ESCMID research grants


ESCMID offers about 750,000 EUR annually to support research projects in the fields of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. This support comes in the form of individual research grants to young investigators and as a part of our ESCMID Study Groups which are free to join for all ESCMID members. These grants help to promote collaboration and innovation pushing the boundaries of our specialties.

 


Results of the applications will be sent out to applicants mid to late January 2024.

 

See the Awardees from last year

 

For any further info, please read our FAQ document.

 

For the Research Grant programme 2024, only projects dealing with Bacterial Infections & Diseases (incl. diagnostics, pathogenesis, antifungal/antiviral/antiparasitic susceptibility & resistance, stewardship, vaccines) will be accepted.

 

Funding

 

The maximum amount granted per project is EUR 20,000. This includes any potential overhead costs charged by your institution. ESCMID’s funding may be used to support the entire project or part of it.

 

ESCMID has reserved up to EUR 50,000 each for two excellently rated projects, where the reviewers see a great potential and are of the opinion that they merit additional funds to take the topic further.

 

ESCMID Förderverein grants for research in AMR and emerging infections

 

As part of the new ESCMID strategy, the ESCMID Förderverein will support additional grants in both the individual and the Study Group grant calls to research projects focusing on antimicrobial resistance or emerging infections.The applications are completed in the usual grant calls and indicated in the application form.

 

An additional 4 individual grants will be awarded per year as part of this new initiative. The projects must be addressing antimicrobial resistance and/or emerging infections to be eligible and must still follow the yearly theme (Bacterial research for even years and Fungal/Viral/Parasitic research for odd years).

 

Project criteria

 

  • The research project may consist of laboratory investigations, clinical studies, experimental animal studies, or a combination of these.
  • For the Research Grant programme 2024 ESCMID only accepts projects dealing with Bacterial Infections and Diseases (incl. diagnostics, pathogenesis, susceptibility & resistance, stewardship, vaccines).
  • Research projects usually run for 12 months (and may continue for a maximum of 24 months) and must start during the year the grant is received.

 

If your project does not meet the criteria stated above, it will be rejected directly without any peer review.

 

Projects dealing with Fungal/Viral/Parasitic Infections & Diseases (incl. diagnostics, pathogenesis, antibacterial susceptibility & resistance, antibacterial stewardship, vaccines) will be considered again next year.

 

Applications will be peer-reviewed and the best projects will be selected based on a ranking of the applications and research proposals (see ”Important guidance” below).

 

Eligibility criteria of applicants

 

Applicants must:

 

  • Be principal investigators of the proposed research.
  • Have a valid ESCMID Young Scientist Membership or a valid ESCMID LMIC Membership*.
  • Have a medical degree (MD, MBBS, PharmD or equivalent), a PhD or be enrolled in a PhD programme.

 

Applicants who have received an ESCMID Research Grant before may only apply for a subsequent grant in the year after official completion of the first project.

 

Members of the ESCMID Executive Committee cannot apply for Research Grants nor submit a support letter for an application.

 

If the eligibility criteria are not met, your application will be rejected directly without any peer review.

 

*ESCMID LMIC members are eligible to apply as long as they are still in training or completing their training (PhD with no longer than eight years post-graduation / MD or MD/PhD with no longer than five years from completion of clinical training/speciality). Please send an email with document(s) as proof as attachment to patrick.kudyba[at]escmid.org as early as possible but not later than two weeks before the application deadline.

 

What do you need to apply

 

You must submit all documentation electronically; no hard copies are required. Make sure you upload the correct documents. After the deadline you cannot change any part of your application. When submitting, please have the following documents ready:

 

  1. Proposal PDF document (labelled “YourSurname”.pdf; max. 4MB) which includes:
    1. Abstract of your research project (max. 750 words; with 3-5 keywords that best characterize your project): Please enter the abstract/keywords separately into the online form (in addition to them being part of the PDF document) to facilitate reviewer selection.
    2. Introduction/background (max. 500 words)
    3. Objectives (max. 300 words);
    4. Purpose (max. 700 words) significance and potential impact of the project;
    5. Research plan (max. 2,000 words) including design, material & methods, data analysis, project timeline, co-investigators and their contribution to the project;
    6. Budget (max. 1,500 words; use tables wherever possible) including personnel, equipment, consumables;
    7. Description of your present research (max. 750 words);
    8. CV (max. 1,500 words) The CV should show that the applicant has the skills required to complete the project. If the applicant lacks qualification, the letters of support must outline that adequate mentoring is available for the project to proceed. You should discuss this with your supporters;
    9. Applicant’s publication list: should contain max. 10 publications over the last five years; they must be relevant to the project or illustrate the relevant competences.

