BCVS Travel Grant

Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences


Applications open in the Council Awards System (ProposalCentral) on April 9, 2025. 

To qualify for this award, you must meet the following deadlines:

  • August 18, 2025 – Deadline to have an active AHA professional membership.
  • August 22, 2025 – Deadline to apply for this award in the Council Awards System.

This award supports early career investigators and students who are planning to attend AHA’s Scientific Sessions. The grant aims to benefit those who will gain the most from the meeting and networking with key science leaders. Applicants should outline their research interests, long-term career goals, and how the grant will enhance their future and may also include any career challenges or obstacles they have faced.

Applicant Eligibility

  • 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.
  • There are no citizenship requirements.
  • Previous winners of this award are not eligible to apply.

Applicant Criteria

  • Each applicant for AHA council-sponsored awards, regardless of award category, is eligible to receive only one council-sponsored award per AHA conference per year. (For example, an Emergency Medical Services Travel Grant Awardee will not be eligible to receive a travel grant for the same meeting.)
  • Previous winners of this award are not eligible to apply.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on the candidate’s curriculum vitae and bibliography, candidate’s statement, and letter of support. This award aims to support candidates who will gain the most from attending the meeting and networking with key science leaders.

Contacting the judging panel, including but not limited to phone calls, emails, social media messages, or any other form of communication, before submitting your application or during the review process will result in disqualification.

Timeline

  • August 18, 2025 – Deadline to have an active AHA professional membership with the council sponsoring th 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).

Required Documents

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 include the following documents in PDF format:

  • Candidate Curriculum Vitae and Bibliography
  • Candidate Personal Statement: Statement outlining the applicant’s research interests and long-term career goals and how receipt of the travel grant will enhance their future long-term goals (one-page limit). Please include any challenges or obstacles that you may have experienced in your career.
  • Letter of Support: Original letter on electronic letterhead, signed by the candidate’s mentor, section chief or department chair, which includes the following:
    • Candidate’s key accomplishments to date (or other forms of demonstrated excellence and recognition in the case of very junior trainees)
    • Assessment of relevant scientific attributes (intellectual curiosity, drive, critical thinking, problem-solving)
    • Potential for future success as a competitive investigator

How to Apply

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:

Prize

The grants consist of $750 to help defray travel expenses to AHA Scientific Sessions, a one-year complimentary AHA membership (Early Career Investigator level or Student/Trainee level) and a one-year online subscription to the official journal of the council, Circulation Research.

Awardees will be required to pay their registration for the meeting and should register in time to qualify for the discounted early registration rate.

Please note: The complimentary membership will not be processed in time to receive the AHA membership registration discount for Scientific Sessions if you do not already have an active membership. If you are not already a member, we suggest joining the AHA or renewing membership to qualify for the largest registration discounts. Your prize complimentary membership will extend any current membership you have by one year.

Questions

November 7–10, 2025
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | New Orleans, Louisiana

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