During discussions with EFIS member society representatives, it was brought to the Board‘s attention that many national societies, particularly those from Eastern Europe, while able to fund PhD positions in their laboratories, struggle to find the resources for consumables needed to conduct high-impact experimental research. To address this gap in funding, the EFIS Board established the EFIS Eastern Star Award in 2020.
The EFIS Eastern Star Award consists of three prizes per year of €10,000 each to be spent on project-related consumables.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible to apply for the EFIS Eastern Star Award, candidates should:
- Be a member of an EFIS-affiliated Society
- Be a Principle Investigator with a track record in immunology
- Work in one of the following Eastern European countries:
Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Türkiye, Ukraine
Application procedure
The application documents should consist of:
- The CV of the candidate
- Proof of membership in an EFIS-affiliated Society
- The 5 most significant publications of the lab, ideally related to the project for which the prize money is to be used (candidate as first or last author)
- A brief outline (maximum one page) of the project for which the prize money is intended, specifying how the money will be used, and the envisaged impact the prize would have on the project.
Candidates should submit their completed applications to office@efis.org by 31 January 2027.