 

2. Two signed supporting letters (labelled “YourSurname”_support1.pdf and “YourSurname”_support2.pdf; max. 4MB each).

 

Important, please read carefully:

 

  • The supporters should know you professionally and be able to judge your work. They could include your advisor during your training or other collaboration partners, but not your current direct supervisor and/or anybody from the same department.
  • Projects missing signed supporting letters will be rejected.

 

3. Potential reviewers: You must suggest at least two suitable potential reviewers for your application. They should not be directly involved in the project proposal or have the same affiliation as the applicant. If possible they should not be from the same country, where the applicant is based. Please specify a reason if you want a certain person not to be selected as reviewer.

 

4. A colour photograph file (labelled “YourSurname_Firstname”.tiff, .eps or .jpg; max. 4MB) at least 4 x 6 cm with 300 dpi resolution for publication.

 

For any further info, please read our FAQ document.

 

Important guidance for writing your application

 

  • Write succinctly, i.e. you do not need to use the maximum number of words;
  • Bullet points are encouraged to facilitate the reviewers’ work;
  • If you do not write in English fluently it is advisable to have the text reviewed;
  • If your project combines different funding sources, it is essential to clearly specify what source is intended to fund what part of the project. (Omission leads to rejection).
  • To be transparent about the review process, please find here the instructions and rating options the reviewers use to rate your application.

 

Of note, please ensure to submit your proposal well before the deadline in order to avoid the need to solve last minute technical issues.

 

Reporting on the output of the grant-funded project

 

A financial report and a scientific report should be submitted within six months after completion of the project.

 

In the financial report you need to provide a detailed breakdown of the funds used. The grantee’s head of department needs to sign the document. The template can be found here.

 

The scientific report can filled out here (max. 1,000 words) should include:

 

  • Short introduction summarizing the current stage of knowledge for non-specialists
  • Study hypothesis
  • Specification of what was funded by the ESCMID grant assess output
  • Main findings: these may also include how the data contributed to other projects within the department(s)
  • Conclusion(s)

 

More info and the ESCMID templates for the scientific and financial reports will be provided to the awardees after signing the grant agreement.

 

If a published scientific article is submitted with the report, the report may be abridged and refer to the relevant sections in the article. The article needs to disclose work within the project that received funding from other sources.

 

Publication of grant-funded projects

 

The recipient will acknowledge ESCMID as a provider of financial support for the project in all scientific publications on the project using the wording “This study/project has been funded by a Research Grant [year of grant] of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) to [initials of grantee]”.

 

The society’s journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI) is the expected journal for initial submission of the manuscript(s), but alternative journals may be considered depending on the scope of the project.

 

ESCMID strongly encourages grantees to send proof of all published scientific articles based on the outputs of grant-funded projects to the ESCMID Office – even if the project has officially been closed and all reports have been sent. We will publish this information continuously on ESCMID's website and annually in the ESCMID Yearbook.

 

Payment of grant

 

After signing the grant agreement, ESCMID will transfer 50% of the funds to the awarded institution. The remaining 50% of the approved funds are paid out upon receipt of the final reports (see “reporting” above).

 

See the Awardees from the previous years here.

 

Funding

 

The maximum amount granted per project is 30,000 €. This includes any potential overhead costs charged by your institution. ESCMID’s funding may be used to support the entire project or part of it.

 

After signing the grant agreement, ESCMID will set aside the grant amount that can be used to pay for invoices or be transferred to an institution for usage by the project.

 

ESCMID Förderverein grants for research in AMR and emerging infections

 

As part of the new ESCMID strategy, the ESCMID Förderverein will support additional grants in both the individual and the Study Group grant calls to research projects focusing on antimicrobial resistance or emerging infections.The applications are completed in the usual grant calls and indicated in the application form.

