The Skin Foundation - The Skin Foundation Travel Grant

What the Skin Foundation Travel Grant covers

You will receive a one-off grant for a research trip in the field of dermatology and venereology (the study of skin and sexually transmitted diseases). This is awarded in two forms. The first is a conference travel grant: funding to attend a scientific conference at which you will play an active role, for example by presenting a poster or giving a talk. The second is a grant of up to 100,000 SEK (about 9,000 EUR) to visit a research group abroad in order to learn new techniques and establish international contacts. The funding comes from Hudfonden, Sweden’s largest foundation for the promotion of skin research, as well as from the Edvard Welander Foundation and the Finsen Foundation.

Who can apply

• Your job: You work in, or are officially attached to, a Department of Dermatology and Venereology at a Swedish university. This department administers the grant.
• Your level: A doctoral degree is not required to apply for the conference grant, provided you are actively participating in the conference with a poster or a presentation. The separate multi-year project grants are intended exclusively for researchers who have already obtained a doctoral degree.
• Field: You work in the field of dermatology or venereology.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome. What matters is your connection to a Swedish higher education institution, not your background.
• Where you go: The overseas scholarship is intended to fund a period of study with a research group abroad.

How to apply

Applications are accepted once a year via the Hudfonden online portal. The application window runs from 1 to 31 March. Please submit travel and project applications separately. Submit a conference grant application before the conference begins. You may only receive one conference grant per year; decisions are made later in the same year. The boards of the three foundations review all applications jointly with external professors of dermatology and venereology from abroad.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding scheme is narrowly defined: applicants must be affiliated with a Swedish university department of dermatology and venereology, meaning that the pool of eligible applicants is small. In the last round, 39 out of 42 applications for conference travel grants were approved, which suggests good prospects for a suitable applicant. If you clearly meet the specialist field requirements and the affiliation criteria, and apply within the March application window, your chances are good.