EPS Young Minds (YM) Sections can apply for grants supporting activities, up to 1000€ per year. These activities are due to enhance the professional experience of members of the sections by directly focusing on technical skills, by strengthening professional ties, or by furthering communication and educational experience. Also, in the spirit of collaboration, Sections are encouraged to work together on events and activities. Activity Grants are highly competitive, and only those activities with a relevant participation of the members of the Section and a clear goal with high impact on its local community, will be granted. Finally, activities must maximize “impact per Euro”, i.e. maximize the things you can do and the people you can reach with a limited budget. This trains participants and organizers to focus on the relevant aspects of their activity, which is crucial for the success of their careers.
Types of activities
The activities suitable to be granted must be included in one of the categories below. If you feel that your activity fits in more than one category, just choose the one which better suits to it (do not invest more than 5 minutes deciding):
- Professional Development: technical sessions, seminars, lectures, short courses, etc.
- Networking: events held to promote your Section, to strengthen social ties with the community, to network with scientists, professionals, and companies, recruit new members, etc.
- Outreach: youth and adult education events, including classroom demonstrations, science fairs, etc.
- Section Management: Expenses related to the maintenance of your section, section meetings, promotional materials or any other purchase which is not connected to a specific activity but it is planned to be used in multiple activities. Further information of this category can be found here.
Furthermore, there is an annual limit in specific expenses per section:
- Food and Beverages: 300 €
- Awards, prizes and gifts: 200 €
- Activity Advertisement and Promotion: 250 €
- Section management : 350 €
Submit your AG application
Eligibility
To be eligible for the YM grants, every Section needs to conclude the next tasks before the deadline:
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- Updating the census of your YM Section by submitting the CENSUS FORM with all the Section members, which must either be members of EPS or one of its national societies.
- Submitting (if not done before) the report of previously granted activities (Activity Grant, YMCA). This report must be written in the same way as a self-consistent piece of news covering your activity, such as those you can find in any newspaper, with an extension of 250-500 words. The reports of some activities will be published as received in the social media of the Young Minds Programme, so take care of doing a good job reporting. The report must include:
- Title of the activity
- What is the activity about and what are the objectives
- Detailed information about how the activity was developed
- Feedback from the activity and impact
- At least a nice picture
- Good English
- Recurring activities or new editions of previous activities are allowed, but submitting two times the same application text or a slightly modified version with respect to the previous ones is not allowed and it causes automatic exclusion from the grant evaluation. These applications should highlight the differences of this year’s activity with respect to the previous editions, track its evolution during time and provide information on the impact of previous editions.
- Members-only activities are not allowed. The YM program encourages Sections to be active in their institution and to involve as many people as possible. Activities should be open to all members of your institution. If there is a limit on the number of participants, selection criteria must be defined in advance and specified in the application. Failure to do so will result in automatic exclusion from the grant evaluation.
- Tickets and/or invoices of expenses above 150 euros must be presented with the activity report.
Section CENSUS Activity REPORT
Funding and deadline
EPS Young Minds Sections can apply for Activity Grants, summing up to 1000€ per year. The deadlines for the application are two: January 15th and July 15th. The communication of the awarding of the Activity Grants to the Sections and the following transfer of fundings will be done within a two-months period after the deadline. Sections must consider this grant-resolution period when scheduling the activities in their applications. In case that a Section does not receive an answer for its application within this period, it must contact the corresponding Action Committee member (https://www.epsyoungminds.org/sections/). Please, note that the YM Activity Grant is only devoted to fund those activities that need financial coverage, so only those activities requiring funding must be submitted.
Responsibilities
YM Sections being awarded with an Activity Grant, must assume the following responsibilities:
- Developing the awarded activities and writing a good report following the lines of the Eligibility Section.
- Participating as YM Section in enquiries and other tasks devoted to promoting the Young Minds Programme or to gather information about it.
- Following the YM Programme in social networks with your official YM Section account, this way you will not miss any important news. Also keep your social media updated with your last activities. Accepted social media are: Instagram, X (previously Twitter), Facebook and Linkedin.
Failure in accomplishing these tasks will be taken into account during grant evaluation.
Checklist
Grants are in high demand and not all requests can be accepted. To increase your chances of acceptance, it is important to provide a clear and detailed application that emphasizes the goals and objectives of your program and distinguishes it from other applications.
- Start preparing your application early. Allow plenty of time to gather required information and submit well before the deadline. Power failures happen and are not an excuse for late submission.
- Consult with all the Section members, an activity must be felt like a group activity, and not the hard work of a few members or either you alone.
- Keep your audience in mind. Reviewers will use only the information contained in the application form. Do not assume that reviewers are familiar with your country, your university facilities, section, or section activities. Maintain that in mind when writing the application.
- Be brief, concise, and clear. Make your points understandable. Provide accurate and honest information. If any required information or data is omitted, explain why.
- Be organized and logical. Many applications fail to be approved because it is difficult to follow the thought process of the applicant or because parts of the application do not fit together.
- Impact per Euro. We expect our members to work hard to maximize the effect that money spent has, an issue that a young scientist will always have to face in the world of research. In this regard, the maximum amount of funding specific expenses is limited, so ensure you don’t exceed the previously specified limits.
- Scientific and professional relevance. Activities are expected to either enhance the participants’ exposure to science and technology, to enhance their organizational experience, and/or to further their connectedness with other scientists and professionals. Does the activity bring new skills to the Section members? Has it a direct connection to scientific research or dissemination of science?
- Visibility and communication. Make sure to mention in which social network the activity will be promoted and followed up. Remember to mention at least the YM Programme, and the EPS accounts.
- Categorize your expenses and limit: Food and beverages, transportation, advertisement, materials (no gadgets, be precise). Unclear budgets will be penalized.
- In the case of having other funding sources apart from YM, you must clearly state the specific expenses YM is going to fund.
Tips & Examples
Here there are some examples of “good” and “bad” activities. Keep the budget limitation mentioned above in mind. Be as precise with budget items as possible. It would be even better if you include the links with prices for per item and also the total numbers of the items purchased.
Good activities are:
- seminars of fellow students, postdocs, or professors on their areas of expertise (e.g. money for coffee and cookies; or pizza and soft drinks; no speaker fees)
- outreach programs with local schools (e.g. money for hands-on experiments for students and posters; limited transportation fees; no speaker fees).
- networking programs with local scientists and professionals (e.g. money for food and beverages; very limited transportation; no accommodation).
Bad activities are (and why):
- paying speakers or your Section members (motivating people without just money is a crucial skill for any effective leader)
- expensive meals and beverages (cooking yourselves brings sections closer together)
- spending a lot on traveling expenses (maximizing impact par Euro is key for success)
