ESCMID Funded Observership

ESCMID Funded Observership

You get up to 2,000 EUR to visit a hospital, lab or clinical department abroad and watch how they work in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. The visit lasts from 5 days up to 1 month. You get the money back as a refund after your stay, and the amount depends on your trip. If you are a European member visiting a centre inside Europe, you get up to about 1,200 EUR (up to 500 EUR travel plus 70 EUR per day for a maximum of 10 days). For trips between continents, you get up to about 2,000 EUR (up to 1,300 EUR travel plus 70 EUR per day for a maximum of 10 days). This covers a non-European member visiting Europe, or a European member visiting a centre outside Europe. The programme is run by ESCMID, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. You can visit one of over 100 accredited host centres worldwide.

Who can apply

• Membership: You are an active ESCMID Young Scientist Member, or an active ESCMID member from a low- or lower-middle-income country who meets the Young Scientist criteria.
• Level: You study in a postgraduate programme, or already hold a postgraduate degree, in infectious diseases, clinical microbiology or a related field.
• Where you go: If you are based in Europe, you can visit any accredited centre, but not one in your own home country. If you are based outside Europe, you can visit an accredited centre in Europe.
• Timing: You have not taken part in an ESCMID observership in the 12 months before the deadline.
• One choice per round: You apply to only one host centre per application round.

How to apply

First pick a host centre and contact it by email with your CV and motivation. Agree the dates and get an official endorsement letter from the centre. Then submit your full application through your ESCMID member account and choose "Funded Observership". There are two rounds a year, in spring and autumn. For the autumn round, you apply from 8 September to 6 October 2026, and results come in the last week of November 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This one is narrow: you must already be an active ESCMID member in a specific field, and you must line up a host centre that agrees to take you before you apply. That legwork keeps the applicant pool small. So if you clearly meet the criteria and present well-defined goals for your visit, your prospects are good. The selection looks at how clear your objectives are and why you chose that centre, so a focused, well-justified plan matters most.