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.

i4A Training Grant is suitable for LMIC researchers of all levels (including undergraduate students, Master’s students, PhDs, postdoctoral researcher/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 who want to expand their imaging science-related know-how by attending training courses and workshops.

Conditions

Budget and spending: A budget of up to EUR 5,000 (five thousand euros) is available per participation. This amount covers registration/participation fees for the training course/workshop, and costs of visa processing, travel insurance, travel, accommodation and meals for the grantee.

Whenever possible, the cost of the training course/workshop will be paid directly to the course organiser. If this option is not feasible, we will reimburse you for the course fee.

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 and accommodation 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: i4A Travel Grant will support the grantees for the duration of the chosen training opportunity up to a maximum of EUR 5,000 (five thousand euros).

Training course/workshop choice: i4A Training Grant applicants are free to choose an in-person training course/workshop in a national or international location with the only exception that the training course/workshop may not be organised by or take place at the grantee's own institution.

Note

For the training opportunity to be considered for i4A funding, it needs to provide hands-on learning experience for its attendees. In addition to hands-on learning, soft-skill training courses on imaging facility management will be eligible.

Example training topics include but are not limited to biological and biomedical imaging modalities, imaging techniques, sample preparation methods, application-specific imaging training, image data processing and analysis, and courses related to core imaging facility operations such as management of imaging facilities, measuring facility impact and lab quality standards, image data management, etc.

Training courses that have occurred before the i4A Training funds are awarded are not eligible for funding. We reserve the right to reject applications to attend training courses or workshops that seem predatory or do not offer sufficient content for a meaningful learning experience.

Global BioImaging (GBI)-organised courses are not eligible for i4A funding. If you would like to receive funding to attend GBI-organised courses, please apply to the travel grants offered by GBI for each specific course.

Timeline of the i4A Training Grant Open Call

Timeline for i4A Training Grant

Please take into account the time needed for application, evaluation, as well as visa processing when selecting the date of your training course.

Note

The evaluation timeline for the Training Grant differs from that of the Access and Pro Grants. Training Grant applications will be reviewed twice during this Open Call and will follow an accelerated schedule to maximise the number of courses that can be attended with i4A Training Grant support.

Review Dates: Jun 15 - 30 & Aug 15 - 30

Application Procedure

How to apply

Send us your enquiry

We do encourage you to reach out to us and take advantage of our application support service. We are happy to assist you in finding a training course/workshop (as resources allow) that aligns with your scientific goals.

Simply send us a brief description of the area of training you are interested in. Let us know if you already have a specific destination in mind or if you require assistance in making a decision, and we will take it from there.

Select a training course

You can make use of the Microscopy DB listings to find suitable and relevant imaging training for your needs. Microscopy DB is a repository of online microscopy resources compiled by the global community.

Note

You are NOT required to choose a course from the table below. This table is solely provided as a resource to help you explore available courses listed under the Microscopy DB initiative.

This resource is powered by MicroscopyDB.

Submit your official application

After selecting the training course you wish to participate in, please fill out the i4A Training Application Form via Google Forms. The application form will require you to briefly describe your scientific interests, explain the relevance of the training opportunity to your work, outline your plans for applying the acquired knowledge, discuss its potential impact on your research, and describe how you plan to disseminate this knowledge within your local community.

To be filled out by the applicant and submitted via Google Forms: i4A Training Application Form

You must apply to the training course you wish to attend before its specific deadline.

Do NOT wait for the i4A Training Grant results to be announced, as each course has its own application timeline. It is your responsibility to track and meet the deadlines of the courses you are interested in. Once you have been accepted, please share your letter of acceptance for your selected course with us at i4a_support@embl.de.

In case you are not selected for the training course/workshop by the organiser after you have already received the approval for the i4A Training Grant or for any reason you decide not to attend the course, please reach out to us immediately.

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 scientific review by the i4A access manager using a transparent point-based evaluation system, whose details are laid out below:

  1. Relevance (up to 4 points)
    • The proposed training opportunity aligns with the applicant’s research interests.
  2. Motivation (up to 4 points)
    • The applicant’s motivation in applying for the grant is clearly stated and appropriate.
  3. Impact (up to 4 points)
    • The training opportunity has the potential to impact the grantee’s scientific work.
  4. Dissemination (up to 4 points)
    • The applicant has concrete plans to disseminate the knowledge to his/her local scientific community.

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 applications for funding. The i4A Training Track will not feature a waiting list.

Do you have further questions?

We are hosting a Q&A session on 29.05.2025 at 13:00 CEST. We will answer your questions and support your applications. To register please use this link.

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