Supporting Your Contribution to Genetic Science
EMQN CIC is proud to announce the JJ Cassiman Award, created in honour of our friend and colleague Prof. Jean-Jacques Cassiman, who sadly passed away in 2022. This award recognises his lifelong dedication to human genetics, education, and collaboration.
Each year, up to 10 awards of £800 are available to support travel, accommodation, and registration costs for colleagues attending key conferences.
Eligible Conferences
You may apply for support to attend:
- European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG)
- European Congress of Pathology (ECP)
- Any other conference relevant to genomics and/or your specific area of expertise
Who Can Apply?
This opportunity is open to EQA Assessors, Scheme Organisers or collaborative colleagues who:
Have been accepted to present a poster or talk related to:
- EMQN’s External Quality Assessment (EQA)
- Best practice guidelines
- Educational initiatives related to EMQN EQA
- Are working in collaboration with EMQN CIC (e.g. pilot EQA scheme, development of EQA materials).
- Have a concept or idea for a presentation related to the above topics that is not yet accepted by a conference.
Note: We strongly encourage applicants to apply with an accepted abstract, poster, or talk from a conference. However, we understand that some ideas may be innovative or in early stages. If you have a concept that falls outside of our standard submission process but aligns with EMQN’s mission, we welcome your application.
Award Criteria
Applications will be considered based for
- Sharing of data or learning from EMQN’s EQA or collaborations
- Educational topics relevant to EMQN’s EQAs
- Sharing of EMQN Best Practice
How to Apply
To be considered, please:
- Complete the application form. Upload your abstract and confirm if the abstract has been accepted as a poster or presentation. Ensure that you submit the JJ Cassiman application before the deadline of conference fees. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission is encouraged to allow for registration and travel planning.
- EMQN will contact you within 10 working days of the status of your application.
Note: EMQN can also help provide support of the design of your poster and/or presentation. If accepted, this is something we will offer and will explain further in our communication to you
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I apply before my abstract or talk is accepted?
We strongly encourage applicants to apply with an accepted abstract, poster, or talk. We cannot accept an application until we have confirmation it has been accepted. However, in exceptional cases we understand that some ideas may be innovative or in early stages. If you have a concept that falls outside of a standard abstract submission but aligns with EMQN’s mission, we welcome your application and will consider it on a case-by-case basis. - What if I’m attending a different conference than ESHG or ECP?
You can apply to any other conference relevant to genomics and/or your specific area of expertise. - Can teams apply? Applications are assessed individually, but collaborative projects are welcome.
- What expenses are covered?
Up to £800 per awardee to be used for any of the following: travel, accommodation, and registration fees. You can use the funding for just one expense type or a mixture of the expenses. EMQN CIC review all expenses and require receipts, monitoring the legitimacy of spend. - How many awards are available?
Up to 10 awards are granted annually. - When will I hear back from EMQN CIC?
EMQN CIC endeavour to review and respond to your JJ Cassiman Award application within 10 working days. - If I am accepted with the JJ Cassiman Award, what happens next?
EMQN will contact you by e-mail with the next steps on how to claim back the costs of the expenses.