Fellowships

The ECCB association is pleased to offer travel fellowships, which are intended to support students, early-career researchers, and young researchers who would otherwise have difficulty covering the costs of attending the conference.

Key dates

• Monday 18 May 2026 - Conference fellowship application deadline
  Register until 23:59 Anywhere on Earth *no extensions*
• Tuesday 2 June 2026 - Conference fellowship acceptance notifications sent
• Thursday 11 June 2026 - Conference fellowship recipient registration deadline
  Register until 23:59 Anywhere on Earth *no extensions*

Maximum amount

The maximum fellowship award is determined based on the geographical location of the applicant and upon submission of appropriate receipts. Please note that fellowship amounts are intended to contribute to, and may only partially cover, the costs of travel and registration. Applicants must therefore seek and secure additional funding sources where necessary (for example, from their home institution, university, or grant funding).

Awards will not exceed the maximum amount listed above, regardless of actual expenses incurred.

Application process

The application must be submitted by presenting authors only, if the qualifying requirements are met. No application will be accepted after the deadline of 18 May 2026.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a conference fellowship, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

1. The applicant must be listed as an author or co-author on an accepted proceedings paper, abstract, or poster, and must be the presenting author of the work, in accordance with the requirements of the funding agencies.
2. The applicant must, at the time of the conference, be:
   • registered in a Bachelor’s / Master’s / doctoral programme, or
   • employed as a post-doctoral research fellow, or
   • a young researcher within five years of the award of their PhD, excluding documented career breaks such as parental leave, medical leave, or military service.
3. The applicant must be registered for the conference by 11 June 2026 and attend all three conference days.
4. If attendance at the conference is dependent on receipt of fellowship funds, applicants should not register until after fellowship notification.
5. Any funded applicant who fails to register by the stated deadline will automatically forfeit the fellowship, and the funds may be reallocated to another applicant.
6. The applicant must be able to pay all conference-related expenses upfront, including registration fees, travel, accommodation, and meals.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses covered by fellowship funds include:

• Conference registration (including the Student Council Symposium or tutorials/workshops)
• Transportation to the conference city (air or land travel from the home region)
• Accommodation (up to CHF 200 per night, for a maximum of 4 nights for the conference only, or 5 nights if the ISCB Student Council Symposium or a tutorial is included)

To receive the full awarded amount, recipients must submit valid receipts for registration, transportation, and accommodation expenses.

In 2019, LS² Life Sciences Switzerland and SIB created the LS² Intersection Bioinformatics. All members of this Bioinformatics intersection benefit from reduced registration fees for ECCB and pay the same rate as SIB Members (refer to the registration fees).

The Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) supports early-career researchers in Switzerland by promoting scientific exchange and participation in international conferences. Together with LS², SCNAT has granted eight registration fellowships for students (BSc, MSc or PhD), who wish to participate in the ECCB conference 2026 (on-site participation only).

The registration fellowship covers the full conference registration fee, including the tutorials and/or workshops of the recipient’s choice.

Interested students can submit a motivation letter, which will be assessed by the Board of the LS² Bioinformatics Intersection.

Key dates

• Monday 2 March 2026 - Registration fellowship call opens 
• Monday 4 May 2026 - Registration fellowship closes
• End of May - Acceptance notification

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

• Be enrolled in an official Bachelor, Master or PhD programme (a copy of a valid student ID or certificate of current enrolment must be provided).
• Have a field of study related to one of the sessions of the ECCB conference.
• Be an active LS² member at the time of application (membership details).
• Submit a motivation letter explaining why they wish to attend the ECCB conference and how participation will benefit their career.
• Application deadline: 4 May 2026

Notification

Acceptance notifications for the registration fellowships will be sent via email in mid to late May 2026, and results will also be announced per email.

Please note:

• If you apply for a registration fellowship, please do not register for ECCB until you receive the official decision. This will help avoid any reimbursement process in case your application is successful.
• Travel and accommodation must be organized by the applicant and are not covered by the fellowship.
• All LS² members can join the LS² Intersection Bioinformatics.