What We Do > Training and Education > Fellowships and Grants

Fellowships and Grants

Through fellowships and grants, the Global Virus Network identifies and supports promising researchers, engaging them with top virology experts and cutting-edge research initiatives. In addition to the postdoctoral GVN Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program (GPFTP) offered through the GVN Drs. Yang Liu & Pan Zheng Academy, the GVN partners with institutions and industrial partners to nurture junior scientists in pursuing their careers in virology.

Fellowships are typically in the form of financial support for postdocs for one year and include attending GVN meetings and opportunities to train in grantsmanship, identifying research collaborators, networking with industrial partners, and so strengthening Fellows' research programs and publications. As appropriate, trainees in two-year postdoctorate programs may rotate to two designated GVN Centers of Excellence. Preference is given to candidates from low- and middle-income countries who are also from GVN Centers of Excellence or Affiliates and are 0-5 years post-PhD.

Grants through the GVN are for specific projects and often involve projects that benefit the capabilities of the GVN's Centers of Excellence, Affiliates, and industrial partners.

Examples of recent fellowships and grants are below.

If you are interested in partnering with GVN to offer a fellowship or grant, please contact Linman Li —for interested corporate/industrial partners—or Maggie Bartlett for interested academic/institutional partners.

To be notified when the next fellowship or grant application period opens, please sign up for our newsletter.

Fellowship applications have now closed

Fellowships

The GVN-Abbott Pandemic Defense Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

An important aspect of GVN’s mission includes training future virologists to meet the current, and future, need of highly qualified, well-trained virologists worldwide. Since late 2019, through the GVN Corporate Partnership program, Abbott and GVN have been working collaboratively to mitigate viral threats and subsequently the current pandemic. Last year, Abbott established the Pandemic Defense Coalition, the first-of-its-kind, industry-led, global scientific network dedicated to the early detection of, and rapid response to, future pandemic threats. The Coalition comprises 14 entities, including networks, governments, and public health organizations on five continents that are actively identifying, analyzing, tracking and testing viral threats.

In this context, GVN and Abbott launched The GVN – Abbott Pandemic Defense Postdoctoral Fellowship Program to nurture junior scientists in pursuing their careers in virology and to build global scientific network in response to the early detection and mitigation of future pandemic threats. The Fellowship supports one-year post-doctoral training fellowship for applicants with a MD, PhD, or DVM degree(s) with the potential to extend to a two-year program. This program ensures junior scientists receive elite training in the identification of unknown diseases through surveillance, viral genomic sequencing analysis and bioinformatics. It also helps build research capacity by enhancing participants’ research portfolio and creating and establishing connections with scientists from developing nations.

BENEFITS

Financial support for 1-year Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program
Financial support to attend GVN meetings and other related meetings
If appropriate, each trainee will have the possibility to rotate at two designated GVN Centers of Excellence during their 2-year program
Opportunity to train in grantsmanship
Opportunity to identify research collaborators and strengthen research program and publications
Networking with GVN industrial partners for further collaborations

APPLICATION DEADLINE

July 15, 2022

AVAILABILITY

1 vacancy

PROGRAM DURATION

One-year, October 3, 2022 – September 29, 2023, with the potential to extend to a two-year term.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM?

A junior or experienced post-doctoral researcher from the GVN Centers of Excellence and Affiliates, 0-5 years post-graduation with PhD degree
Research interest and/or experience on infectious diseases, pathology, immunology, virology, vaccinology, genomics, or other related research areas
Productive research experience with a substantive record of publications
Candidates from developing nations are preferred

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Please submit all the required documentation in one package with subject line: GVN – Abbott Pandemic Defense Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and send to [email protected].

Fellowship applications have now closed

Research Grants

Global Virus Network Request for Proposals (RFP)

Issued: March 2025
Submission Deadline: April 14th, 2025

Overview: The Global Virus Network (GVN) is committed to strengthening global health security and advancing research on viral threats and pandemic preparedness. As part of this mission, we are launching several seed-grant programs to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative tools, methodologies, and frameworks for monitoring, detecting, and responding to emerging viral threats. This initiative aims to enhance pandemic resilience through novel surveillance systems, early warning mechanisms, and rapid response strategies.

