Caregiver Award

SMBE recognizes that many of our members are also carers and that these personal responsibilities can present a major challenge to attending scientific meetings, and hence to career advancement. We also recognize that you know best how to care for your own relatives and what their needs are, or that you yourself may have need of a carer to help you attend the meeting. Accordingly, in addition to providing affordable day care at our annual meeting, SMBE will make available up to $2000 to SMBE members with children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), or in need of personal assistance, to spend as they wish to facilitate the member’s attendance at the annual SMBE meeting and SMBE satellite meetings. We will prioritize early-career scientists and according to need (e.g., younger children, disabled children or adults). Examples of eligible expenses include (but are not limited to) providing airfare for your child or for your caregiver to accompany you and attend functions with you if needed, flying a relative out to help with care at your home while you’re at the meeting, or extra help paying for on-site daycare. 

Awardees can spend this money as they think best. We anticipate that up to 50 awards will be made available, depending on the number of deserving applications and the funding available.

Award Information

Eligibility

Any SMBE member who has a child or cares for a dependent adult at the time of the conference, or is in need of personal assistance, and is also attending the SMBE annual meeting, may apply for this award. If you are already chosen for another travel award or giving an invited presentation in a symposium you may still apply for this additional funding. Priority will be given to applicants who have demonstrated need and/or are in early stages of their academic careers (e.g., graduate students, postdocs, pre-tenure or within 6 years of starting their first independent lab).

Applicants will be asked to provide:

- Career stage (undergraduate student/graduate student/postdoctoral researcher/non-tenured faculty/tenured faculty/unemployed)

- Age of youngest child, if applicable

- Description of role as caregiver for a dependent adult, child, or relative, or needs for personal assistance

- A brief justification of the need for this award (300 words max)

- Amount requested, up to a maximum of $2000, and how you intend to use it

Checks/wire payments will be sent promptly following the completion of the meeting after the awardee submits a proof of attendance and the additional documentation as listed below.

US citizens will be required to also provide:

- A completed W9 form.

- Receipts for care expenses, totaling or exceeding the awarded amount, in order to avoid possible taxation of the award funds (as per the IRS).

Non-US citizens will be required to also provide:

- A completed W8-BEN form.

The SMBE Business Office will be in contact with all recipients to help with the collection of the required documents.

Please send your application by email to 
smbe@allenpress.com AND 
smbe.contact@gmail.com.


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