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

Conditions

i4A Pro Grant (Track 2) is aimed at LMIC researchers (including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers/fellows, principal investigators, laboratory technicians, staff scientists), and imaging facility staff (research, technical, service support inc. image analysts, software and hardware developers) and imaging facility management to access selected GBI partner imaging facilities. The i4A Pro Grant is specifically for individuals with significant experience in imaging, who seek to further develop their imaging or facility management skills and/or conduct experimental work for an extended duration.

If you want to

  • learn an imaging modality/technique and/or a sample preparation method to adopt in your home organisation
  • test a new technology before a purchasing decision
  • build skills in core imaging facility operations and management
  • learn about a role in an imaging facility
  • train other scientists in applying imaging technologies
  • apply advanced imaging techniques to your research

then, the i4A Pro Track is for you.

This grant enables recipients to participate in a job shadowing opportunity and allow for a personalised hands-on training experience at selected GBI partner imaging facilities that are independently evaluated for their open-access services for external users. Additionally, the i4A Pro Track accepts applications from experienced microscope users who intend to use this grant to conduct extended-duration experimental work.

Budget: A budget of up to EUR 20,000 (twenty thousand euros) for international imaging facility access and up to EUR 10,000 (ten thousand euros) for national imaging facility access is available per grantee. These amounts cover 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 Pro Grant grantee.

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: The i4A Pro Grant typically supports access to hosting imaging facilities for a duration of up to 4 weeks. Although longer visits may be possible if justified and provided that total expenses do not exceed EUR 20,000 (twenty thousand euros) for international or EUR 10,000 (ten thousand euros) for national access.

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

The i4A Pro Grant restricts host selection to imaging facilities within GBI partner infrastructures and networks that have undergone an independent evaluation of their open-access imaging services for external users. Additionally, imaging facilities that have successfully hosted grantees in the i4A Access Track will have the opportunity to become i4A Pro Track hosts in the subsequent open calls.

For a list of hosts that have already undergone independent evaluation for their open-access services, please see the “Confirmed Hosts” section.

For facilities that are potentially eligible, please refer to the “Potential Hosts” section. These facilities, which are part of GBI partner networks, may become Confirmed Hosts by completing the i4A Pro Host Confirmation Form. This form will be reviewed by the i4A Independent Expert Panel to assess their services for external users. Once approved, these facilities will be eligible for the current and future rounds of the i4A Pro Track call.

As an applicant, please inform your hosts about the forms they need to complete to be able to host you in the i4A Pro Track.

Confirmed Hosts

These GBI partner imaging infrastructures are pre-approved to host i4A Pro Track grantees based on the independent evaluation of their open-access services for external users. With the exception of AMI Imaging Centre, these infrastructures encompass multiple imaging facilities across various locations. You can visit their websites to learn more about the participating facilities and the services they offer.

Location Name of facility Name of the imaging infrastructure Website
South Africa, Cape Town AMI (African Microscopy Initiative) Imaging Centre https://www.center.microscopy.africa/
Japan Multiple imaging facilities Advanced Bioimaging Support Platform (ABIS) https://www.nibb.ac.jp/abis/about-support/
Europe Multiple imaging facilities Euro BioImaging - ERIC (EuBI - ERIC) https://www.eurobioimaging.eu/
Australia Multiple imaging facilities Microscopy Australia https://micro.org.au/academic/access-guide/
Australia Multiple imaging facilities National Imaging Facility https://anif.org.au/capabilities/instrument-portfolio/
Singapore Multiple imaging facilities Singascope https://www.singascope.sg/

Potential Hosts

Facilities that are part of the GBI partner imaging networks and communities may be selected by the i4A Pro Track applicants starting from the first open call. However, these facilities must complete an additional confirmation step by submitting the i4A Pro Host Confirmation Form via Google Forms.

Location Name of facility Name of the imaging community Website
Africa Multiple imaging facilities Africa BioImaging Consortium (ABIC) https://www.africanbioimaging.org/microscopy-in-africa
Canada, Mexico, USA Multiple imaging facilities BioImaging North America (BINA) https://www.bioimagingnorthamerica.org/core-facilities/
Canada Multiple imaging facilities Canada BioImaging (CBI) https://www.canadabioimaging.org/memberplatforms
Mexico Multiple imaging facilities Laboratorio Nacional de Microscopía Avanzada (JNMA) https://lnma.unam.mx/wp/
Latin America Multiple imaging facilities Latin America BioImaging (LABI) https://labi.lat/core-facilities/
India Multiple imaging facilities India BioImaging (IBI) https://microscopy.iiserpune.co.in/about-3-1
Argentina Multiple imaging facilities Sistemas Nacionales Microscopia https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/tablero.ssnn/viz/CATALOGOMAPA-julio2020/Catlogoene-2020

Note on costs associated with the hosting imaging facilities: The i4A Pro 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 Pro 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 Pro Grant open call

Timeline for i4A Pro 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:

This step is mandatory for i4A Pro Track applicants. Please provide a brief description of your scientific background and the goals you aim to achieve by obtaining the i4A Pro funds. If you have a preferred destination in mind, please include that as well. We will help you match with a suitable hosting facility that aligns with your objectives.

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

We can act as an intermediary between you and the prospective hosting imaging facility. After your initial contact with us, we can guide you in scheduling a meeting with the facility to discuss your project goals, expectations, and address practical concerns related to your visit.

Once you've reached an initial agreement with the facility, please use one or both of the following forms provided below to share essential details to plan your visit, and to receive the facility’s assistance. You will be applying for the i4A Pro Grant in collaboration with the prospective hosting imaging facility. It is essential that the selected facility agrees to participate in the process, discuss your visit planning with you, provide the necessary information, advice and complete required support forms in a timely manner.

  • Visit Planning Form: If your goal is to learn a specific skill or participate in job shadowing without conducting experiments, complete this form.
  • Project Description Form: If your visit is focused solely on conducting experiments, use this form.
  • If your visit involves both training and experiments, please complete both of the forms (if unsure, contact us).

The completed forms can be attached to your i4A Pro Application (see below).

Completing these forms should be a collaborative effort between you and the facility. These documents will 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 imaging facility and submitted via Google Forms:
i4A Pro Confirmation of Support Agreement

Submit your official application:

Once you have completed the Visit Planning Form and/or Project Description Form, you may proceed with submitting your official application. To complete your application, please fill out the i4A Pro Grant Application Form via the Google Forms link provided below. In this form, we ask you to describe your motivation for applying for the i4A Pro 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 Pro 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:

Part 1:

Planning and timeline (up to 4 points)

  • The planning of the visit is reasonable and the objectives are achievable within the proposed timeline.

Relevance (up to 4 points)

  • The proposed goals align with the applicant’s research and/or career 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 access opportunity has the potential to have a positive impact on the grantee’s scientific work/career.

Dissemination (up to 4 points)

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

Part 2:

If you are planning use your i4A Pro funds to acquire experimental image data, we will additionally evaluate the suitability of the chosen imaging modality, the robustness of the scientific rationale and the soundness of the experimental planning:

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

Based on your scores from Part 1 (and, if applicable, from Part 2, weighted accordingly), proposals will be ranked and shortlisted. The i4A funding programme intends to cultivate cultural diversity and gender equity. Therefore, the final selection will be made with the following considerations:

  • 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.