Awards

The aim of these awards is to fund visits by ESPID members to other centres to obtain experience or training in techniques or areas not otherwise available to them. Visits will usually be for around 1-3 months (maximum funded period 16 weeks). Clear and specific training objectives (which could involve  laboratory, public health or other academic areas) are essential. The awards are intended to only support research.

The awards are designed to be flexible and rapidly processed – we will aim to respond to all applications within one month. The awards will cover 3 areas. Travel costs (round trip) with a fixed maximum budget as per ESPID guidelines. Accommodation to a maximum of Eur300 per week with receipts. Subsistence to a maximum of Eur120 per week (no receipts required). Maximum amount for subsistence awarded is €420 (per week, pro rata) this included food, accommodation and travel to and from training institution. The host centre can claim fixed funding towards their costs (Eur80 fixed sum for administration expenses, plus a maximum of Eur180 per week to cover infrastructure costs) and will not be made to individuals.

ESPID will only support one award relating to any one project. If you feel you have a project which more than one award would cover you should select and apply to only one ESPID award. If you have other awards/grants which are pending or have been recently funded, you must indicate this in your application and clearly state what support has been requested/agreed and when a decision is expected.

• Must be “good standing” ESPID member at the time of the deadline(click here to download the ESPID "good standing" member criteria) and current membership fees must be paid up in full before your application.
• Must be a trainee paediatrician or in medical, allied health professional or scientific training in a clinical or academic centre involved in paediatrics or child health.
• Applications from those in career posts may also be funded if there is a clear case that the relevant experience to be gained is of strategic importance and not available locally.

Essential criteria – host centre

• Must provide written confirmation in advance that they can provide the type of training/experience being specifically requested, that they can and will offer this training/experience between the dates being requested for the applicant under consideration including timetabled activities throughout the visit.
• Must also be willing to confirm to ESPID in writing, after completion of the fellowship visit, that the trainee attended and was trained as planned.

Applicant

• Young age (under 40 years)
• Lack of easy access to alternative funding sources for this training

Host Centre

• Has ESPID member among senior staff/faculty
• Is in a different country from the applicant’s country

The applicant should first identify the training area required and the centre to be visited. 

The applicant should agree proposed dates and content of the training to be undertaken directly with the host centre. 

APPLICATION DEADLINES: OPEN ALL YEAR

As part of your online application you will be requested to include the following:

Enclosure 1:

CV

Enclosure 2:

Letter from host centre main contact addressed to the ESPID Secretary. This must state the applicant’s name, confirm the proposed dates for the visit and the nature of training that will be offered.

Enclosure 3:

Letter from the applicant’s main supervisor at the place they are currently working addressed to the ESPID Secretary, confirming the applicant’s current post, approving the proposed training visit and confirming support and agreement for the training visit to take place between the dates proposed.

Enclosure 4 (desirable): 

Send a signed declaration mentioning that there are no other awards received by the applicant to support the training fellowship and/or other incomes to be received during the fellowship period.

The entire application should be forwarded by email to ESPID Secretariat at admin@espid.org providing email addresses for all 3 of: the applicant, the host centre main contact and the home centre referee. These will be used for reconfirmation purposes. 

Procedure for processing and making awards

Applications received by the ESPID Secretariat will be checked to ensure they fulfil all the required eligibility criteria and include all required elements. Where electronic applications are made, reconfirmation of authenticity will be sought by email from the home centre referee and host centre main contact. Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be considered further and applicants informed to this effect. You application and any support documents should be in English.

Complete and correct applications will be forwarded for approval to the members of the ESPID Committee who will reach a decision within four weeks. The Committee will review the specific training objectives with a focus on why these can better be met by travelling to the proposed host centre, why they will require the requested period of training that is being requested and how they will be of value to the applicant’s career development. The proposed training must be of clear relevance to the field of paediatric infectious diseases. Applicants will be informed of the decision as soon as possible after this.

For successful applications, costs of one round trip standard/economy class journey between the home and host centres will be reimbursed by the ESPID Secretariat upon receipt of original receipts and/or travel tickets and the final report by the awardee (see below). Pdf scans/files of paper or electronic receipts and tickets are acceptable.

Payment for accommodation and subsistence costs for the period of the visit will be made direct to the applicant not more than one month before the start of the visit at the rate of not more than Eur 420 per week prorata, as agreed with the applicant (accommodation maximum Eur300 per week with receipts and subsistence maximum Eur120 per week no receipts required).

Payment of administrative and infrastructure costs to the host training centre of not more than Eur 80 and Eur 180 per week of the visit, respectively, will be made upon receipt after the end of the visit, by the ESPID Secretariat of an appropriate invoice and a letter confirming successful completion of the agreed training. The host letter must detail the reason for the claim and the amount wishing to claim per week. The ESPID Treasurer will then approve the claim for payment. These last payments will not be made to individuals.

Applicants are required to submit a final report of the visit to the online awards system for committee approval. Please note if you were awarded prior to May 2021 your report should be sent to ESPID Secretariat at admin@espid.org . Reports should be sent within two calendar months of completion of the visit. This report should include details of the applicant’s name, the centre visited and dates. A summary should be included of the experience and training, whether this met the expectations of the applicant and details of any changes that would have improved the value of the training obtained. All documents should be in English. Comments on the award procedure are also welcome.

Applicants who fail to provide a final report within the time limit will not normally be eligible to apply for further ESPID awards of any type.

Only travel costs between the home of the applicant and the host centre and back can be claimed. Travel during the fellowship must be paid from subsistence provision. After completion of the visit, applicants may claim up to a maximum travel budget (applicant's own country EUR 200, Europe EUR 600, USA/Americas EUR 1,000) on provision of proofs of purchase of travel and signed confirmation of attendance, including dates, from the host organisation. Costs in excess of travel budget must be paid from other (non-ESPID) sources. 

Bicycle journeys can be claimed at EUR 1 per km within your subsistence claim. Payment of subsistence costs does not require receipts or proof of payment but signed confirmation from the host organisation of attendance, including start and end dates of attendance, is required.

Last reviewed October 2018 by RNC Committee/ESPID Board