IDEA Initiative Call for Proposals

SMBE, through the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) task force, aims to address systemic racism, sexism, colonialism, and other forms of exclusion in our SMBE society. With this in mind, a budget of up to $25,000 per year, as well as a fund for Local Leadership in Science (up to $10,000) and Outreach (up to $10,000), will be dedicated to initiatives that help reduce inequities in molecular biology and evolution research. In the fall, the task force would like to invite members of SMBE to propose initiatives that would take place in the year 2026/2027.

Examples of initiatives could include, but are not limited to, workshops, symposia, training opportunities, stand-alone featured talks, or inequity data collection in particular groups, countries, or regions (to name a few). If you are interested in knowing what projects have previously been funded, please visit SMBE IDEA tab of the SMBE website. We especially encourage initiatives that could potentially be sustainable beyond the funded year. We welcome proposals that require the full or only a portion of the budget (budget justification will need to be provided). More information coming soon! (We usually open the call after the annual SMBE conference)

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at smbe.idea@gmail.com.