Please note, the call for applications for LMIC/UMIC stipends is now closed: Monday 24 April 2023

Recipients have been notified: Friday 26 May 2023

Please note: DO NOT register for the Colloquium before you receive notification of the result of your stipend application.

 

Cochrane is committed to promoting and supporting the involvement of active members to the Colloquium who are living and working in low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries (LMIC and UMIC).

Stipends help cover travel costs and other expenses associated with attending the Colloquium and are available for residents of LMIC/UMICs that are actively contributing to Cochrane.

Funds, however, are very limited, so if you can find some or all the money you need from another source (such as the Cochrane Group with which you are involved, or your institution), please do so. 

Application criteria

Individuals who wish to apply for a stipend must be:

1. permanent residents (living and working in) in low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank.
2. active Cochrane members as a review author, editor, information specialist, methodologist, peer reviewer, translator or co-ordinator of local Cochrane activities; active involvement must have started no later than one year before the Colloquium.
3. able to attend the entire Colloquium (4-6 September 2023). Make sure that the conference dates do not conflict with any other commitment you may have, and that your employer is happy for you to attend the Colloquium. We will not fund partial attendance of the Colloquium.
4. recommended by a Cochrane Group (CRG Network, Review Group, Field, Network, Centre, Associate Centre or Affiliate) or an individual highly involved with Cochrane. You will be asked to indicate the Cochrane Group that you are most closely associated with or an individual that can comment on your involvement. A support letter is optional but with same scores, applicants with a support letter will be preferred.

Application recommendations and limitations

• Partial funding: to be able to fund as many people as possible to attend the Colloquium, our preference is to provide partial support only. Your chances of receiving a stipend are higher if you are able to cover part of the costs yourself or from other sources. The application form will ask for information on other organizations that you have contacted to obtain funding.
• Upper-middle-income country residents: contributors based in upper-middle-income countries are expected to cover at least 25% of their costs themselves.
• Cochrane employees: applicants who are employed - and paid - to do Cochrane work are eligible for partial funding only. For the purpose of their application, a Cochrane employee is anyone hired by any institution who has protected time on a weekly basis to work for a Cochrane Group (CRG Network, Review Group, Methods Group, Field, Centre, Associate Centre, Affiliate, and Group satellites). As a guideline, applicants who have protected Cochrane work time for less than half time (less than 2.5 days per week) can apply for a maximum of 75% of funding support. Applicants who have protected work time for more than 2.5 days per week paid to do Cochrane work should not request more than 50% funding support. If a person’s paid Cochrane work finishes before the start of the Colloquium, these eligibility criteria do not apply.
• Persons temporarily based in high-income countries: applications from residents of low- and middle-income countries that are currently based in a high-income country may be considered on a case-by-case basis if the stay is clearly limited to a specific period of time and the applicant does not receive a salary. Please contact Cochrane's Central Executive (lmicstipends@cochrane.org) before you submit your application if this applies to you.

Assessment of applications

Applicants will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Cochrane involvement
• contribution to the Colloquium programme
• anticipated gains from attending the Colloquium
• ability to raise partial funds to support attendance
• recommendation from a Cochrane Group/individual highly involved with Cochrane
• previous receipt of a Cochrane Colloquium stipend

What costs are covered?

Funds may be available for one or more of the following:

• Travel to and from London (most economical return fare), up to £500 in total
• Accommodation at one of the London hotels for a maximum of four nights, up to £500 in total
• Registration fee, which entitles you to attend all sessions, conference materials, lunches and coffee breaks from 4-6 September 2023, including attendance at the Evening Social Event
• Allowance for ground travel and meals not included in the registration fee, up to £25 per day

Stipends recipients will need to

Produce a report on their experiences at the Colloquium. This may be used as a blog or news item for the Cochrane websites.