 

An additional 2 Study Group research grants will be awarded per year as part of this new initiative. The projects must be addressing antimicrobial resistance and/or emerging infections to be eligible.

 

Project Criteria

 

  • The research project may consist of laboratory investigations, clinical studies, experimental animal studies, or a combination of the above.
  • Research must be carried out as a collaborative project involving at least two separate institutions in two different countries. The research project should be designed for a maximum duration of 2 years. The research project should start after signing the grant agreement (approximately end of 2022 - beginning of 2023)
  • The project must have the full support of all Study Groups involved

 

If your project does not meet the criteria stated above, it will be rejected directly without peer review.

 

Who can apply

 

  • Every Study Group can apply with a maximum of two research projects as indicated below:
  • one project as a single applicant plus one project in collaboration with another Study Group
  • two projects in collaboration with another Study Group
  • Important: two projects as a single Study Group will not be accepted
  • Applicants must be principal investigators for the proposed research. The Study Group(s) involved must fully support this proposal by written approval of the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of the respective Study Group(s).
  • Applicants must be an ESCMID Full, LMIC or Young Scientist member and a member of at least one of the involved study groups.

 

Applicants who have previously received an ESCMID Study Group Research Grant may only apply for a subsequent grant in the year after official completion of the first project.

 

Members of the ESCMID Executive Committee cannot apply for this grant.

 

Application process

 

You must submit all documentation electronically; no hard copies are required. Please be prepared to submit the following documents:

 

  • A single PDF document* (Surname_StudyGroup.pdf max 4MB) together with the Summary of the research project (max. 1 page including Grant chart);
  • Description of the project (max. 6 pages) encompassing:
  • Introduction (scientific background, objectives, rationale and purpose of the project);
  • Research plan (including project design, tasks of the involved teams, material & methods, and data analysis)
  • Importance of the project for the supporting Study Group (max 1/2 page)
  • Teams involved and their roles (at least 2 teams from 2 different countries) (max. 1/2 page)
  • Budget (max. 1/2 page) including costs for personnel, equipment and consumables
  • Description of your present scientific research (max. 1/2 page)
  • CV and list of relevant publications (max. 2 pages)

 

*Mandatory Formatting: Calibri 11 and 2 cm as margins

 

  • Support letter (Surname_support.pdf max 4MB) signed by the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of the Study Group involved in the proposal. The letter must clearly contain the title of the project, the name of the applicant and the Study Group involved in the project. 

 

Important: In cases of projects where there is collaboration between two Study Groups, a single scanned file containing two support letters, one for each involved Study Group, are required.

 

  • Colour photo file (Surname_Firstname.tiff, .eps or .jpg max 4MB), at least 4 x 6 cm with 300 dpi resolution for publication

 

If the eligibility criteria are not met, your application will be rejected directly without any peer review.

 

Evaluation Process

 

The Scientific Affairs Subcommittee (SAS) and possibly external peer-reviewers will review your proposal with focus on the following areas:

 

Scientific and/or technological excellence

 

  • Soundness of concept and quality of objectives
  • State-of-the-art progress
  • Quality and effectiveness of the scientific/technological methodology and work plan

 

Quality and efficiency of the implementation and budgeting

 

  • Overall appropriateness of partners collaborating on the project
  • Quality and relevant experience of individual partners
  • Suitability of the allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (budget, staff, equipment)
  • Relevant timing and scope of work within timeframe

 

Parity issues

 

  • Geographic distribution of partners
  • Gender balance

 

A comparison with other proposals submitted in parallel and with already granted or running projects of the same group(s) may be taken into account in the final decision.

 

Reporting/Publishing

 

The funding receiver together with the Study Group(s) must submit a two-page report to ESCMID upon completion of the research project. It should include:

 

  • A short introduction summarising current knowledge for the non-specialist
  • Study hypothesis
  • Main findings
  • Conclusions from the investigation
  • Presentations (oral/poster) or publications originating from this project

 

This report can be replaced by one (or more) peer-reviewed publication(s) covering the funded project.

 

Further information together with the ESCMID templates for the scientific and financial reports will be provided to the awardees after signing the grant agreement.

 


See the Awardees from the previous years here.

