ISSBD 2 x 2 Grant for Early Career Scholars
Applications are closed.
About:
The 2 x 2 Grant for Early Career Scholars (i.e., doctoral students or postdoctoral fellows who have completed their doctoral degree within the past 7 years) reflects ISSBD’s commitment to supporting early-career developmental scholars of all backgrounds worldwide.
The “2 x 2” element means that two early-career scholars, located in two different countries or regions (ideally, different continents, with one applicant from a majority-world/under-represented country), must apply together. Preferably, the co-applicants should also study different topics/disciplines and show complementary research and/or methodological skills.
Award: Up to US$5,000 for 1 year (non-renewable). Recipients will also receive travel stipends to attend the 28th ISSBD Biennial Meeting in 2026.
Number of awards: A maximum of 2 grants will be awarded.
Eligibility: Each pair of applicants must be:
- ISSBD early career scholars located in different countries or regions (ideally different continents and ideally at least one applicant from a majority-world/under-represented country)
- Active current doctoral or postdoctoral students at a college or university, or within 7 years of being awarded a doctoral degree (time out for caring responsibilities or other commitments is considered)
- Have a mentor available.
- Proposed projects can cover any research study related to a science that cares about a better understanding and/or promotion of human development and flourishing across the lifespan; given the short period of the grant, proposals for original research, secondary data analysis, and meta-analytic reviews are welcome
- The importance of the proposed project to developmental science needs to be explicitly stated and clear (e.g., by the use of developmental theory to inform the study and interpret results)
- Be an ISSBD member or register on the Membership Site before applying.
Advantageous Criteria (Preferred but not required)
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Past collaboration between the applicants.
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A cross-cultural element with a clear rationale for how incorporating diversity and/or data from two cultures, regions, or perspectives will enhance the research goals.
Evaluation Criteria: All projects will be evaluated based on:
- Relevance to the 2 x 2 goal of promoting an international developmental science that cares by bringing early career scholars from different countries and perspectives together, creating a unique result that could not be achieved by either perspective alone
- Potential for impact of funds on applicants’ professional development
- Scientific merit
- Evidence that the two early career schools have complementary research and methodological skills/ have access to complementary research and methodological expertise
Timeline
- Application deadline: October 3, 2025.
- Review period: October 2025.
- Decision notifications: November 2025.
Questions
For questions about the nature of the grants, please reach out to:
– Dr. Tina Malti: tina.malti@utoronto.ca
For issues about the application process, please contact:
– Dr. Karen Castillo: k.castillo@issbd.org
