Committee for Aid and Education in Neurochemistry (CAEN)
Application Guidelines


Applications for financial support from the Committee for Aid and Education in Neurochemistry (CAEN) are invited from independent investigators, particularly scientists in early stages of their careers (postdoctoral young investigators; Ph.D. students at the final stages of their studies may also be considered) , from countries with limited financial support for research in Neurochemistry (defined broadly as molecular and cellular neurobiology).

There are three application deadlines per year:
April 30, August 31 and December 31.

  • Applications in Category 2 (Scientific Meetings) must be received at least two months prior to the event.

  • Activities for which support is requested should be undertaken in the 4 months immediately following the relevant deadlines.

    • The following activities are currently eligible for support:

    CATEGORY 1: RESEARCH

    A. Visit by the Applicant to Another Laboratory.

    These visits are intended to allow the applicant to develop new technical or conceptual expertise for further application to the applicant's research program upon return to the home institution. Support may be applied to travel, accommodation and insurance. It is expected that funds for laboratory expenses will be provided by the host laboratory.

    The applicant should provide:

    1) Letter of support from the applicant's home institution
    2) Letter of support from the principal investigator of the proposed host laboratory
    3) Short description of the project, including the expected benefit to the applicant and his/her institution
    4) Two page curriculum vitae of the applicant
    5) Complete information on other external funds made available/requested for the same purpose including those requested from local sources. Applicants are encouraged to actively seek additional sources of support, particularly from the receiving laboratory.

    An advance sum (or the total if required) will be transferred to the applicant’s institution. Upon completion of the visit, the awardee should provide a full report (including a photograph of the awardee in the host laboratory) indicating the outcome and benefit derived from the award. The remainder of the financial support, if any, will be transferred to the awardee upon approval of the scientific report. Awardees are expected to acknowledge ISN in any publications resulting from the funded activity.

    Awards will generally be in the range of 1,000 - $4,000 (US dollars).

    B. Research supplies for use in the applicant's home laboratory.

    The applicant (normally young independent investigators) should provide:

    1) Brief description of the research project and its significance
    2) Detailed budget of how the requested funds will be spent
    3) Two page curriculum vitae of the applicant
    4) Letter of support for the proposed research from the applicant's Departmental Chair

    Awards will generally be in the range of $500 - $5,000.

    CATEGORY 2: ATTENDING OR HOLDING SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

    C. Travel awards for individuals to scientific meetings of ISN Sister Societies.

    A limited number of travel fellowships are available for travel to meetings of the ISN Sister Societies (i.e., ESN, APSN, ASN) when these meetings are not being held jointly with ISN.

    1. Applications for travel to ISN biennial meetings will not be considered by CAEN since such travel fellowships are reviewed by a separate ISN committee.
    2. Applications should be received prior to submission of the meeting abstract and at the latest 2 months prior to commencement of the meeting. Acceptance at a meeting does not necessarily imply eligibility for funding.
    3. Batch applications will not be accepted. Applications to attend sister society meetings will be judged on their individual merit. Each applicant should apply individually and not through a meeting organizer.

    The applicant should provide:

    1) Name, location and dates of the meeting
    2) Letter of support from the applicant's home institution
    3) Detailed budget of expenses for which funds are requested
    4) Title and type (i.e., oral, poster, etc) of any presentations the applicant will make of his/her research
    5) The expected benefit to the applicant and his/her institution
    6) Two-page curriculum vitae of the applicant
    7) Letter of acceptance from the meeting organizers.

    Awards will generally be in the range of $250 - $1,500 (US dollars). Awardees are expected to provide 1 photograph of themselves at the relevant meeting attended.

    D. Support for participation by individuals in scientific workshops in developed countries

  • Applications for travel to scientific workshops at ISN biennial meetings will not be considered by CAEN since such travel fellowships are reviewed by a separate ISN committee.

  • Applications should be received prior to submission of the meeting abstract and at the latest 2 months prior to commencement of the meeting. Acceptance at a meeting does not necessarily imply eligibility for funding.

  • Batch applications will not be accepted. Applications to scientific workshops will be judged on their individual merit. Each applicant should apply individually and not through a meeting organizer.

    • The applicant should provide:

    1) Name, location, dates and organizers of the workshop, and an outline of the workshop topics and speakers/instructors
    2) Letter of acceptance from the organizers for attendance at the workshop
    3) Letter of support from the applicant's home institution
    4) Detailed budget of how the requested funds will be spent
    5) Title and type (i.e., oral, poster, etc.) of any presentations the applicant will make of his/her research
    6) Expected benefit to the applicant and his/her institution
    7) Two page curriculum vitae of the applicant

    Awards will generally be in the range of $250 - $2,000 (US dollars). Awardees are expected to provide a photograph of themselves at the relevant workshop attended.

    E. Support for the implementation of scientific/educational Workshops and small schools.

    Applicant(s) should be principal organizers of the workshop/school and should provide:

    1) Name, location, dates and organizers of the workshop or school, an outline of the topics to be presented and the speakers/instructors who have agreed to participate
    2) Significance of the topic and expected impact of the workshop on the field of research
    3) Budget of the total projected costs, and details of any funding being sought from other organizations (all other sources of finance should be clearly stated, indicating in particular whether other ISN committees have been approached for support for the event).
    4) Detailed budget of costs to be covered by funds requested from CAEN
    5) Summary of the proposed number and countries of origin of the students expected to attend (particularly in the case of schools)
    6) Two-page curriculum vitae of the applying organizer(s)

    IN ORDER TO ASSURE A FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF CAEN’S RESOURCES, APPLICANTS MAY ONLY APPLY FOR 1 (ONE) OF THE ABOVE TWO CATEGORIES OF AWARDS EVERY 3 (THREE) YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE: AN APPLICANT COULD ASK FOR RESEARCH MONEY IN YEAR 1 AND THEN CONFERENCE MONEY IN YEAR 3. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THE APPLICANT COULD NOT ASK FOR RESEARCH MONEY AGAIN UNTIL YEAR 4 (FOUR) AND FOR CONFERENCE MONEY UNTIL YEAR 6 (SIX).

    Upon approval of an application the amount granted will be transferred to a bank account of the applicant’s institution, the host’s institution, or a designated bank account associated with the meeting. Other arrangements may exceptionally be considered but must be approved in advance by the ISN Treasurer. Transfer to any private bank account is not possible.

    At the conclusion of the activity, a full report should be submitted to CAEN within one month of the end of the workshop, indicating the outcome and benefit derived from the funds provided. A list of recipients and the support provided for them should be included. The responsible organizer is expected to provide 1 photograph of attendees at the relevant workshop or school. The remaining 20% of the financial support will only be made available and transferred to the conference organizers or chairs upon i) receipt of the invoices corresponding to approximately 80% of the expenses and ii) approval by CAEN of the scientific report.

    Awards will generally be in the range of $1,000- $6,000 (US dollars).

    Submission of Applications.

    Applications and inquiries should be directed to the Chair of CAEN:
    Dr. Francisco J. Barrantes, Director, Institute for Biochemical Research, Universidad Nacional del Sur, C. C. 857, B-8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Phone (054) 291 4861201. Fax: (054) 291 4861200. Email rtfjb1@criba.edu.ar