Career support

Funding

The ESCMID CAREer Grant does not directly pay the applicant; instead, it allocates funds to cover the salary of support personnel, such as a scientific/technical staff member or assistant. The support person can work either part-time or full-time but the Grant covers the support person’s salary at an amount equal to 20% of the recipient’s gross salary. If the recipient is already working part-time (≤ 80%) due to family care responsibilities, the 20% amount of the grant is calculated based on the hypothetical salary that the grant recipient would earn with a 100% workload, not based on the part-time job salary. The grant is awarded for a maximum duration of two consecutive years and cannot exceed 20K EUR per year.

Who can apply

The grant is available to applicants who plan to reduce their workload by 20% (from 100% to 80%) or to those who are already working part-time (≤ 80%) due to family care responsibilities. If the recipient is already working part-time (≤ 80%), There is no mandatory requirement to further reduce their workload by an additional 20%. The eligibility criteria are:

• You are an ESCMID Full, Low- or Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMIC) member, or Young Scientist Member (YSM)
• You come from academia and are completing thesis work or postdoctoral research (or equivalent), or are an MD undergoing training while conducting research in CM, ID, or Infection Control (IC)
• You are employed at a public research institute, or in a public or private hospital, or a primary healthcare unit
• You have at least one child below 5 years of age or are facing unexpected circumstances, such as illness or the need to care for an ill/elderly parent, which limits full-time work
   

Application process

Applicants must submit the following documents:

A single PDF file (max. 4 MB) containing:

• An employment contract
• A family certificate (or equivalent), indicating the birth date of your child or providing proof of the support required for your health or care of your parents. A doctor’s note, stating the name of the person needing treatment or care, including details of the medical condition, is not required

A single PDF file (max. 4 MB) containing:

• Research project and planned activities (max. 2 pages)
• Scientific CV, including a list of relevant publications (max. 2 pages)
• A support letter of recommendation from the applicant’s scientific supervisor explaining how the grant will contribute to their professional development (max. 1 page)
• A motivation letter specifying how the applicant will directly benefit from the grant in light of their familial and financial situation

A colour photograph (in JPG, TIF, or EPS format; max. 4MB)

Selection & notification

The ESCMID Executive Committee selects and approves the applications that have been reviewed by the ESCMID Parity Commission. Notifications on the final selection are sent out by mid-March.

Award & transfer of funds

Once the grant agreement is signed, the funds awarded for the first year will be transferred to the institution employing the support person. Within the first two months, the recipient must provide the following documentation:

• Proof of reduction of their working hours (amendment of the working contract) or proof of part-time working hours
• Proof of employment of the support person for a minimum of one year (working contract or amendment of the working contract)

The grants for the second year will be transferred after receiving proof of the grant recipients employment. Please be aware of the following:

• ESCMID must be informed of any changes to the grant recipient’s working conditions, or the individual receiving support. ESCMID may modify or terminate the grant if conditions are no longer met
• Scientific reports are not required
• Any awards, publications or career advancements achieved by the applicant must be communicated to the ESCMID office

If you have any additional questions, please use the contact form below.

Eligibility

ISID/ESCMID fellowships are open to residents of low and lower-middle income countries, as classified by the World Bank, from outside of Europe, who are less than forty years of age*, and will benefit from the opportunity to work or study outside of their country of residence.

*Career breaks will be factored into applicants’ evaluations. Time absent is time extended: For every full-time equivalent (FTE) of career break taken, the same FTE will be extended to the professional age limit. The purpose(s) of a career break are not limited to child-rearing or other familial duties (e.g., the break may be due to illness), but should be summarised by the applicant during the application process. A career break can be taken by anyone regardless of gender.

Requirements

Applications must be made using the ISID online submission system and include:

• Research plan – five pages including background, methods, limitations and references
• Applicant’s CV
• Letter of reference from the applicant’s institution
• Letter of invitation/reference from the host institution
• CV of a mentor from the host institution
• Budget details

Upon completion, a short written report on the outcomes of any research must be submitted. ISID and ESCMID also encourage grant recipients to present their results at scientific meetings and to submit them for publication in peer-reviewed journals including, but not limited to, the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Selection Process

Proposals will be reviewed and scored by members of ISID’s Research Committee and grants awarded in collaboration with ISID and ESCMID’s research programme directors.