The European Biophysical Societies' Association

Quick Stats

• Annual Income: £181,754 (year ending March 2025)
• Charity Number: 1059024
• Grant Types: Bursaries and sponsorships
• Bursary Range: €400 - €1,000
• Geographic Focus: Europe (31 member countries plus Iran as associate)
• Congress Bursaries: Typically 50-60 per biennial congress

Contact Details

Address: Structural Biology Laboratory, Biosciences Building, University of York, York, YO10 5DD

Website: www.ebsa.org

Email: tony.wilkinson@york.ac.uk

Phone: 01904 328261

Overview

Founded in 1961, The European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA) is a UK registered charity (No. 1059024) that unites 31 national biophysical societies across Europe, plus Iran as an associate member. With an annual income of approximately £182,000, primarily derived from publishing revenues from the European Biophysics Journal (published by Springer Nature and wholly owned by EBSA), the organization's mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge of biophysics principles and foster scientific exchange among European biophysicists. EBSA operates without paid trustees and has built a stable financial foundation that enables it to support early-career researchers, scientific meetings, and biennial congresses across Europe.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. EBSA Congress Attendance Bursaries

• Typically 50-60 bursaries awarded per biennial congress
• Covers basic accommodation and congress registration (no travel costs)
• Next congress: Rome, 30 June - 4 July 2025
• Application deadline: 24 February (notification by 24 March)

2. Working Visit Bursaries

• Amount: Up to €200 per week plus travel contribution
• Maximum total: €1,000 per visit
• Duration: 1-10 weeks
• Three annual evaluation cut-off dates: 31 January, 31 May, 30 September
• Must apply at least 2 months before visit

3. School/Course/Scientific Meeting Bursaries

• Amount: Up to €400 including registration cost
• For EBSA-sponsored schools, courses, or scientific meetings
• Availability varies by event

4. Meeting and School Sponsorships

• For organizers of multinational biophysics meetings, workshops, and schools in Europe
• Support includes: direct grants to organizers, expenses for EBSA lecturers, bursaries for participants, poster prizes
• Two decision rounds annually: late January and late July
• Application must be received at least 3 months before event start

Priority Areas

• Promoting biophysics research across Europe
• Supporting mobility and training of early-career researchers (PhD students and postdoctoral fellows)
• Fostering scientific exchanges between laboratories in European countries
• Organizing and supporting biennial EBSA Congresses
• Supporting multinational meetings that bring together European scientists relevant to biophysics

What They Don't Fund

• Travel costs for congress bursaries (only accommodation and registration covered)
• Research costs or salaries (bursaries are for travel and accommodation only)
• More than one meeting per member country annually
• Meetings during EBSA Congress years (generally avoided)
• Meetings outside Europe or without significant European participation
• Individual researchers not affiliated with EBSA member countries (with exception of special circumstances, such as support for Ukrainian scientists)

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Governance and Leadership

Executive Committee (elected for 2-year term at General Assembly, July 2025)

President: Prof. Mauro Dalla Serra, Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council, Trento, Italy

Vice President: Prof. Roland Netz, Department of Physics, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Past President: Prof. Maria Sunnerhagen, Linköping University, Sweden

Secretary: Prof. John M. Seddon, Imperial College London, UK

Treasurer: Prof. Mark Wallace, King's College London, UK

European Biophysics Journal Editor: Prof. Gregor Anderluh, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Additional Committee Members:

• Prof. Coralie Bompard (France) - Sponsorship coordinator
• Dr. Silvia Caponi (Italy)
• Prof. Aitziber López Cortajarena (Spain)
• Prof. Monica Florescu (Romania)
• Prof. Arwen R. Pearson (Germany)
• Prof. Nuno C. Santos (Portugal)

The committee operates without remuneration, and decisions on bursaries and sponsorships rest with the Executive Committee on behalf of the Association.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Congress Bursaries:

• Apply through the abstract submission interface on the EBSA Congress website
• Must submit a scientific abstract for poster and/or oral presentation
• Abstract submission is free of charge
• For EBSA 2025 Rome: deadline 24 February, notification by 24 March

