Call for Applications: Community Initiative Support Fund

by | | Funding, ISOP Newsletter

Program purpose

This program will provide structured financial support for scientific meetings, workshops, symposia, educational initiatives, and other community-driven projects aligned with ISOP’s mission that are not eligible for the existing Affiliated Society Grants-in-Aid. Supported initiatives should advance protistology and/or protistology education within the broader scientific and educational communities.

Program structure

  • Funding Allocation

    • Maximum award: $5,000 USD per initiative
    • Application cycle: One per year (Fall)
    • Funding flexibility: Awards may be given in full or in part; unallocated funds remain in ISOP accounts unless otherwise determined by the Executive Committee

  • Eligibility

    • Supported initiatives must:
      • Demonstrate substantial scientific relevance to protistology and/or protistology education
      • Align with ISOP’s mission to promote the presentation, discussion, and advancement of protistology
      • Be open to international participation
      • Be completed no later than 12 months from the date of award (up to 18 months with well-justified justification)
      • Have all main organizers as ISOP members in good standing
      • Organizers are encouraged to include ISOP membership opportunities (with reduced fees or membership bundled into registration costs) to incentivize participant membership.

  • Journal Contribution Requirement

    • All applicants must include a proposal describing how the initiative will contribute scholarly content to the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, with a formal commitment to provide such content.
    • Possible contribution formats include:
      • A special issue (guest-edited by organizers)
      • An invited review authored by organizers
      • Invited reviews from speakers receiving ISOP support
      • A conference report or perspective piece
      • Educational materials (for educational initiatives)
      • The specific format will be determined collaboratively with the Editor-in-Chief following award notification.

  • Application Requirements

    • Applicants must submit:
      • Event/initiative description (1-2 pages)
      • Budget overview
      • Impact statement (scientific merit, expected reach, community benefit)
      • Proposed contribution to Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
      • Signed agreement to ISOP acknowledgment, reporting, and journal commitment requirements
    • Complete applications should be emailed to Nicole Coots (Nicole.coots@ubc.ca) as a single pdf file by September 30, 2026

  • Awardee Commitments

    • Recipients must:
      • Display ISOP logo and acknowledgment on all promotional materials and event signage
      • Recognize ISOP support during the initiative (opening remarks, program notes, etc.)
      • Submit a post-initiative report summarizing outcomes, attendance, diversity of participants, and any challenges
      • Provide agreed-upon content to Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
      • Provide list of participants for ISOP newsletter outreach

  • Review and Governance

    • Applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc committee appointed by the ISOP Executive Committee
    • Committee will use defined criteria: scientific relevance, impact potential, support for early-career researchers and students, strategic value to ISOP, and budget realism
    • The committee will make recommendations to the full Executive Committee for final approval vote

Implementation Timeline

Fall 2026: First call for applications (deadline: September 30, 2026)
Review period: October 2026
Awards announced: October 2026
Funding allocated from: 2026-2027 budget (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027)

This program will be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee to assess impact, refine criteria, and determine budget allocation in subsequent years.

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