Student Grants for Participation in Meetings

The Portuguese Biochemical Society (SPB) awards grants for participation of students in international meetings and in the National Congress of Biochemistry.

How to apply for an SPB Student Grant

From January 2009 on, there are new guidelines for students who apply for an SPB Student Grant:

  1. The candidate must be a member of SPB for at least one year - if you are not a member, you can apply for an SPB membership at the Members section of the site;
  2. Candidates must have paid their due membership fees during the first trimester of each year; candidates with unpaid membership fees will be automatically excluded.
  3. The candidate is the presenting author of the communication submitted to an international meeting which will be held outside of Portugal - applications for national meetings will no longer be considered, except for the National Congress of Biochemistry;
  4. The candidate did not receive an SPB scholarship during the 24 months prior to the meeting in consideration;
  5. The candidate must be either a last-year MSc student or a PhD student in the fifth year (or earlier) of their degree programme. Students who are in their sixth (or later) year of their degree programme will be automatically excluded.
  6. The scientific meeting must take place, at least, 3 months after the end of the evaluation period of your submission (see below the 4 annual evaluation periods during which you can submit your application).
  7. If a candidate of a given group leader's lab is awarded a grant, candidates from the same lab will automatically be excluded from receiving any SPB grants for 12 months counting from the first day of the evaluation period during which the grant was awarded.
Evaluation of applications for SPB Student Grants

Evaluations of applications will be carried out within 15 days after the end of each submission period, namely:

  1. January - March: 1-15 April (grant applications for meetings starting not earlier than 30 June);
  2. April - June: 1-15 July (grant applications for meetings starting not earlier than 30 September);
  3. July - September: 1-15 October (grant applications for meetings starting not earlier than 31 December); and
  4. October - December: 1-15 January (grant applications for meetings starting not earlier than 31 March).
Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to evaluate the applications:

  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Meeting relevance
  • Communication type (oral presentations will have priority over posters)

NOTE: SPB reserves the right to refuse applications that are incomplete or otherwise pertain to a candidate, meeting and/or comunication with clear scientific shortcomings, or if the scholarship budget concerning the application period has been met upon candidate seriation. All decisions will be final.

Application Form

To apply, fill in an online application form. If you prefer to send your application in paper format, write a cover letter to the President of the Executive Committee and add the following documentation:

  1. C.V., which must include: personal data of the candidate; graduation year, graduation scientific field and grade / mark average; publications and past communications;
  2. Submitted abstract;
  3. Information about the meeting you want to participate in, including a link to the meeting web page (ex: http:// www.meetinglink; the link requirement is not needed when the meeting is the National Congress of Biochemistry;
  4. Document proving that the abstract was accepted (if already available or to be turned in as soon as possible).

The letter and any documentation needed for the evaluation of your application must be addressed to the Secretariat of SPB.

What SPB expects from you

If your are awarded an SPB grant, the Portuguese Society of Biochemistry expects you to acknowledge its support by:

  • Printing the SPB logo on your poster or acknowledge it in your oral presentation.

© 2005 SPB