ATVB Scientific Sessions Travel Grants for Early Career Investigators

• Applicant must be active in research and within 10 years of completion of terminal degree or highest certificate (e.g., MSc, PhD), or within 10 years of completing medical fellowship or residency, as of the award application date. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, instructors, and research associates are welcome to apply.
• Applicants must be members of the AHA Scientific Council sponsoring this award. Your council affiliation will be validated during the application process. Membership must be completed online. Please note that membership processing may take 3-5 days; do not wait until the proposal deadline to Join or Renew.

• Applicants must submit an abstract to one of the categories for presentation at Scientific Sessions sponsored by the AHA Scientific Council sponsoring this award. Make sure that your abstract has been submitted in a category listed under the award for which you want to apply (PDF).
• The abstract must be accepted to Scientific Sessions and receive a grade that places it in the top 20 percent of the abstracts in its category.
• The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for Scientific Sessions and must be able to present the abstract at Scientific Sessions in person, either in an oral abstract session or a poster session. If the applicant is unable to present the abstract, he/she will be disqualified from the grant.
• Applicants may apply for a travel grant multiple times with different abstracts as long as the applicant is the presenting author on each abstract. However, an applicant is eligible to receive only one travel grant, even if multiple abstracts are accepted to Scientific Sessions
• Each applicant for AHA council-sponsored awards, regardless of award category, is eligible to receive only one council-sponsored grant per AHA meeting per year. (For example, an Early Career Investigator Award finalist will not be eligible to receive a travel grant for the same conference.)
• Winners are not eligible to apply in subsequent years.
• Applicants must adhere to the AHA Embargo Policy.
• The work covered by the abstract must not have been presented at a national or international meeting or world congress before the date and time of presentation at Scientific Sessions. The abstract must comply with the AHA Abstract Submission Guidelines as outlined by the Scientific Sessions Program Committee.
• Notwithstanding the above, the AHA Officers have the discretion to determine eligibility for the award in extraordinary circumstances when there is an issue relating to AHA policy, positions or other potentially controversial issue relating to the positioning or perception of the AHA.

Application will be judged based on the scientific ranking of the candidate’s abstract and how it ranks against other applicants. Abstract presenters for Scientific Sessions will be notified in mid-August. Applicants for this grant may submit their applications before presenter notifications are received. However, only those who have abstracts accepted for presentation will ultimately be eligible to receive a travel grant.

• June 5, 2025, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to submit an abstract to Scientific Sessions 2025.
• August 18, 2025 – Deadline to have an active AHA professional membership with the council sponsoring the award. Membership must be completed online. Please note that membership processing may take 3-5 days; do not wait until the proposal deadline to Join or Renew.
• August 22, 2025, 6 p.m. (CDT) – Deadline to apply for the award in the Council Awards Application System. This deadline will not be extended.
• September 2025 – Applicants are notified of their award status (selected or not selected). Only those with an accepted abstract will be considered for selection.

Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is mandatory. Hard copies of any part of the application will not be accepted.

Your application file should contain the following documents in PDF format:

• Candidate Curriculum Vitae and Bibliography
• Abstract: A copy of the abstract submitted for presentation at Scientific Sessions, in accordance with AHA rules and regulations. The candidate must be the first and presenting author on the abstract. Please note your abstract control number received after submission, as it will be needed on your award application form.
• Letter of Support: Original letter on electronic letterhead, signed by the candidate’s supervisor or an appropriate institutional officer, simply indicating the applicant’s status as a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, instructor, or research fellow. No additional references are required.

Visit the Council Awards Application System to complete an application.

A username and password previously set up through online registration at Professional Heart Daily (PHD) will be necessary to access the Application System. AHA Professional Members who are creating an online profile for the first time should make sure to register using their AHA membership identification numbers.

An active AHA Professional Membership is required of all applicants for this award. If you are joining the AHA to apply, please wait for your AHA member number to arrive from AHA Member Services via e-mail before creating an online profile and starting your application file. We suggest that new members join the AHA no later than one week prior to the application submission deadline for the member ID number to be processed and delivered in time for the application deadline. The membership number will be required on the award application form.

1. Click the link for the Council Awards Application System.
2. Sign in with your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
3. Follow these instructions to set up your profile in ProposalCentral. Setting up your ProposalCentral profile will only need to be done the first time you login to apply for an American Heart Association Council Awards. Please note that the grant maker named American Heart Association is for AHA Research Awards and is a separate log in.
4. To apply for award, follow these steps:
   • Create New Proposal: Start by selecting "Create New Proposal."
   • Filter by Grant Maker: Choose "American Heart Association Council Awards."
   • Select Program: From the Programs list, select "Scientific Sessions Travel Grants" or "Scientific Sessions Abstract Travel Grants"
   • Apply Now: Click the "Apply Now" button.
   • Choose Award: Within the application, select the award.

For more detailed information on ProposalCentral, also included are additional materials on specific ProposalCentral functionality.

• How to Create an Application in ProposalCentral (PDF)
• How to Register a ProposalCentral User (PDF)
• How To Add Publications in ProposalCentral (PDF)

Each winner will receive:

• $500 grant to help offset the cost of attending Scientific Sessions.
• One complimentary ticket to the ATVB Early Career Networking Reception and the ATVB Luncheon. Attendance at Scientific Sessions and the council hosted events are mandatory and will be verified before the grant is awarded.

Awardees will be notified in September and will be required to pay their registration for the meeting.