 

Funding

 

The maximum amount granted per project is 180,000 €. This includes any potential overhead costs charged by your institution. ESCMID’s funding may support the entire project or part of it.

 

After signing the grant agreement, ESCMID will set aside the grant amount that can be used to pay for invoices or be transferred to an institution for usage by the project.

 

Project Criteria

 

  • Proposed projects must include the support of at least 3 ESCMID Study Groups.
  • The research project may be based on laboratory investigations, clinical studies, experimental animal studies, or a combination of these. However, it must contain a translation component
  • Applications should be of a high quality with a large focus on innovation and networking
  • Research must be carried out as a collaborative project involving at least two separate institutions in two different countries. A member of each Study Group must be involved in the project at some level
  • The research project should be designed for a maximum duration of 2 years. The research project should start after signing the grant agreement

 

Who can apply

 

  • Applicants must be principal investigators for the proposed research and be experienced in large research projects. This cannot be the applicants first research project, and ideally, they have some years of experience.
  • The Study Groups involved must display full support of this proposal by written approval by the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of the respective Study Groups.
  • The applicants must be ESCMID Full, LMIC or Young Scientist members in good standing. Members of the ESCMID Executive Committee are ineligible.
  • Applications are not accepted from companies / start-up research firms.

 

Members of the ESCMID Executive Committee cannot apply for this grant.

 

If the eligibility criteria are not met, your application will be rejected directly without any peer review.

 

Application process

 

When submitting online, the applicants will need the following documentation:

 

  • Completed application form (template here) based on the criteria above (Save as Surname_application.pdf)
  • Primary Investigator's CV and list of top 10 publications (Surname_CV.pdf / max 2 pages)
  • Support letters signed by the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of the Study Groups involved in the proposal (electronic signatures allowed). The letters must contain the title of the project, the name of the applicant and the Study Groups involved in the project. (Surname_support.pdf / max 4MB)
  • A colour photo (.tiff, .eps or .jpg / max 4MB) at least 4 x 6 cm with 300 dpi resolution for publication
  • Optional: supplemental data or graphical abstracts to support the proposal (.pdf, max 4 MB)

 

Note that Study Groups can be part of multiple submissions

 

Evaluation Process

 

The Scientific Affairs Subcommittee (SAS) and possibly external peer-reviewers will review your proposal according to the following criteria:

 

Entry Criteria

 

Must be present to be considered eligible for scoring.

 

  • The research project must contain a translational component
  • The roles of each Study Group are clearly defined, and responsibilities are appropriately split

 

Scientific

 

  • How clear is the hypothesis and objectives/aims of the proposal? (10 points)
  • How important is the research question and how relevant is the proposal to ID and CM? (10 points)
  • Is appropriate preliminary work presented? (10 points)
  • Are the methods included appropriate for the project? (10 points)
  • Is the proposal innovative? (10 points)
  • Will the research infrastructure be sufficient to ensure this proposal is successful? (10 points)
  • Overall scientific excellence and feasibility of the proposal (10 points)

 

Network

 

  • Does the proposal include outside entities as collaborators and if so are they appropriate? (5 points)
  • The proposal includes appropriate partners/institutions with particular priority in scoring given to those involving Low- or Lower-middle income countries* (5 points)

 

*as defined by the world bank classification

 

Logistics

 

  • Does the budget clearly define all sources of funding, and provide realistic pricing for consumables, equipment and personnel? (10 points)
  • Does the proposal clearly define the team and their respective roles? (5 points)
  • Is the proposed timeline realistic and detailed? (5 points)

 

Total possible score 100

 

ESCMID expects a high level of quality from the applications according to the scoring criteria above and a focus on innovation and networking is key. If it is judged that no applications are of a high enough quality, ESCMID reserves the right to not grant the funding to any applicants of a given year.

 

Reporting/Publishing

 

The funding receiver must together with the Study Groups submit a report to ESCMID upon completion of the research project. It should include:

 

  • A short introduction summarizing current knowledge for the non-specialist
  • The study hypothesis
  • The main findings
  • Conclusions from the investigation
  • Presentations (oral / poster) or publications originating from this project.

 

This report can be replaced by one (or more) peer-reviewed publication(s) covering the funded project.

 

Thank you to all of our ESCMID Reviewers!