This initiative is part of the IPVS’ mission of fostering career development and excellence in papillomavirus-related research. The application process for the IPVS Early Career Research Training Award 2026 opens on Thursday, December 4, 2025

Key date for the award
Deadline for application submission: Monday, February 16, 2026.

IPVS Early Career Research Training Award

The objective of the Award is to fund short training opportunities for students and early career researchers for training they are unable to receive at their home institutions. The training should be related to papillomavirus research (either basic science, clinical research or public health). This could include, for example, visiting another group’s research lab or institution to learn a specific technique, attending a short course or a workshop on a topic related to HPV research, clinical research training opportunities, or working on a focused research project with a collaborator.

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.

  1. For 2026, we will have two awards: One award will be granted to an Early Career Researcher residing in a low- or middle-income country
  2. One award will be granted to an Early Career Researcher, regardless of country

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Eligible applicants and training opportunities must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a current member of the IPVS, both at the time of application and throughout the proposed training opportunity.
  • Be a student or an early career researcher (within 10 years of highest degree) at the time of application. Allowances will be made for parental or health leaves for eligibility purposes.
  • The hosting institution must be a reputable institution (academic) or organization (NGO) of higher learning or training.
  • The training opportunity should be related to papillomavirus research.
  • The training opportunity must occur within 12 months after the application deadline.
  • While the duration of the training is flexible, our objective is to fund short training opportunities of an approximate duration of a few weeks to a few months.
  • The committee may consider applications for training in industry if there are no other opportunities that are available within an academic institution or NGO. Selection for this short training needs to be carefully justified.
  • Attending a workshop or short course will be considered, but the workshops cannot be part of a conference/seminar. If attending a short course or workshop, the applicant needs to provide details about the training being offered, learning objectives, and links to the website describing this opportunity.
  • The training opportunity should be budgeted for a total cost of 5,000 USD or lower. The applicant’s supervisor must commit to covering the remainder of the training opportunity costs, which are additional to the value of the award.
  • To be eligible for the award designated for an Early Career Researcher from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC), applicants must be currently residing in the LMIC at the time of application.
  • Applicants who were not funded in previous rounds remain eligible and are encouraged to reapply with updated application materials.
  • Not eligible: Conference attendance and registration, credit courses, and clinical training unrelated to research are not eligible for this opportunity; applicants interested in attending the IPVS conference should instead consult the website of the upcoming IPVS conference for potential conference travel scholarships.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Monday, February 16, 2026

FUNDS AVAILABLE
Two awards of up to 5,000$ will be awarded. Applicants will have to submit a budget for their proposed training opportunity. Funds will be attributed up to the budgeted amount in the application.
The objective of the award is to help partially defray the costs involved in attending research training opportunities, such as travel, subsistence, and registration costs.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants have to submit their application materials via email to the IPVS Office (info@ipvsoc.org). Applications must be received by the deadline prior to the start of the training opportunity. The following application materials are required:

  • An application form (includes a budget form). Please provide as many details as possible as part of this form, including details about the training opportunity and clear learning objectives.
  • A scholarly CV
  • A cover letter (max 2 pages) written by the applicant describing the training opportunity, what they hope to learn through this training opportunity, how this training opportunity will advance their career, and how the training opportunity fits into their research on papillomavirus. The cover letter can also detail personal circumstances (ex. medical leaves, parental leaves) that should be considered by the adjudication committee when assessing eligibility.
  • A letter of support (max 2 pages) from their supervisor at their home institution, indicating their support for this training opportunity. The letter should focus on specific, relevant aspects of the applicant’s suitability and the anticipated benefits of the training experience to their research area.
  • A letter of support (max 2 pages) from their supervisor at the proposed host institution. The letter should detail the training opportunity and the available support and facilities the institution can offer visiting scholars. In the case of a short course with no host supervisor, a copy of the course outline must be provided instead.
  • Proof of student status (students) or of graduation date (early career researchers).

 

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ADJUDICATION PROCESS
Application materials will be reviewed by the IPVS Early Career Committee. Applications which do not meet eligibility criteria will be discarded. Eligible applications will be judged based on the quality of the proposed training opportunity, the suitability of the hosting institution for providing the specific training, the merit of the applicant, and the relevance of the training in the context of papillomavirus research. Consideration will also be given to gender balance and regional balance of awardees. The adjudication committee will aim to notify applicants of the outcome within two (2) months following the contest deadline.
No awards may be given if there are no applications, if applications are ineligible, or if applications are of insufficient quality. In these cases, the funds will be kept to give more awards during subsequent contests.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS
Successful applicants will be expected to submit one (1) page report by the end of the month following their training opportunity, detailing their experience and the expected outcomes. Applicants will also have to submit evidence that they attended the training opportunity, such as a plane ticket or an accommodation receipt, or a short course registration receipt.
While not mandatory, the successful applicant is encouraged to submit the results of any research that was supported by this award to the next International Papillomavirus Conference. The participant is also encouraged to share photos and content related to their training opportunity with the IPVS Social Media Committee to be shared on the IPVS’ social media accounts.
In the event that the award recipient must cancel their training visit or is not able to complete their training, the award recipient will be required to return all unexpended funds within 30 days of notification. Failure to do so will lead to a permanent suspension of the recipient’s IPVS membership and exclusion from all further involvement in IPVS activities. Receipt of the award can be delayed through a written request to the IPVS Early Career Committee if the start of the training opportunity is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.