BOSC is part of the big ISMB 2026 conference, so you need to register for ISMB to participate in BOSC.
We recognize that the high price of travel and registration can be a barrier. Below are some ways to apply for financial assistance to attend ISMB / BOSC.
OBF Event Fellowships
The Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF)’s Event Fellowships are aimed at increasing diverse participation at events promoting open science in the bioinformatics and biological research communities…such as BOSC.
Awards are made three times a year; the next deadline is April 1, 2026 (note that this is earlier than the ISMB submission deadline of April 9).
BOSC Registration Fee Support
Authors who submit their work to BOSC can request ISMB registration fee support on the abstract submission form (these requests are not seen by reviewers). This initiative is funded by sponsorships.
Only presenting authors whose abstracts are accepted for talk or poster presentation are eligible for this fee support, and not all requests will be granted.
Requests from early-career applicants and people from underrepresented geographical areas will be given priority. Applicants will be notified about whether their request was granted shortly after abstract acceptance notifications go out in early May.
ISCB Conference Fellowships
The ISCB (the organization that runs the ISMB conference) offers a limited number of conference fellowships for students and postdocs to present their work at ISMB.
These fellowships are only open to those who have a Proceeding, Talk, or Poster (not late poster) accepted for presentation at ISMB. The application will be sent automatically to eligible people around May 6 (the day after talk/poster acceptances go out). The number of awards is limited; not all eligible applicants will receive awards. Please consult the ISMB page for more information.
Apply to be Event Staff at ISMB
You can apply to work at ISMB 2026 for approximately 20-24 hours in exchange for free registration and time-based pay. (When you’re not working, you can attend talks.) The application deadline is May 1, 2026.