Funding opportunity for your next collaborative visit to another lab
Posted by FocalPlane, on 2 February 2022
Scientific collaborations are often key to the success of a project, providing more creative thinking and access to scientific expertise and equipment. For early-career researchers, these collaborations can be even more important, offering a unique opportunity for networking and self-promotion which can lead to fruitful collaborations and other opportunities in the future.
The Travelling Fellowships offered by The Company of Biologists’ journals (Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology and Disease Models & Mechanisms) are an excellent opportunity for early-career researchers to make collaborative visits to other laboratories. Offering up to £3,000, these fellowships are designed to offset the cost of travel/accommodation and other related expenses.
Here are some comments from previous grant recipients who travelled to other labs to learn and implement new imaging techniques:
Huw Colin-York from the Fritzsche Group, at the University of Oxford travelled to the laboratory of Prof Dong Li at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Beijing, to implement and optimise traction force microscopy.
“I found the visit to the laboratory of Prof Dong Li extremely rewarding and it is clear that the visit represented an important step in solidifying the collaboration between Prof Li’s lab and the Fritzsche lab in Oxford.”
Pamela Imperadore from the Association for Cephalopod Research in Naples joined Professor Matthias Kirsch’s laboratory at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, to test new imaging label-free techniques to visualise healing and regeneration in octopus arms.
“The trip allowed me to learn and apply the principles of label-free multiphoton microscopy, which was a valuable extension of my training as a young, passionate researcher. It has been a challenge for me, but also a good chance for my personal growth and for my career in science.”
These are the deadlines for applications in 2022:
- 21 February 2022 (for travel after 4 April 2022)
- 30 May 2022 (for travel after 11 July 2022)
- 15 August 2022 (for travel after 26 September 2022)
- 21 October (for travel after 2 November 2022)
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. You can learn more about these fellowships and apply here.