The IBI–Canada Early Career Neuroscientist Award will support an eligible Postdoctoral Fellow or Early Career Faculty member at a Canadian institution to attend the 2025 IBI Daegu Conference: Emotional Brain Mapping in Health & Disease, on October 20 – 22, 2025, in South Korea.

This meeting is hosted by the Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), and the award is offered by the International Brain Initiative jointly with the Canadian Brain Research Strategy and KBRI.

Applicants must be within 10 years of receiving their PhD.

The application form (PDF) and a 250-word abstract focusing on one or more of the four conference themes below, must be submitted to Ms. Marianne Bacani (bacanim@mail.ubc.ca) by June 15, 2025. The themes are:

• Reward/Addiction/Motivation

• Stress/Depression

• Cognition/Perception

• Social Behaviour

Abstracts will be adjudicated by a three-person committee based at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada. The winner will be expected to present a 10-minute talk on their submitted research at the conference, and will receive a certificate of recognition in addition to the support for travel.

The award will cover the following expenses for one trainee (up to $3,000 Canadian dollars):

• Airfare (standard economy class only)

• Ground transportation

• Meals (per diem or actuals)

All expenses must comply with the University of British Columbia’s travel policies (link).

Conference registration and accommodation (up to 4 nights) will be covered directly by KBRI, and will be coordinated upon confirmation of the award.

The successful applicant will be notified via email by June 30, 2025, and is asked to respond by July 3, 2025 to accept the award. Failure to respond by the deadline may result in forfeiture of the award, and the funds will be offered to another eligible applicant.

Funds will be disbursed as reimbursement upon submission of original receipts and post-travel report. Funds will flow directly between the awardee and the IBI Secretariat located at UBC.

The Awardee must submit the following within one week after travel:

• Brief post-travel report (1-2 paragraphs) summarizing the experience and benefits

• Travel Expense Form with scanned copy of the original receipts, and Supplier Form (if applicable)