initiative that aims to support and translate key neuroscience research on learning and the brain to educators, policymakers and governments.
Applications will be considered from Senior Scientists and Mid-Career Scientists with at least 10 years of experience practicing in the field of neuroscience, preferably in the science of learning field. Researchers from all regions of the world will be considered.
The fellows will be hosted at IBE–UNESCO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, so they can learn about policymaking in an international context, as well as receive support with policy vocabulary and messages. A separate contract with each fellow will be signed by the fellow and IBE–UNESCO to cover the duration of their fellowship.
There is only one application to complete. Requests for applications will take place once per year.
Watch interviews with the 2016 Fellows: Brain Research, Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
Location: IBE/UNESCO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
Length of stay: 3-months (October-December), non-renewable
IBRO and IBE–UNESCO cannot arrange accommodation, visas, insurance, travel or other related logistics. This will be the responsibility of the fellow to organize. Each fellow will be provided with his/her own office, including a computer, desk and internet access.
Application requirements:
1. Eligibility: Senior/Mid-Career scientists in neuroscience, preferably in the science of learning (no postdocs or recent PhDs)
2. Project proposal (1-2 pages). Please note the proposal should comment on how the project may translate key neuroscience research on learning and the
brain to educators, policymakers and governments.
3. Two letters of reference
4. Current CV
The online application normally opens around March approximately one month prior to deadline, closing at midnight CET of the deadline date. There is only one application to complete. IBRO and IBE-UNESCO will select the awardees.
IBRO Early Career Awards
Grant amount: 5,000 EUR
The purpose of this grant is to support early career principal investigators (PIs), by providing supplemental laboratory funding. Applicants must have started their first independent research laboratory within the last 5 years.
Application requirements:
1. Description of current research project(s)
2. Proposal indicating how the funds will be spent and their significance to the project(s)
3. Letter of support and statement of the independent status of the applicant (e.g. from the departmental chair)
4. Publications list
5. CV
Funds cannot be spent on travel or conference related expenses. Preference will be given to early career investigators who have not previously received, nor expect to receive, substantial support from other sources.
The institution must agree that no indirect costs/overheads will be charged. A report must be submitted to the IBRO Secretariat within 12 months after receiving the funds.
Online applications normally open around June each year, approximately one month prior to the deadline, closing at midnight CET of the deadline date.
African Centers for Advanced Training in Neuroscience
Building upon the success of the IBRO Africa Schools Program and explicitly focusing on excellence in training, teaching and research, IBRO has established centers of excellence at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Mohammed V University (Rabat, Morocco). Each center normally hosts a school for African neuroscientists twice per year. Please click here for more information.
IBRO International Travel Grants
Grant Amount: Up to 1,800 Euros
IBRO International Travel Grants aim to foster neuroscience research, especially in less well-funded countries, by providing support to high-quality neuroscientists from diverse geographic and scientific areas (US/Canada Region excluded), who wish to participate in international neuroscience meetings. Calls for applications are made twice per year (February and August).
Priority is given to those applicants who have not obtained an IBRO International Travel Grant or an IBRO/SfN Travel grant within the past three years.
Applicants may apply either for an IBRO International Travel Grant or an IBRO/SfN Travel Grant, but not to both during the Spring Call (February – March).
Multiple applications from a single laboratory are discouraged.
At least one letter of reference is required in order to be considered for this grant. Two are preferred.
IBRO-SfN Travel Grants
Grant Amount: Up to USD 2,500
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) offers travel fellowships to their annual meeting for neuroscientists under the age of 35 who are currently working and living in a resource-restricted country – those defined by the World Bank as low, lower-middle, or upper-middle income. (Click here for the World Bank’s country classifications.) Registration fees are waived for successful candidates attending the meeting. Calls for applications are made once per year (February).
To qualify for this travel award, you must be a citizen of and reside in a country that the World Bank has classified low, lower-middle or upper-middle income. Candidates from the US and Canada are excluded. The applicant should be the first author of an abstract to be presented at the SfN annual meeting. A copy of the abstract submitted to SfN for a poster or a platform presentation is required.
Awardees will be notified prior to the SfN abstract deadline of the current year as to whether they have been elected for the SfN travel grant. However, this award is contingent upon the awardee’s abstract being accepted by SfN, proof of attendance at the meeting, and fulfilment of the requirements as stated above.
Priority is given to those applicants who have not obtained an IBRO International Travel Grant or an IBRO/SfN Travel grant within the past three years.
Applicants must apply via the International Travel Grant (July-December) call for applications.
Multiple applications from a single laboratory are discouraged.
At least one letter of reference is required in order to be considered for this grant. Two are preferred. Online applications open approximately one month prior to the deadline, closing at Midnight CET of the deadline date.
Global Engagement Seed Grants
Grant Amount: Up to 5,000 Euros
IBRO awards global engagement seed grants to support neuroscience or brain-related scientific organizations (including societies, institutions, research and university groups, etc.) with some outreach/advocacy experience in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pan-European region who would like to conduct engagement, awareness, outreach and/or advocacy activities in their local areas. The projects should address the specific needs in the country where they are being held. They can include public lectures and public fairs; advocacy events with policymakers, educators, the media and the public; the development of educational videos or multimedia products to increase awareness; and other similar activities. Please note that Global Engagement Seed Grants are NOT for scientific research, scientific meetings, travel grants or research staff support. An itemized budget request is required for consideration.
IBRO/Dana Brain Awareness Week (BAW) Grants
Grant Amount: Up to 1,250 USD
IBRO/Dana Brain Awareness Week (BAW) Grants aim to educate the public about the benefits of neuroscience research and increase awareness about the brain in order to address the need to increase opportunities for outreach and awareness campaigns in regions challenged by a lack of resources, support and/or public understanding about the brain. The grants will support projects organized for Brain Awareness Week in countries anywhere outside of Europe, USA and Canada. It is not a requirement that proposed projects take place during the official Brain Awareness Week (in March every year). However, they must support, promote and run under the title of the global Brain Awareness Week campaign.