Financial support of an educational activity

Following a strategic review of the Foundation's budget, we are updating our application guidelines and procedures to ensure our support is directed where it can have the greatest impact. Effective September 2026, the following updates will apply:

  • Funding amounts: To allow us to support a broader range of initiatives, the maximum funding for both regular financial applications and Highlight Days will be set at €5,000.
  • Application rounds: We will revert to only two application rounds per year. The upcoming deadline of Nov 1, 2026 has been postponed to January 1, 2027.
  • Eligibility: Going forward, our support will be focused on Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LIC/LMIC); Upper-Middle-Income and High-Income Countries (UMIC/HIC) will no longer fall within the scope of this funding.
  • Applicant priority: We will give priority to first-time applicants, in order to expand the reach of our support to new individuals and institutions.
  • Focus areas: We strongly encourage applications for events addressing core Transfusion Medicine topics, including donor recruitment and initiatives that contribute to strengthening the blood supply.

Please read the guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions carefully before submitting your application. 

 

Maximum amount

The maximum amount of funding is €5,000  per application. 

Who is eligible to apply?

Institutions and organisations from low- (LIC) and lower middle income (LMIC) countries (based on World Bank Index categories) in the field of transfusion medicine who host face-to-face, virtual and hybrid educational activities are eligible to apply for ISBT Academy funding.

Individuals and commercial companies are not eligible for Academy support.

Eligible events

  • Those aimed at healthcare professions in transfusion medicine and related fields
  • May be of various duration from one to multiple days
  • Workshops, educational courses and training courses

Ineligible events

  • Events aimed at blood donors, for example blood donor drives
  • Ongoing social media campaigns (without specific training/education events)
  • Formal, long term educational programmes (please refer to this page if you would like your course endorsed)

Funding Cycles

Successful applicants/organizations may receive funding only once in every two calendar years. If an application was unsuccessful, you may apply again in the same year.

Funding Requirements & Conditions

In addition to the application form and listed required information, the applying organization/institution must provide a letter of support which must include a statement that they will cover at least 50% of the costs of hosting the event upfront and that they will release the full amount for use for the event without withholding any portion for administrative costs.

If an application is approved, ISBT Academy can provide up to max. 50% of the funding prior to the event. The remaining 50% will only be released after the event upon receipt of the required reports and final receipts.

ISBT Academy funds can only be paid to the applying organisation/institution’s bank account. No payments will be made to individuals, event organising or commercial companies (without exception).

The use of the ISBT logo is permitted when an application for regular Academy funding was approved.

Applicant organisations/institutions must commit to providing reports of approved events for publication in the Academy section of the quarterly community magazine, Transfusion Today. If you would like to learn more about the educational activities previously supported by the ISBT Academy, please click the link below:

Read the reports of the most recent successful Academy applications

Expenses

Eligible costs:

  • International/regional speakers travel and accommodation within a regionally acceptable price range. Maximum number of nights = number of full event days + 1 (e.g. 3 nights for an event that lasts 2 full days)
  • Hire of necessary equipment and electronics for the event (e.g. beamer, AV equipment)
  • Hire of venue for time allocated to the event
  • Reasonable budget for coffee and lunch for the Academy part of the program (ensure that catering costs remain proportional within the overall budget)
  • Hire of lab spaces and technical resources required for training, such as laboratory/medical equipment and laboratory reagents/consumables for workshops.

Costs that are not eligible:

  • Honoraria or gifts for the speakers/participants 
  • Stipend of attendees/participants 
  • Event management, e.g. salary of event manager
  • Marketing and promotion 
  • Purchase of equipment and computers  
  • Dinners and hospitality events 
  • Photography 
  • Flowers and decorations (e.g. backdrop)

 Deadlines

Please note the amended application deadlines below. The upcoming deadline of Nov 1, 2026 has been postponed to January 1, 2027.

From 2027 onwards, there will be 2 deadlines per year:

  • January 1
  • July 1

Applications must be submitted latest by 23:59 CET/CEST on the day of the deadline.

Please note: The applications will be only reviewed after these deadlines. We can therefore only consider applications for events scheduled at least 4 months after the application deadline to allow sufficient time for the review process.

Required documents

The organiser must complete the appropriate application form for Academy support, together with the other necessary documentation including: 

  • Motivation letter
  • Information about the hosting organisation
  • Letter of support from the hosting organisation (See “Funding Requirements & Conditions” above)
  • Programme of the event 
  • Overview of speakers, including short biographies (please only include speakers who have been invited already)
  • Detailed event budget with justification for each line item. Please consider the list of eligible and ineligible costs above.
  • A proposed evaluation form for participants
  • Results of evaluations of any previous ISBT Academy-funded activities (including event ID) (if applicable)
  • If the application is approved, receipts of the expenses need to be submitted after the event to receive (the final) payment

The below templates can be used for your submission.

Application Form Financial Support

Please submit this form if you would like to apply for financial support.

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