Objective: The objective of this RFP is to solicit innovative approaches that address one of these topics:

Pandemic Preparedness Surveillance: Development of integrated surveillance systems for real-time monitoring of viral outbreaks across human, animal, and environmental sectors.
Viral Pathogen Predictive Bioanalytic and AI: Development of innovative technologies, including diagnostic platforms for decentralized monitoring of known pathogens and new approaches leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance tools.
Wastewater Viral Pathogen Surveillance: Development of a comprehensive screening panel for key pathogens in wastewater, along with predictive software that provides recommendations based on pathogen detection thresholds and practical approaches for effective implementation.

Eligibility: Proposals are open to any members from GVN scientific sites (Centers of Excellence or Affiliates).

Funding Available: GVN anticipates awarding multiple seed grants for projects that demonstrate scientific merit, feasibility, and scalability. Proposed budgets should include cost estimates and justification, with a focus on maximizing scientific return on investment. The individual sites can request up to $30,000 USD.

Proposal Requirements: All proposals must include the following elements in a cover note listing the title, institution(s), and investigators. The proposal must be no more than 1400 words (Arial 12pt font):

Project Overview: Clear description of the project’s goals, methodology, and outcomes.
Scientific Approach: Explanation of the scientific basis and novelty of the proposed work.
Impact: The potential impact of the project on pandemic preparedness and surveillance.
Timeline: A clear timeline of milestones and deliverables for the proposed project.
Budget: A budget with justifications.
Team Composition: A list of team members, their qualifications, and relevant experience.
Sustainability Plan: Plans for the continuation of project outcomes beyond the grant period.

Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Scientific innovation and novelty.
Feasibility and scalability of the proposed approach.
Impact on pandemic preparedness and surveillance systems.

Submission: All proposals must be submitted electronically as a PDF to [email protected] by the submission deadline of 5 pm Eastern Standard Time (like New York City) on April 14th, 2025. Late submissions will not be considered.

Educational and Training Grants

Global Virus Network Request for Proposals

Educational and Training Grants

Issued: May 2025

Submission Deadline: June 30th, 2025

Overview: The Global Virus Network (GVN) is committed to strengthening global health security and advancing research on viral threats and pandemic preparedness. As part of this mission, we are launching several small educational grants to support the training of the next generation of virologists. These funds are intended to be used to advance the career of the trainees which may include research costs, training courses or workshops, conference attendance, or travel to learn skills from another GVN site.

Objective: The objective of this RFP is to solicit support of postdoctoral and graduate trainees working at one of the GVN Centers of Excellence or Affiliates for one year.

Eligibility: Proposals are open to any members from GVN scientific sites (Centers of Excellence or Affiliates), both postdoctoral and graduate trainees, and mentors are qualified to apply. If awarded a GVN grant in 2024, you are ineligible for 2025 opportunities.

Funding Available: GVN anticipates the award of five educational grants. Proposed budgets should include cost estimates and justification, with a focus on maximizing scientific return on investment. The individual sites can request up to $20,000 USD.

Project Overview: Clear description of the goals, methodology, and outcomes.
Instructional Rationale: A clear explanation of the underlying scientific principles and the innovative aspects of the work, highlighting how it contributes new knowledge or methods to the field.
Impact: The potential impact of the project on the trainee’s skills in pandemic preparedness and virology.
Timeline: A clear timeline of milestones and deliverables for the proposed project.
Budget: A budget with justifications.
Mentoring Plan: Plans for the mentoring of the trainee by the proposed mentor (Can be the current trainee’s PI or another member of the GVN whose expertise would aid the trainee's development).

Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Potential value to advance trainee's career.
Feasibility of the aims in the given timeframe.
Key skills and techniques to be learned as an outcome of the award.

Program Timeline: September 1, 2025, to August 30, 2026

Deadline for Submission: All proposals are to be sent electronically as a single PDF to [email protected] by June 30th, 2025, at 5 PM Eastern Time. Submissions received after this deadline will not be considered.

Award Notification: Selected applicants will be notified by August 1, 2025

Fund Distribution: August 29, 2025

External Grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships

Below is a list of external grants, fellowships, and scholarships that may be of interest to GVN Members, industrial partners, junior virologists, or students interested in virology.

The GVN only occasionally updates this list, so if you see something that is out of date or to suggest an additional opportunity, please contact us.