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Meeting Attendance Grants

Federation of European Microbiological Societies

Members of FEMS Member Societies can apply for our grants. Meeting Attendance Grants enable early career researchers to attend microbiology meetings worldwide to network, collaborate and keep abreast of new developments in their field.

Key details

Maximum award: €750
Deadline:
- 1 March 2026 23:59 CEST for meetings taking place between 1 May 2026 and 30 April 2027. Decisions will be issued to applicants 1 May 2026.
- 1 September 2026 23:59 CEST for meetings taking place between 30 October 2026 and 29 October 2027. Decisions will be issued to applicants 30 October 2026.

Application process

You can apply via our Grants submission system. In order to apply, you need a FEMS profile/account.

Please create an account here or login with your credentials here.
Once logged in to your FEMS profile, you can access the application forms for our Grants via this link.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Exact eligibility and FEMS Member Society membership (highest predictor / prerequisite)

Before scientific merit matters, the applicant must fit the program precisely. For Research and Training Grants, the strongest eligible profile is generally:

A PhD student or early-career microbiologist
Within five years of obtaining the highest degree, subject to stated career-break adjustments
A member of a FEMS Member Society
Active in a microbiology-related field

Because FEMS grants are restricted to members of its Member Societies, eligibility and active membership are absolute first-stage predictors.

2. Clear microbiology relevance (very high predictor)

The proposed activity should have a strong and explicit connection to microbiology. FEMS supports a broad spectrum, including:

Bacteriology
Virology
Mycology
Microbial ecology
Environmental microbiology
Medical and clinical microbiology
Antimicrobial resistance
Microbial biotechnology
Food microbiology
Microbial genomics
Host–microbe interactions

FEMS also recognizes microbiology-related work in education, policy, business, and scientific communication, depending on the grant mechanism.

3. Strong added value of the international host visit (very high predictor)

This is one of the most distinctive FEMS success factors.

The Research and Training Grant exists to help an early-career scientist pursue research or training at a host institution in another country. Therefore, the application should clearly explain:

Why the visit is necessary
Why the selected host is uniquely suitable
What expertise or technique is unavailable at the home institution
How the applicant will benefit from international mobility

A routine visit with limited added value is less compelling than a strategically chosen placement that gives the applicant access to genuinely new expertise.

4. Acquisition of new skills, techniques, or expertise (very high predictor)

Because FEMS emphasizes building skills and experience, the strongest applications identify concrete learning outcomes.

Examples include:

Advanced sequencing methods
Bioinformatics
Metagenomics
Microscopy
Microbial culturing techniques
Genome editing
Proteomics or metabolomics
Computational microbiology
Industrial microbiology skills

The application should make clear what the researcher can do after the visit that they could not do before it.

5. Strong host institution and supervisor fit (very high predictor)

A convincing host arrangement substantially strengthens the application.

The strongest host usually offers:

Recognized expertise in the proposed area
Specialized methods or facilities
Active supervision
Complementary expertise
A credible plan for integrating the visitor into the research environment

The host should be selected for a clear scientific or training reason, not merely because it is internationally located.

6. Feasible and focused work plan (high predictor)

Because the grant is relatively modest and supports a defined research or training visit, the strongest projects have:

Specific objectives
Realistic activities
A clear timeline
Achievable outputs
Appropriate use of host resources

Overly broad projects are less well suited to the mechanism. A focused training or research plan with tangible deliverables is more competitive.

7. Clear career-development benefit (high predictor)

FEMS explicitly frames its individual grants as support for early-career researchers.

Strong applications explain how the award will:

Advance the applicant's scientific career
Fill an important skills gap
Strengthen research independence
Improve future employment or funding prospects
Support progression toward a defined career goal

The visit should appear strategically important to the applicant's development rather than simply desirable.

8. Strong potential for international collaboration and knowledge transfer (high predictor)

International collaboration is central to the FEMS model.

Competitive projects often demonstrate potential to:

Create a lasting collaboration
Transfer techniques back to the home institution
Connect research groups across countries
Generate future joint publications or projects
Strengthen the European microbiology community

A visit with benefits extending beyond the funded period is strategically stronger.

9. Appropriate and well-justified budget (high predictor)

Research and Training Grants can provide up to €5,000 and are intended to contribute to:

Travel
Accommodation
Subsistence costs

The budget should be realistic, clearly linked to the visit, and proportionate to its duration and location. A focused application that demonstrates efficient use of limited funds is likely to be more credible.

10. Potential for tangible outputs and future impact (high predictor)

Although FEMS Research and Training Grants are mobility and development awards rather than conventional large research grants, strong applications should still identify likely outcomes, such as:

New research data
Mastery of a new method
A publication
Conference presentation
Future collaborative proposal
Transfer of expertise to the home laboratory

The strongest application connects the short-term visit to a longer-term scientific trajectory.

Specialties

Microbiology

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants should be active microbiologists, having obtained their highest degree less than five years prior to the application deadline date or be a PhD student*. They should be a member of a FEMS Member Society and a presenting author (oral or poster) at the meeting. Applications to attend FEMS-sponsored meetings will not be considered as applications for support to attend these meetings should be made directly to the meeting organiser.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Federation of European Microbiological Societies

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Van Leeuwenhoekpark 1, 2611 DW, Delft,

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