Non-globular proteins in the era of Machine Learning

COST Action CA21160

YRI CONFERENCE GRANTS

Description

YRI Conference Grants aim at supporting Young Researchers and Innovators* to present (oral or poster) their own work within the scope of the Action in a high-level conference fully organized by a third party, i.e. not organized nor co-organized by the COST Action.

YRI Conference grant:

  • Serves COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy;
  • Supports YRI to establish a strong network and increase their visibility in the research community through sharing their work and to gain knowledge;
  • Can contribute to increasing visibility of the Action.

A number of YRI Conference Grants will be financed each year as defined by the rules of the COST framework. 

*COST defines a Young Researcher or Innovator as someone under the age of 40

APPLICATIONS FOR YRI CGs ARE OPEN ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS.

The applications will be reviewed at the end of each month. The end date of the conference should not be later than 15 October.

Eligibility and applications

YRI Conference Grants are limited to Young Researchers and Innovators and to conferences not organized by COST action.  The applicant can make an oral or poster presentation at the conference in question and must be listed in the official event/conference programme. 

The participation of each applicant must be pre-approved by the Action MC. Attendance at European conferences is preferred. However, conferences held elsewhere can also be considered.

Applications are evaluated taking into account the following policies:

  • Allocated budget: A maximum of 80% of the yearly YRI-CG budget may be spent on a single call for application. Where necessary, applications will be ranked accordingly.
  • Participation in ML4NGP Action: The hosting lab shall be actively involved in ML4NGP, i.e., listed as MC or WG members on the website.
  • Relevance to current WG activities: The application must clearly demonstrate the links to WG goals and activities for the budget period.
  • Relevant high-profile events: Strong preference will be given to high-profile scientific events in Europe. Relevance to ML4NGP Action has to be justified.
  • Repetitive applications: Applications by the same individual will be discarded unless properly justified.

The Evaluation Committee will discard applications failing any of the above policies even in the presence of remaining funds

1 – Complete electronic application form at https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants

  • Title
  • Start and end date of the conference (The end date of the conference should be no later than October 15);
  • Budget requested by the applicant;
  • Information about the conference and contribution type (type of presentation and author(s)).

2 – Upload the supporting documents to e-COST:

  • YRI Conference Grant application (https://www.cost.eu/YRICG-application-template) describing the relevance of  the conference topic to the Action and Motivation describing the potential for impact on the applicant’s career
  • Copy of the abstract of the accepted poster or oral presentation
  • Acceptance (or invitation) letter from the conference organizers
  • Justification for the budget

Within the 2 weeks after the deadline for application, the Evaluation Committee will make the assessment and grant coordinator will send the notice to the Grant Holder and to the applicant.

The Grant Holder will send to the Applicant an acceptance letter in which s/he is informed about the approval of the proposal and the level of the financial grant given. The Applicant has to return this acceptance letter, after accepting the grant conditions, with his/her signature.

From 1 day to 10 days after the end of the grant, the grantee will receive a reminder to upload the report.
The deadline to submit the report is 30 days from the end of the activity, within 15 days from the end date of the Grant Period or within a shorter timeframe as per Grant Holder/ Grant Awarding Coordinator’s request to meet reporting deadlines.

The grantee must upload, and submit via e-COST the additional supporting documents:

  • Report to the Action MC (template here) on the outcome of the presentation of the accepted contribution, in terms
    of grantee’s visibility, including the establishment of new contacts for future collaborations,
  • Certificate of attendance
  • Programme of the conference or book of abstracts/proceedings indicating the oral or poster presentation
  • Copy of the given oral or poster presentation

In the selection process of YRI CG applications, ML4NGP Action will ensure geographical diversity, gender balance and empowerment of young researchers.

FEEDBACK FROM SELECTED CANDIDATES

I am very grateful for the grant CA21160 as well as for the Institute of Neuroimmunology, SAS, for the opportunity to participate in the EBSA Scientific conference held in Stockholm, Sweden. At the conference, I actively participated in lectures focused primarily on the topic of disordered proteins, where I learned new knowledge about molecular simulations, structural methods and other biophysical methods. However, I also participated in lectures on other topics that would open up new possibilities for future cooperation or enrich me with previous scientific knowledge. (...)

On the poster session 3, I presented my work and discussed the future steps in my project. I am also very grateful for getting to know new people from different countries, and at the moment I will try to apply for a postdoc position, which were also presented in the conference.

Klaudia Mešková, Slovakia Attendee at European Biophysics Congress EBSA in Stockholm, Sweden 2023

I have presented a poster presentation during two organized poster sessions. The work was well welcomed and triggered interesting discussions with various conference participants. The participation in the scientific lectures and discussion during lunches, coffee breaks and poster sessions really inspired me and suggested a future step in various projects I currently work on in our lab. (...)

Moreover, I have met many of my scientific friends as this community (interested in IDPs and LLPS) is very close to my topic and have also established new contacts for future collaborations. During this very well organized conference, I have been educated, inspired and entertained by science and great scientists.

Zuzana Bednarikova, Slovakia Attendee at III PhasAGE International Conference In Porto, Portugal 2023

I am very thankful for the grant CA21160, which allowed me to participate in the III PhasAGE International Conference, which covered topics related to my personal research on protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). I presented my poster during two 1-hour long sessions, which provided ample time to discuss with experts in the field of LLPS. They provided valuable insight regarding my work of analysing structural characteristics of alpha-synuclein amyloid fibrils, formed during LLPS. (....)

Overall, participation in the III PhasAGE International Conference and the poster presentation sessions allowed me to gather valuable advice and generate new ideas on how to further expand my studies on protein LLPS.

Mantas Žiaunys, Slovakia Attendee at III PhasAGE International Conference In Porto, Portugal 2023

I am very grateful for the COST Action CA21160 ITC Conference grant for giving me the opportunity to participate in the PhasAGE III International Conference. There were two poster sessions during which I presented my research regarding alpha-synuclein polymorphism dependence on protein concentration and solution ionic strength. (...)

Overall, participation in this conference provided an opportunity not only to present my research results and to receive advice on how to improve the study quality, but also to deepen my knowledge on the topic of liquid-liquid phase separation.

Kamile Mikalauskaite, Slovakia Attendee at III PhasAGE International Conference In Porto, Portugal 2023