CONFERENCE AWARDS AND TRAVEL GRANTS

The Society for Marine Mammalogy provides conference support for a limited number of scientific colleagues who are full-time principal investigators (PIs) employed by governments, universities or other organizations in countries where scientists have less access to research funds.

The following criteria has been chosen to establish the classification of eligible countries/regions: using the most recent World Bank classification, all countries/regions in the categories Low Income, Lower Middle Income, and Upper Middle Income are eligible. Applying these criteria, in 2026 investigators are eligible, provided they are not nationals of, nor reside in: Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay. 

This grant is meant for applicants who are primarily working scientists, and who a) are nationals and b) operate in a country/region where resources to support international conference attendance are inadequate or simply don’t exist. The grant is not open to applicants who are full time students (who are instead encouraged to apply for student travel grants). After screening for eligibility by the Chair of the Committee on International Relations, the applications will be ranked by the Committee and a selection made based on funds available. Selection criteria will address the potential value of the contributed communication to the advancement of marine mammal science and conservation in the applicant’s country/region, the applicant’s country/region representation within the Society’s membership, and the perceived difficulty of being a marine mammal scientist in the applicant’s region. Requirements include the following: a) full SMM membership at the time of the Conference; b) first (presenting) author of an abstract accepted by the Conference Committee; c) full participation in the Conference. Colleagues who have not obtained a Travel Grant in the previous Biennial Conferences (2024-2022) will be given precedence.

When requesting support, please limit the request to your minimal needs. IRC travel awards can be used to cover conference registration, flights and lodging.

The Low Income Country Travel Grant application will be accessible within the SMM2026 abstract submission form until Wednesday, February 4 at 12pm Atlantic time (GMT -4).

If you have any questions about applying for a travel grant, please contact: Lucy Keith Diagne Chair, International Relations Committee (international@marinemammalscience.org).

There are several other awards presented at the conference or for conference travel, please check if you are eligible and what abstract submission details are required by checking the following text:

The conference app will provide an option for all conference participants to choose their favourite daily presentation. This is open to all presenters and the judges are the audience themselves!

Presentations that address the Conference Theme will also be considered for a special award.

Please highlight this in your abstract and presentation content if you feel your work fulfils this specific criterion.

Dr. Stu Innes was a vocal advocate for supporting students in their efforts to develop a career in Arctic marine mammal research. He believed that the Biennial Marine Mammal Conferences hosted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy were a good opportunity for young researchers to learn, network, and develop enthusiasm from the leaders in the field. As a tribute to Stu, friends and colleagues established the “Innes Memorial Student Travel Bursary” to help support a student’s travel to this conference. Only one travel bursary is awarded per conference and applicants must be members of the Society of Marine Mammalogy in good standing.

Application Process: If this award is selected on abstract submission, a field will appear into which the applicant must provide a short paragraph (400 words) detailing what benefits they will gain from attending the SMM conference and how the applicant will use their attendance to highlight research in the Arctic.

The late Dr. Steve Leatherwood contributed to global marine mammal science, however, he was particularly passionate about developing research in Asia. In recognition of this, the Leatherwood Award is given to the most outstanding presentation involving marine mammals of South and Southeast Asia. The award highlights those who have made a specific contribution to conservation and for whom the monetary prize will assist overcoming some of the challenges of working in an under-resourced environment. This award is open to all presenters who live and work in the Asian countries listed below[1]. All presentation formats are eligible. A small panel comprising scientists who work in conservation will assess presentations and select the winner.

[1] Eligible areas include the riverine and maritime areas of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Taiwan), East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.