Fellowships

We have joined forces with ISB to provide a travel fellowship allowing biocurators to participate at reduced costs in [BC]2!

Participating at the conference as a student (BSc, MSc and PhD) or an early-career scientist is a prime opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research in computational biology and bioinformatics, and to network with other members of the community. It is also a great opportunity to enhance your career by initiating or strengthening the scientific exchange with other researchers or industries.

ISB travel fellowship

The ISB International Society for Biocuration is a non-profit organization for biocurators, developers, and researchers with an interest in biocuration. The society promotes the field of biocuration and provides a forum for information exchange through meetings and workshops.

ISB is offering two in-person travel fellowships (CHF 2,500 each) to support current ISB members aiming to attend the [BC]2 Basel Computational Biology Conference. Applications are particularly encouraged from students, early-career curators, and curators from low-income countries or those affected by natural disasters.

Fellowship details

Each travel fellowship will be issued as 2’500 CHF one-time payment to cover travel expenses (e.g. flight and ground transportation) to [BC]2.

  • ISB Travel Fellows will receive a free registration for the conference.

  • ISB Travel Fellows will receive the funds after the decision has been taken; fellows will be responsible for organizing their own travel arrangements.

  • Once notified, ISB Travel Fellows must register for the conference independently. 

Eligibility and application process

Each applicant for a travel fellowship must meet the following criteria:

  • Be an active ISB member (details on becoming an ISB member can be found here). 

  • Submit a completed application using the official application form, including a statement (max. 500 words) explaining why they are requesting travel funds and how attending the [BC]2 conference will benefit their career. 

  • Commit to presenting a poster or giving a talk at the conference.

  • Submit their application by 30 May 2025

  • After the meeting awardees will supply a picture and short summary of how attending the meeting benefitted them for use by the ISB 

  • Priority will be given to students and early-careers, as well as to applicants from low to middle-income countries or countries suffering from natural and humanitarian disasters. Previous recipients can apply again; however, they will be given a lower priority.

Notification

The award notification will be sent via email in mid-June and announced on the ISB and [BC]2 website after acceptance of the award.

Important dates

  • 10 March 2025 – Fellowship call opens
  • 30 April 2025 – Fellowship call closes

  • 15 May 2025 – Acceptance notification

The International Society for Biocuration was legally incorporated in 2009 in Switzerland as a non-for-profit organization.

What is biocuration?
Biocuration involves the translation and integration of information relevant to biology into a database or resource that enables integration of the scientific literature as well as large data sets. Accurate and comprehensive representation of biological knowledge, as well as easy access to this data for working scientists and a basis for computational analysis, are primary goals of biocuration.

The goals of biocuration are achieved thanks to the convergent endeavors of biocurators, software developers and researchers in bioinformatics. Biocurators provide essential resources to the biological community such that databases have become an integral part of the tools researchers use on a daily basis for their work. Read more

More information on biocuration can be found in the article “Big data: The future of biocuration.” (PubMed; full text at Nature.com).