This guide will help you understand the conditions, application process, and selection procedure of the i4A Access Grant, and includes links to the application forms. Please read this document carefully before proceeding with your application.

Conditions

i4A Access Grant (Track 1) is aimed at LMIC researchers (including Master’s students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers/fellows, principal investigators, laboratory technicians, staff scientists), as well as imaging facility staff (research, technical, service support inc. image analysts, software and hardware developers) and imaging facility management. The grant supports access to any imaging facility or laboratory of the applicant's choice that is equipped with the technologies and services needed to conduct biological or biomedical imaging.

Budget: A budget of up to EUR 10,000 (ten thousand euros) is available per project. This amount covers imaging facility access fees for the use of imaging instruments, related services and consumables, and costs of visa processing, travel insurance, travel and accommodation for the grantee.

Whenever possible, the cost of access to the imaging facility, related services and consumables will be paid directly to the hosting imaging facility upon receipt of the invoices or payment requests. The hosting institution must be willing and able to provide an invoice or a payment request addressed to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) for the services provided to the i4A Access Grant awardee.

Our i4A administrative staff can assist you with booking your tickets and accommodation in a pre-funded manner if needed. Otherwise, the budget for travel, accommodation, and visa costs can be provided to the grantee as reimbursement. We can only reimburse you for your expenses upon receiving the relevant receipts. Travel costs will include a round-trip economy ticket and public transportation. Visa processing costs may include visa fees, travel expenses to and from visa authorities, photo and printing costs, and other related expenses. Applicants are responsible for arranging travel insurance if they desire coverage for the duration of their travels.

Bookings should be made according to EMBL’s travel reimbursement guidelines to ensure full reimbursement. Travel to and from the hosting site can occur up to two weeks before and after the imaging facility visit. Travel dates exceeding this two-week period before and after the visit will not be covered by the grant.

Duration and Multiple Visits: i4A Access Grant typically supports access to hosting imaging facilities for a duration of 1 - 2 weeks. Longer visits may be possible if justified, provided that total expenses do not exceed EUR 10,000 (ten thousand euros).

We recognize that some projects may require multiple visits to the hosting imaging facility. Multiple visits to the same facility will be allowed under the scope of the received grant. However, for reimbursement processing we will accept only one reimbursement request from the hosting imaging facility, and one from the grantee.

Requests for a second round of i4A funding to return to the same hosting facility after the initial grant may be considered and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Hosting imaging facility choice: i4A Access Grant applicants are free to choose their hosting imaging facility. Grantees can access any imaging facility, nationally or internationally, except for the facility in their own affiliated institution.

The chosen facility may either be a core imaging facility offering open-access services or a laboratory that provides access to their imaging equipment and can issue an invoice suitable for EMBL to cover the access costs.

In reviewing the submitted applications, we will consider whether the choice of the hosting imaging facility is justified and aligned with your project goals.

Note on costs associated with the hosting imaging facilities: The i4A Access Grant covers the costs associated with accessing imaging instruments and related services for your project. These services may include, but are not limited to, sample cultivation and preparation, image data acquisition, experimental consultation, customised imaging solutions, assay and probe development, expert advice, image data analysis, and image data management support. Additionally, the imaging facility may request reimbursement for reagents and consumables purchased specifically for your project. Please note that the i4A Access Grant does not cover any costs related to equipment purchases.

Note on biological and biomedical sample shipment: Depending on the availability of imaging support services at the hosting facility and as per your agreement, samples may be sent in advance for cultivation and sample preparation by the imaging facility staff. If shipping biological samples or reagents is not possible due to national and international regulations, we advise applicants to seek support and collaborations for sample provision at the site of the hosting imaging facility. Please inform yourself about the biological sample shipment regulations of the hosting country and include your sample logistics plans in your application.

Timeline of the i4A Access Grant Open Call

Timeline for i4A Access Grant

For applicants requiring visas for their travel associated with the i4A Grant, please inform yourself about visa processing timelines with your respective embassies or consulates while selecting your hosting institution/country.

