Short-Term Fellowship Program

The QED Alliance short-term fellowships are for research visits of two weeks up to six months between laboratories in QED member institutions. The fellowships are not awarded for exchanges between two laboratories within the same country.

Fellowships are intended for joint research work rather than consultations, preferably to establish new scientific relationships.

Deadline

Applications are accepted throughout the year.

QED Alliance Member Institutions

• Emory University
• The University of Queensland
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

QED Alliance subject areas

• Brain Health
• Cancer
• Infectious Disease

Areas outside of the three listed will also be considered based on the merit of the project.

Contacts

Please check the eligibility criteria before applying by reaching to:

• Emory University: Gayathri Srinivasan, PhD
• QIMR-Berghofer: Professor Frank Gannon
• The University of Queensland: Professor Alastair McEwan

Applications must meet the following criteria to be accepted:

• The applicant must be an active research scientist at any stage in their career with at least one year of research experience at PhD student level.
• The fact that an applicant has previously held a QED Alliance short or long-term Fellowship does not preclude further applications for a fellowship for a new project in a different laboratory. Reapplication is only possible 12 months after the end of the previous short-term fellowship or in the case of unsuccessful applicants, the date of application.
• Applications to work with former PhD or postdoc supervisors, or to work in laboratories previously visited, will NOT be considered.
• Applications to visit laboratories in the context of an already existing long-term collaboration or involving previous exchanges of scientists will be considered.

Apply here

In order for the home laboratory to benefit from the exchange, on completion of the fellowship, applicants must return to their home laboratory for at least six months. A signed letter from the home institution after this period is required as proof.

Please note:

• QED Alliance does not consider applications for QED Alliance short-term fellowships to extend visits begun under other auspices, or as bridging fellowships between, or prior to, long-term stays funded by QED Alliance or other organizations.
• Applications to work on a project with the intention to develop new products or procedures will be considered. Similarly, applications for the exclusive purpose of training in a technique rather than as a component of a wider research project will also be considered for funding.
• Applications for fellowships to attend courses, workshops, or symposia will NOT be considered.
• It is not possible to apply for a QED Alliance short-term fellowship if other, parallel exchanges are planned to take place between the home and the host laboratories during the planned fellowship duration. Short (one- or two-day) visits or seminar invitations are not considered in this category.
• If the applicant has secured additional funds or grants from other institutions to support the proposed visit, the applicant must notify the QED Alliance Office immediately.

Applications for a QED Alliance short-term fellowship are accepted via the QED Alliance online application system. All applications must be written in English.

Timeline

Although awards are made throughout the year, we recommend that applications be submitted at least three months before the proposed start date of the research visit, or at a minimum, applications must be submitted before the start date of the research visit.

Application Procedure

• All submitted applications are screened by the QED Alliance Office to ensure eligibility requirements are met. Receipt of submitted applications will be acknowledged via email.
• Final decisions will be made by the QED Alliance Office.
• Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by email.

Application Form

The online application form will ask you to provide information on:

• Contact details of two referees
• Address of the receiving institute and contact details of the host institute supervisor
• A summary of the proposed work
• A summary of your current work
• Basic CV
• Funding sources

Online Application Form

The application for a QED ALLIANCE short-term fellowship is electronic only. Hard copies will not be processed. This refers to all relevant documents including not only the application form but also the reference letters and the host institute acceptance form.

Letters of Reference

The applicant must provide the names and contact details of two referees (who are not from the host institute) who will have to submit their confidential letters of reference online. One of the referees must be the current supervisor. In the case that the applicant is already an independent researcher, only one reference letter from a legal representative of the home institution (Dean, Director etc.) is required.

Receiving Institute Form

The applicant should coordinate their application with that of the receiving institute. The applicant must provide the name and contact details of their host supervisor. The host supervisor must submit an acceptance form online.

Proposed Work

The research proposal should be well argued and written by the applicant. The proposal is subdivided into two parts: a 250-word summary, of the proposed activity and the biological significance of the proposed research, plus the research proposal itself, which must not exceed 1500 words (excluding references). The research proposal should explain the background of the research project and contain a detailed outline of the work to be performed at the host institute. No figures or tables may be included. References in the research proposal should include the complete list of authors followed by the title of the paper, year, journal or preprint server name and details on volume, page numbers, etc.

Note: All the research activities supported by the QED Alliance Fellowship Program must be in compliance with fundamental ethical and research integrity principles, such as those set by the respective institutional policies.

Subjects of Research

These refer to questions relevant to the use in research of human materials, including human embryonic stem cells, use of animal models and, in general, any other potential ethical issues that may arise during the applicant's daily research activities. Applicants may be asked to provide evidence that their planned research conforms to the relevant regulations that apply at the host and home institutions.

Present Work

The synopsis of work performed at the home institute should allow the reader, in a brief and concise manner, to appreciate both the applicant's past experience and its relevance to the proposed research topic. Applicants must clearly communicate their career plans for the period following the short-term fellowship.

Publication List

In the publication list, applicants must indicate their three (or fewer) most important publications, i.e. the three primary research papers that in your view provided the most important and original contributions to scientific knowledge. Applicants must NOT include the journal impact factor.

Papers published in preprint servers (e.g. arXiv, bioRxiv, PeerJ) will also be taken into consideration. Papers submitted or in preparation, but not yet accessible to the community, will not be considered and must not be included in the list of publications. Publication updates after the application is complete will not be accepted.

Note:An application is only complete once both reference letters (if applicable) and the host institute acceptance form have been received. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that their application is complete and to submit. Upon submission of an application, the QED Alliance Office will acknowledge receipt and will assign a short-term fellowship reference number.

All applications are examined at the QED Alliance Office to ensure that they are complete and eligible. Receipt of complete applications will be acknowledged via email.

Applications are judged on the following criteria:

• Quality of the project to be developed in the host laboratory (novelty, feasibility).
• The suitability of the host laboratory for the proposed work and previous interactions with the home laboratory. Is the topic covered in sufficient depth and breadth?
• Value of the exchange for the laboratories involved (expertise or technology transfer, collaboration, co-publication).
• CV of the candidate, and in particular research experience.

Final decisions are made by the QED Alliance Office.

Participants will be reimbursed for travel costs and subsistence.

At the end of the fellowship, applicants are asked to provide the QED Alliance with a report of their activity at the host institute. The report should be sent to the home institution QED Alliance Office.

Please note that you need to indicate your proposal title number and your current address on your final report.

The final report must be submitted to the fellowship office within three months of completing the research visit. The report should be approximately two pages and should summarize the results as well as possible plans for further work to be undertaken.

The report may include diagrams, charts or illustrations. Upon receipt of the final report, the QED Alliance Office will send a certificate stating the start date and duration of the fellowship, the place where it was held, and the title of the project developed.