Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grants

Applicants must be within five years of setting up their first lab/research group and be working in the field of experimental biology relating to animal comparative physiology or biomechanics.

Each application will be evaluated on the excellence of the candidate as well as benefits and outcomes from the proposed partnership, merit of the research proposal to be submitted to a major funding body, and alignment of the proposal to the core remit of Journal of Experimental Biology.

Please review the applicant handbook and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before completing and submitting your application.

Note: We are unable to pay awards to recipients in jurisdictions, countries or regions of the world subject to sanctions, embargoes or other political trade restrictions put in place by the United Nations, the EU or the UK.

General guidelines:

• Applications will be considered only from junior faculty staff members (e.g. Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Group Leader, Principal Research Investigator) within five years (excluding any career breaks) of their first faculty position.
• Applicants must be working in the field of experimental biology relating to animal comparative physiology or biomechanics.
• Grants do not support attendance at scientific meetings, conferences or training courses.
• Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grants can be awarded once only to an applicant.
• Applicants cannot apply for both a Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grant and an ECR Visiting Fellowship within a 12-month period.
• If an application is unsuccessful, the applicant cannot reapply within 12 months (i.e. they may not reapply in the following funding round).
• The date of travel must occur within six months of funding being awarded.
• Applications will not be considered retrospectively.
• The grant only applies to new collaborations; existing research collaborations will not be supported.

Guidelines for completing the application:

• The application form and all supporting documents must be completed in English, and letters of support must be on institutional headed paper and signed.
• The total amount requested should not exceed £2,000.
• Expenses include travel, accommodation, subsistence and visa fees. Travel insurance costs should not be included in the expenses.
• Please upload the following documents to your application:
  • letter of employment status from your Head of Department/School
  • letter of support from your host research collaborator
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • publication list
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the criteria required for the grant.

Terms and conditions for successful applicants:

• If your application is successful, you will be required to sign our Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grant Agreement.
• The date of the collaborative visit must occur within six months of funding being awarded.
• If for any reason the visit is delayed beyond six months of the award, you must seek permission to extend the funding.
• If the visit does not go ahead, the funds allocated will need to be returned, in full.
• Any unspent funds must be returned within one month of the end of the visit.
• You must keep all receipts related to your visit. These must be scanned and uploaded via the online application portal within one month of the end of your visit.
• You must provide at least two bright, clear photographs and a 300–500-word summary of the outcomes of your visit within three months of return from the collaborator’s lab.

Deadline dates for applications and applicant handbook

2024

• 1 December 2024 (for travel after 2 January 2025)
• 6 June 2025 (for travel after 7 July 2025)
• 28 November 2025 (for travel after 5 January 2026)

Please submit your application in plenty of time as it can take up to four weeks from the deadline date to reach a decision.

Applicant handbook

Our applicant handbook provides further useful information on the application process.