Application Procedure

How to apply

Send us your inquiry:

While this step is optional for the i4A Access Track applicants, we encourage you to reach out to us and take advantage of our application support service. Simply send a brief description of your project and/or objectives for applying to the i4A funds to [email protected]. Let us know if you already have a specific destination in mind, or if you need assistance in making a decision, and we will take it from there.

Apply for the funds in collaboration with the hosting imaging facility:

  • Initiate contact with the prospective hosting imaging facility
  • Write up your project description with input from the facility
  • Obtain Confirmation of Support from the facility

You will be applying for the i4A Access Grant in collaboration with the prospective hosting imaging facility. It is essential that the chosen facility agrees to participate in the process with you, providing the necessary information, advice and completing required support forms in a timely manner.

We recommend approaching your prospective hosting imaging facility with a brief description of your project and goals, and arranging a meeting to discuss them. At this stage, you can also contact us to serve as a liaison between you and the prospective hosting imaging facility to facilitate the initial contact.

Once you reach an initial agreement with the facility, please use the Project Description Form to share essential project details and receive their assistance in planning your visit and experimental work. Completing this form should be a collaborative effort between you and the facility. This document will further help the facility to confirm their resources (e.g. timetables, instrument access, staff availability) and assess the technical feasibility of your proposed project. Once this step is complete, the facility should confirm their support to host you by submitting the Confirmation of Support Agreement via Google Forms.

To be completed by the applicant with input from the imaging facility: Project Description Form

To be completed by the imaging facility, and submitted via Google Forms: i4A Access Confirmation of Support Agreement

Submit your official application for the i4A funds:

Once you have completed your Project Description Form, you may proceed with submitting your official application. To complete your application, please fill out the i4A Access Application Form via the Google Forms link provided below. In this form, we ask you to describe your motivation for applying for the i4A Access Grant, the anticipated impact on your scientific work or career, and your plans to disseminate the knowledge gained from the programme.

To be completed by the applicant and submitted via Google Forms: i4A Access Application Form

Selection procedure

The selection process will be based on information obtained from the submitted applications.

Once we receive your official application, we will initially check it for eligibility and completeness. After the eligibility check, your application will undergo an independent scientific review by two external reviewers from the i4A Independent Expert Panel (IEP) with matching scientific expertise. They will evaluate your application using a transparent point-based evaluation system, whose details are laid out below:

Scientific quality of the proposed project (up to 4 points)

  • Scientific background/rationale for the project is robust
  • Project objectives are clearly stated
  • Expected project outcomes are clearly stated

Experimental plan and timeline (up to 4 points)

  • Experimental design is sound
  • Experimental timeline is realistic

Relevance (up to 4 points)

  • The proposed project aligns with the applicant’s research interests.

Motivation (up to 4 points)

  • The applicant’s motivation in applying for the grant is clearly stated and appropriate.

Impact (up to 4 points)

  • The training opportunity has the potential to impact the grantee’s scientific work.

Dissemination (up to 4 points)

  • The applicant has concrete plans to disseminate the knowledge to his/her local scientific community.

Justification of the choice of the imaging facility (up to 4 points)

  • Sample logistics, availability of equipment and expertise suitable for the proposed project

Based on the combined scores, proposals will be ranked and shortlisted. i4A funding programme intends to cultivate cultural diversity and gender equity. Therefore, the final selection will be made to ensure:

  • Balanced distribution of funds across the country affiliations of grantees
  • Balanced representation of gender
  • Balanced distribution across project topics and imaging modalities (if necessary)

We will select the top-scoring projects for funding and place the runner-up projects on the waiting list. The waiting list may be called at a later time if resources become available.

After the visit

Visit evaluation and follow-up:
By accepting the i4A funds, grantees commit to submitting a visit report and an evaluation form about their experience in the short term. Additionally, grantees agree to complete a follow-up form one year after their visit to assess the impact of the grant on their projects and careers.

Grantee networking opportunities:
Following the open call, we will host online events to bring i4A grantees together, providing opportunities to network, share experiences, and build connections within a global community of like-minded imaging scientists.

Do you have further questions?

We are hosting a Q&A session on 15.10.2024 at 13:00 CEST. We will answer your questions and support your applications. To register please use this link.

For your questions and support inquiries please get in touch with us via i4a_support@embl.de.