BrightFocus funds ground-breaking research in an urgent effort to discover cures for Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma, and provides expert information about these diseases. ISMND is pleased to announce a partnership with BrightFocus to support trainee participation in the ISMND biennial meeting for training fellowships. Undergraduate/graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in any area of neurodegenerative disease research are eligible to apply.

BrightFocus and ISMND are committed to supporting scientists from diverse backgrounds to foster creativity and innovation in addressing complex scientific challenges. We strongly encourage applications from individuals in any neurodegenerative disease field who are from groups underrepresented within your country of origin or at the location where your studies take place. For example, diversity can mean people of different sex/genders, races/ethnicities, cultures, religions, physical abilities, sexual orientations or preferences (2SLGBTQIA+), ages, first generation in your family to obtain a higher education degree, people from a low socio-economic background, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and people attending smaller universities.

Each fellowship will include a travel award of US$1000 (for trainees traveling from outside of Asia) or US$500 (for trainees traveling from Asia counties), which can be used toward travel, lodging, or other meeting-related expenses.

The International Society for Molecular Neurodegeneration (ISMND) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the continuous improvement of brain and eye health. By providing a multidisciplinary global platform, ISMND connects scientists, physicians, trainees, and the public to share scientific discoveries and develop cures for neurodegenerative diseases. A core mission of ISMND is to foster and train the next generation of scientific leaders. 

In partnership with the BrightFocus Foundation, we are pleased to offer the ISMND Travel Awards to support trainees attending the ISMND 2026 meeting in Hong Kong. Undergraduate/graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in any area of neurodegenerative disease research are eligible to apply. Each fellowship will include a travel award of US$1000 (for trainees traveling from outside of Asia) or US$500 (for trainees traveling from Asia counties), which can be used toward travel, lodging, or other meeting-related expenses.