Travel Grants

On this Page:

• • IMCC7 Diversity Travel Grants

• • External Travel Funding

 

IMCC7 Diversity Travel Grants

The IMCC7 Travel Grant Award application process is now open and closes 10th May 2024. We cannot accept late submissions. Grant recipients will be announced by 24th May 2024.

 

The 7th International Marine Conservation Congress, and the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Marine Program are offering Travel Grant Awards as part of our Diversity Initiatives. In 2024, the Travel Grant Awards will focus on international diversity, awarding competitive grants to present at IMCC7 for delegates from countries defined as developing by the World Bank and delegates from countries designated by the United Nations as member or affiliate Small Island Developing States (excluding Singapore).

 

Delegates from indigenous communities in any country are also encouraged to apply. Please read the guidelines in full. Delegates must first submit an abstract in the Call for Abstracts, then apply for the travel grant. Delegates who made successful applications to the Call for Proposals may also apply for a Travel Grant Award. Continue to check this website for updates.

 

Guidelines:

The SCB Marine Diversity Committee is considering applications for Travel Grant Awards to help offset costs for qualifying delegates to present at the SCB Marine Program’s 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC7) in Cape Town, South Africa from 13 – 18 October, 2024. Awarded funds will be used to reimburse awardees to offset the travel costs and/or registration fees to present at IMCC7.

 

The need for support of marine conservation efforts is acute in many parts of the world, especially in so-called ‘developing nations’ and nations with little or no access to conservation funding. SCB Marine thus initiated the Travel Grant Awards to fund attendance to present at IMCCs.

 

The availability of travel reimbursement funds is determined by the amount of funds raised through sponsorships. Individual reimbursement awards are expected to help delegates who have an accepted abstract offset some of the costs of presenting at the meeting and will vary between $200 and $500 USD.

This year Travel Grants are sponsored in partnership by the Save Our Seas Foundation and the Society for Conservation Biology Marine Program.

Important Dates:

Interested applicants must first submit an abstract during the IMCC7 Call for Abstracts or have an already accepted workshop, symposium, or focus group. Applicants can then submit an application here for a Travel Grant Award. Applications will be accepted through 10th May 2024. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by the SCB Marine Diversity Committee by 24th May 2024, and awardees must register for IMCC7 by 28th June 2024. Presenting at IMCC is required to receive the funds. Before you start your application, please read the full guidelines and instructions below. Applications that do not follow the instructions will not be considered.

 

General Instructions

Eligibility: Delegates who meet the following criteria may apply for an IMCC Diversity Travel Grant Award:

• • Must be residents of developing countries (as defined by the World Bank) or small island developing states (as United Nations member of affiliate states, but excluding Singapore), or members of indigenous communities in any country. Applicants must be a citizen of or currently a long-term resident of the country/region. If you are from an underserved community that is not listed, please put your justification in the comments section. Researchers from a non-qualified region who conduct research in a qualified region are not eligible.
  • Must have abstract accepted by IMCC7 Scientific Program Committee. (Applications will need to be completed prior to notification of abstract acceptance. The SCB Marine Diversity Committee will check on the behalf of applications to be sure abstracts were accepted.) Submitting a Travel Grant Award application does not guarantee acceptance of the abstract.
  • Must have a recommendation letter for their application. The recommendation letter should be sent to imccteam@conbio.org by the referee with the title “Travel grant recommendation letter.”

Preference: You must meet the eligibility criteria above to apply for a travel and/or registration reimbursement award. Applicants increase their chances of receiving an award if their abstracts receive the best evaluations by the IMCC7 Scientific Program Committee and SCB Marine Diversity Committee.

 

The IMCC7 Travel Grant Award application is available as a Google Form. Application forms should be filled out in English unless otherwise agreed upon with the IMCC7 Organizing Committee. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Completed application forms are to be submitted by the deadline of 10th May 2024. (No extensions will be granted.)

 

Award decisions will be made by the SCB Marine Diversity Committee. Funds must be used to travel to IMCC7. If you are among the awardees, you will be asked for your preferred reimbursement payment mode. You will receive instructions to submit receipts for reimbursement. If you have a Paypal account, it is a much more convenient option. If not, a certain portion of the reimbursement (usually $50 USD) will be taken by the bank as an international money transfer fee. Ability to pay for travel up front and be reimbursed is preferred.

Questions? Email imcc@conbio.org

 

External Travel Funding for Conferences

We understand affording conference travel may require a lot of work for delegates and putting together funding from various sources. We hope to help as much as we can. Beyond the Society for Conservation Biology Marine Section, there may be funding sources to travel to the International Marine Conservation Congress, including universities, professional societies, non-profit organizations, and companies.

 

If you need assistance with a travel grant application to attend IMCC7, please email imccteam@conbio.org with the subject heading “Travel Grant” Attention Sarah Ater.

 

If you need any letters to attach to applications, including invitation letters, abstract/proposal acceptance letters, or registration confirmation letters please email imccteam@conbio.org with the subject heading “Supporting letter” Attention Conference Manager. If the letter needs to contain specific information, please include that in your email.

 

If you need any general information email imccteam@conbio.org with the subject heading “General enquiry” Attention Conference Manager

 

If you have any questions related to external diversity travel grant applications email imccteam@conbio.org with the subject heading “Travel Grant” Attention Sarah Ater. Non-native English speakers who need help filling out forms in English should also contact her, and she will help partner them with a member of the organizing committee or other volunteers who can help with the translation.

If you know of an available travel grant we can list on this page, please send the link to imccteam@conbio.org

 

External Travel Funding Sources:

British Ecological Society (BES) Travel and Training Grants

BES provides conference travel funding of up to £1,000 to PhD students and postgraduate research assistants who are presenting at meetings with an ecological component. Applications open 11th of July, 2024.