Travel award eligibility for ISABC2023 young scientists
The 16th International Symposium on Applied Bioinorganic Chemistry returns to the historic lakeside city of Ioannina in June 2023, hosted by the University of Ioannina. As in previous editions, the organising committee has allocated dedicated funding to help early career researchers attend the meeting in person. These travel awards are designed to offset the substantial cost of international travel and accommodation, particularly for scientists travelling from the southern hemisphere.
For researchers based in Australia, the symposium represents a significant logistical undertaking. Flights from Sydney or Melbourne to Thessaloniki or Athens typically involve long routing through Southeast Asian or Middle Eastern hubs, and the journey can take more than twenty hours door to door. Recognising this, the ISABC2023 travel award programme specifically prioritises applicants from countries where participation would otherwise be financially prohibitive. Australian researchers, alongside colleagues from other geographically distant regions, are explicitly encouraged to apply.
This guide explains who is eligible for the funding, what career stages qualify, and how the application process works. It also outlines the documentation required and the timeline applicants should expect when submitting their application package.
Geographic eligibility and priority regions
The travel award scheme is open to applicants from any country, but priority is given to researchers based in nations where access to international funding is limited. The committee maintains a list of priority regions that typically includes low and middle income economies, as well as countries with high travel costs relative to typical research budgets. This means that a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Melbourne working on metalloproteins would qualify under the same umbrella as a counterpart in Lima or Lagos.
Australian researchers should note that the scheme does not impose a cap on the number of awards granted to any single country. Instead, selections are made competitively based on scientific merit and financial need. The only geographic restriction is that applicants must be affiliated with an institution outside Greece, since the symposium is hosted locally. Dual appointees with both Greek and Australian affiliations should declare their primary host institution on the application form.
| Career stage | Funding coverage | Primary requirement |
|---|---|---|
| PhD candidate | Registration waiver plus partial travel grant | Active enrolment and supervisor endorsement |
| Postdoctoral researcher | Registration, travel, and accommodation | Within five years of PhD completion |
| Early career academic | Registration and accommodation | Independent group leader within eight years of PhD |
Career stage categories for applicants
The programme distinguishes between three main career stages, each with its own funding cap and eligibility window. Candidates must fall into one of these categories at the time of application. PhD students are typically in the final two years of their candidature, though exceptional cases are considered. In the Australian system, this aligns with candidates who have completed confirmation of candidature and are writing up their thesis or preparing publications.
Postdoctoral researchers must be within five years of their doctoral award, excluding career interruptions for parental leave or illness. The committee calculates this from the date the degree was conferred, not the date of thesis submission. Early career academics, including lecturers and research fellows, must hold an independent position and be within eight years of their PhD. Senior lecturers and associate professors at Australian universities generally remain eligible, while full professors are not.
Required application materials
All applicants must submit a single PDF document containing a short CV, a one page abstract of the work to be presented, and a letter of endorsement from their supervisor or head of department. The CV should follow a standard academic format and include a publication list. The abstract must conform to the symposium template available on the website.
Australian applicants holding NHMRC or ARC funding should mention the grant number in their endorsement letter, as this helps the committee verify financial need. The total package should not exceed five pages, excluding the letter of endorsement. Late or incomplete submissions are not considered, so it pays to double check formatting before uploading.
Selection process and timeline
Applications are reviewed by a panel appointed by the International Advisory Board. The panel assesses scientific quality, career stage appropriateness, and the impact that attending ISABC2023 would have on the applicant's research trajectory. Geographic diversity is also factored in to ensure broad representation.
The timeline typically opens in late autumn and closes roughly three months before the symposium. Successful applicants are notified by early spring, leaving sufficient time to arrange visas and travel. Greek entry requirements for Australian passport holders include a valid Schengen visa, and applicants are advised to begin the paperwork as soon as they receive confirmation. For reference, materials from the porphyrin chemistry community meetings illustrate the kinds of contributions typically featured at gatherings of this scope.
Benefits and obligations of awardees
Awardees receive a travel grant calculated against the distance from their home institution to Ioannina, along with complimentary registration and accommodation at the symposium venue. In exchange, recipients must present their work either as an oral presentation or a poster, and must acknowledge ISABC2023 in any subsequent publication.
The symposium also runs a poster prize competition, and several travel awardees from previous editions have gone on to win recognition for their research. Australian applicants who secure funding should plan to remain for the full duration of the meeting, including the welcome reception and the closing dinner, as networking opportunities are concentrated around these events.
Submit your application through the official registration portal to download the award form and send your materials before the closing date. The University of Ioannina team looks forward to welcoming early career researchers from across the southern hemisphere to the shores of Lake Pamvotis in June.