Travel Grant for Early-Career Scientist to Train at the JRC Summer School on Non-Animal Approaches in Science

Early-career scientists who intend to pursue a career in non-animal methods are invited to apply for an award for reimbursement of expenses for travel to and accommodation at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Summer School on Non-Animal Approaches in Science. This award, presented by PETA Science Consortium International e.V., will help give an early-career scientist the opportunity to gain a better understanding of state-of-the-art non-animal testing strategies.

The summer school will take place in-person at the JRC in Ispra, Italy, from 19-23 May 2025. Attendees will explore new developments in the field of non-animal approaches through expert lectures and interactive sessions, and each attendee will present a poster.

Applications to the Science Consortium must be submitted between 20 February-6 March 2025. The winner will be announced in March 2025.

Click here for more details about the programme.

The Award

• The Science Consortium will choose the winner based on each eligible applicant’s curriculum vitae (CV), motivation letter, and the scientific merits of the poster abstract.
• The Science Consortium will reimburse the winner’s expenses for travel to and from and accommodation at the summer school. See details below.

Eligibility

• The award is open to early-career scientists who have been accepted into the JRC Summer School programme and intend to pursue a career in non-animal methods. The JRC is accepting applications from early-career scientists active in fields related to toxicology, biomedical research, alternative methods, exposure science, or risk assessment.
• Early-career scientists are defined as the following: (1) students working towards their master’s or PhD who have completed at least their second year of study by the event date of 19 May 2025, (2) postdoctoral fellows, or (3) researchers who completed a master’s, PhD, or postdoctoral programme less than four years ago. 
• The award is open to residents of any country. Must be 18 or older. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. By applying, you are acknowledging that you have read and that you agree to our contest terms and conditions and privacy policy.
• In the event the summer school is cancelled or held virtually, the award will be cancelled or modified.

Award Recipient Requirements

The recipient must adhere to the following requirements:

• Attend all five days of the JRC Summer School in person. If the summer school is held online, the winner will be announced on the Science Consortium’s website but there will be no monetary prize.
• Present a poster at the JRC Summer School.
• Provide a headshot within one week of receiving notification from the Science Consortium that they have been selected for the award. The photo will be used on Science Consortium and member organisation websites as well as on social media platforms.
• Register for the summer school and book their own travel and hotel accommodation to attend the training in Ispra, Italy. The Science Consortium will reimburse the winner’s expense for accommodation (up to €900; 5 nights) and economy-seating airfare or train (up to €1,000; reimbursement amount varies depending on location). Environmentally sustainable modes of travel are encouraged (e.g., travelling by train when within four hours of the final destination with two or fewer changes). Receipts are required for accommodation and travel reimbursement and must be submitted to the Science Consortium by 24 June 2025. The Science Consortium will reimburse the winner within one month of receiving and approving their receipts. 
• Assume responsibility for all other expenses not noted above, including but not limited to meals, beverages, gratuities, optional excursions, rental car fees, personal expenses, travel insurance, and other incidentals.
• Obtain and pay for any documents required to travel, including a passport if travelling internationally. There will be no reimbursement for travel expenses if documents related to travel are not received in time. 
• Submit a brief summary (500 words or fewer) of key learning experiences within three weeks of attending the summer school. 

How to Apply

Please use the form below to submit the following documents during the submission period of 20 February-6 March 2025.

• Documents submitted to and accepted by the JRC:
  • Your CV
  • A motivation letter
  • A poster abstract of up to 250 words
• Confirmation that the JRC has accepted your participation in the summer school

For questions about the award or the application process, please e-mail Anna van der zalm at Anna [email protected].

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Past Winners

2023:

Karolina Kopańska is a PhD candidate in the PharmacoInformatics group at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Her research focuses on developing in silico models and probabilistic methods that can produce and combine toxicological evidence and estimate uncertainty for risk assessment.

Oluwole Akinosho is a master’s student at the University of Potsdam in Germany and is working on his thesis at a non-animal organ-on-a-chip laboratory, TissUse GmbH. His research has focused on optimising the renal model in a multi-organ chip, HUMIMIC Chip 4, which aims to replace the use of animals for drug toxicology assessments.

2019:

Patrícia Zoio, a PhD student from the NOVA University of Lisbon, is developing a fully humanised skin-on-a-chip model that can be used in long-term medical applications, without using any animal components.