IPVS Early Career Recognition Award

IPVS Early Career Recognition Award

The IPVS Early Career Recognition Award aims to recognize outstanding early career researchers in basic science, clinical science, and public health. This award will be a platform for early career researchers to further evolve their professional career. This is NOT a monetary award and is not planned to finance any training or research. For 2026, it will be awarded to up to two selected candidates that have distinguished themselves by the excellence of their papillomavirus research. The two categories are as follows:

1. One award will be granted to a Fellow or Postdoctoral researcher who does not yet hold an independent academic appointment.
2. One award will be granted to an early career researcher who holds an independent appointment at a research institute or an institute involved in research (for example, faculty members with independent academic appointments, as well as researchers in biotech or pharmaceutical companies, research institutes, or public sector organizations).

IPVS is committed to increasing diverse representation in our membership; we support and encourage members from low- and middle-income countries and historically underrepresented groups in science to apply for our awards.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria for application:

1. Be a current IPVS member at the time of the application.
2. Early career researchers: IPVS definition will apply – Researcher who has completed their final highest academic degree (PhD or MD) within the last 10 years. Allowances will be made for parental or health leaves for eligibility purposes.
3. The area of research should be related to papillomavirus.
4. Each candidate can only receive the award once.
5. Have published at least three publications on papillomavirus in peer-reviewed journals.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Monday, April 27, 2026

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants will have to submit the following application materials:

• An application form
• An academic CV
• A list of the top 3 publications in HPV research as first, second, last, or corresponding author by the candidate. The list should include an explanation of the contributions the candidate made to the study, a description of the scientific contributions and impact of the publication, and the number of citations of each publication.
• A brief research impact statement describing how the applicant’s work has advanced papillomavirus research.
• A statement describing scientific independence and leadership development.
• A summary of competitively awarded research funding (if applicable).
• A cover letter (max 2 pages) written by the applicant explaining why they should be selected, describing their research, and how they are moving towards scientific independence.
• A letter of support (max 2 pages) from an active IPVS member
• Proof of graduation date (diploma, certificate, etc.)
• An institutional letter confirming either registration as a postdoctoral researcher/fellow or employment as an independent academic researcher

You can download a copy of the full application form from one of the two buttons below (different download option). The final application with all required documents must be sent to the IPVS office (info@ipvsoc.org) before the final deadline.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

      OR

ACCESS FORM ON DROPBOX

SELECTION PROCESS

Only applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be reviewed by the IPVS Early Career Committee. Applications that do not meet eligibility criteria will be discarded. The evaluation criteria for the award are:

• Scientific significance and impact of the applicant’s research contributions
• Demonstrated advancement of papillomavirus research
• Evidence of scientific independence and leadership
• Overall research productivity and track record (considered in context)
• Contribution to the IPVS community and broader field
• Consideration of gender and regional balance
• Bibliometric indicators (e.g., publication record, citation metrics) will be considered as contextual information and not as sole determinants of excellence.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome in the 2 months following the application deadline. No awards may be given if there are no applications, if applications are ineligible, or if applications are of insufficient quality.

THE AWARD 

• The IPVS Early Career Recognition Awards will be awarded during the 38th Annual Conference of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS 2026), on October 22-25, 2026, in Athens, Greece.
• A free conference registration will be given to awardees to attend IPVS 2026 in Athens, Greece.
• The awardees will be expected to attend the closing ceremony of IPVS 2026 on Sunday, October 25, 2026 to receive their award, and to give a 30-second acceptance speech.
• They will also be invited to co-chair a special Early Career Oral Abstracts session at the IPVS 2026.
• Additionally, they will be invited to present their research during an IPVS educational webinar in the months following the award.
• The winners will be invited to be members of the Early Career Researcher Program Committee for the following IPVS conference (IPVS 2027).