Working Visit Bursaries:

• Download application form from EBSA website
• Submit to Chair of EBSA Bursary Panel at least 2 months before intended visit
• Three annual cut-off dates for evaluation: 31 January, 31 May, 30 September

Meeting/School Sponsorships:

• Download sponsorship application form from EBSA website
• Limit application to 5 pages
• Submit via email to Prof. Coralie Bompard
• Must apply at least 3 months before event start
• Decisions made twice yearly: late January and late July

Decision Timeline

• Congress Bursaries: Approximately 1 month (application to notification)
• Working Visits: Reviewed at three annual cut-off dates
• Sponsorships: Reviewed twice annually at Executive Committee meetings

Post-Award Requirements

All Bursary Recipients Must:

• Acknowledge EBSA in any resulting publications
• Submit a one-page report within 2 months of visit/congress completion
• Congress bursary recipients must register at the conference registration desk on arrival

Sponsorship Recipients Must:

• Acknowledge EBSA's contribution in all publicity materials
• If the meeting makes a profit, return EBSA's provided funds

Reapplication Policy

Previous recipients of EBSA bursaries are eligible for new awards, but:

• Not within 24 months of the end of the previous award
• Not if they have failed to submit a report of the previous visit

Application Success Factors

Eligibility is Critical

• Congress and Meeting Bursaries: Must be PhD student or postdoctoral fellow in EBSA member society countries, or PhD/Postdoc member of The Protein Society and partners
• Working Visits: At least one participant (applicant or host) must be a member of an EBSA Member Society
• Visits must be to a different EBSA Member Country than applicant's base country

Scientific Merit Matters

• Congress bursaries require submission of a scientific abstract
• Working visit applications are evaluated by the EBSA Bursary Panel for scientific merit
• The Awards Committee makes final decisions on eligibility and support level

Planning Ahead

• Apply well in advance of deadlines, especially for working visits (2 months minimum)
• For meeting sponsorships, the National Biophysical Society of the host country should typically propose the meeting
• Meeting sponsorship applications should aim to increase EBSA's visibility and promote its aims

Special Considerations

• EBSA provides special informal application support for scientists from Ukraine
• The yEBSA (Young EBSA) network provides additional resources and networking opportunities for early-career researchers

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Target audience is narrow: EBSA exclusively supports early-career biophysics researchers (PhD students and postdocs) in Europe
• Multiple opportunities per year: With three working visit deadlines and biennial congress bursaries, there are regular funding opportunities
• Modest amounts but valuable support: While bursary amounts are relatively small (€400-€1,000), they provide crucial support for networking, training, and scientific exchange
• Reporting is mandatory: One-page reports are required within 2 months, and failure to report disqualifies from future awards
• Member society affiliation helps: Being a member of a national EBSA member society strengthens applications
• Abstract submission required for congress: Congress bursaries require a scientific abstract, so plan research presentations accordingly
• Meeting organizers should engage early: For sponsorship, apply at least 3 months before the event and preferably through your national biophysical society

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
• British Society for Developmental Biology
• European Society of Endocrinology
• International League Against Epilepsy (British Branch)
• British Society for Cell Biology
• European Society for Neurochemistry
• Experimental Psychology Society
• British Geophysical Association
• The European Association for Jewish Studies
• The Genetics Society

References

• EBSA Official Website: https://ebsa.org/
• UK Charity Commission Register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1059024
• EBSA Executive Committee: https://ebsa.org/about-ebsa/executive-committee/
• EBSA Bursaries Page: https://ebsa.org/bursaries/bursary-working-visit/
• EBSA Sponsorships Page: https://ebsa.org/sponsorships/
• EBSA Member Societies: https://ebsa.org/about-ebsa/member-societies/
• EBSA 2025 Congress: https://www.ebsa2025.eu/
• “EBSA at 40 – an updated history”, European Biophysics Journal, Springer Nature, 2024: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00249-024-01730-y
• Wikipedia: European Biophysics Societies Association: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Biophysics_Societies_Association