Conference bursary programme
We are offering financial support to researchers in low- and middle-income countries who would not otherwise be able to attend IARC’s 60th International Scientific Conference and present their research.
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There’s a global need for more research into cancer prevention and survivorship in underrepresented populations. We’re committed to supporting researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and building future leaders in cancer research from these regions.
We are therefore launching a Conference Bursary Programme, which will provide funding for researchers to attend a key conference in the field: IARC’s 60th International Scientific Conference: Cancer Research into Action. The conference will take place 19–21 May 2026, in Lyon, France.
We’re offering financial support to those who would not otherwise be able to attend the event and present their research. Through this support, we seek to continue our support for researchers from LMICs by facilitating international conference attendance and networking opportunities.
The award
There will be at least 6 bursaries available, which will provide financial support to attend the IARC 60th International Scientific Conference.
The award is a fixed total of £1,300 (for applicants in LMICs in Europe the award will be £800). This can be used to cover the costs of attending the conference such as registration, travel and accommodation.
Applicants are responsible for managing their budgets and any costs that exceed the bursary amount.
There may also be an opportunity for those who are awarded a bursary to contribute to a session on research capacity building in LMICs, run by WCRFI during the conference.
Eligibility
To apply for the award, you will need to meet all the eligibility criteria below.
Applicants must:
- Be based in an LMIC setting (please see the list of countries)
- Have submitted an abstract to the conference. Awards will only be distributed to those whose abstracts are accepted.
- Have an abstract that fits within our remit, and therefore falls within the research area of either cancer prevention or cancer survivorship, with the following exposures:
- Diet, nutrition, physical activity, body composition, ingested environmental contaminants, sleep, stress and pathogens.
- Are employed on a research contract within a department at a university, research institution or a medical school conducting research.
Conditions of the award
The bursary will be awarded on the following conditions:
- Engage in promotional activities, including before, during and after the conference (for example, interviews, social media content or blog posts, as agreed with World Cancer Research Fund International).
- Acknowledge World Cancer Research Fund International in your presentation, including the use of our logo.
- Complete a post-conference report. This will be sent after the conference and must be returned within one month.
- Provide a brief financial report, with receipts attached.
- In the event that you cannot attend the conference, any unspent funds will have to be returned. Awardees will be encouraged to take out travel insurance in case they’re unable to travel, to avoid wasting charitable funds.
Application process
The call for applications is now open.
To apply for the conference bursary, please send the following documents to academy@wcrf.org:
- The application form, which can be downloaded here
- A letter of support from your supervisor or head of department, which should include a confirmation of the applicant’s position at the institution
- A copy of the submitted abstract
The deadline to submit your application is 5pm GMT 12 February 2026.
Applicants will be notified by email in March 2026 as to whether their application has been successful or not. This will be after IARC has notified authors about the acceptance of abstracts. If your abstract is not accepted for the conference, your application will be automatically withdrawn.
If there are several applications from the same group, they will be reviewed and selected based on the strength of the individual applications.
For those who receive the award, once the signed award letter has been returned, a lump-sum payment of £1,300 (£800 for European applicants) will be made in advance, to contribute towards the costs of attending the conference.
For any queries about the award, please contact academy@wcrf.org.
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