The Parenthood Grants are run by the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) to protect research continuity for early-career principal investigators as they approach or take parental leave. The award covers research-related and caregiving costs so a lab does not stall while its lead scientist becomes a parent.
Applicants apply from wherever they run their lab; the maximum amount is set by IBRO region. It runs in two rounds each year, and applications are handled entirely through the IBRO Grants Portal.
Benefits & funding
- Maximum grant by region: Africa US$3,000; Asia-Pacific US$2,000; Latin America US$2,500; Pan-Europe US$4,000; US/Canada US$3,000.
- Eligible spending: reagents, facility costs, outsourced experiments or data acquisition, and transport of non-commercial samples or reagents.
- Also usable for travel and child-care to attend a conference, and for grant-writing or consultation services.
- Funds released 80:20 — 80% two months before the project start, 20% on completion and report submission.
- Project window: up to one year from the proposed start date.
Eligibility
- Early-career principal investigators, a maximum of 7 years in the PI role.
- At least one published, peer-reviewed paper, in at least the capacity of corresponding author.
- The applicant or their partner must be pregnant (at least 4 months), have given birth within the four months before the deadline, or be close to an adoption in which the applicant is the primary caregiver.
- Open to international applicants; no nationality restriction or IBRO membership requirement is stated.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
PhD
Experience required
≤ 7 yrs
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Application process
- 1Create an account on the IBRO Grants Portal.
- 2Complete the online form: applicant details, grants received, research proposal, motivation and impact statement, and budget request.
- 3Upload a CV, confirmation of independent PI status, and confirmation of pregnancy, birth, or adoption.
- 4Agree to the terms and conditions and submit before the deadline.
Program timeline
Second-round applications open
1 Jul 2026
Application deadline (second round)
15 Aug 2026
Next round expected to open
February 2027