The XVII Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing – MEDICON 2026 will take place in Siena, Italy, from 14 to 17 September 2026, and IFMBE is pleased to promote two important opportunities designed to support broader participation in the conference: the IFMBE Equity & Inclusion Travel Fellowship and the IFMBE Students and Early Career Researchers Travel Fellowship and Young Investigators Competition.
The IFMBE Equity & Inclusion Travel Fellowship aims to support the travel and attendance of members of national or transnational biomedical engineering societies affiliated with IFMBE who are residents of low- and middle-income countries, as defined by the World Bank. Applicants must be members of an IFMBE-affiliated society, submit a full paper, and present either an oral presentation or a poster at MEDICON 2026. The fellowship covers the registration fee for the first author of an accepted full paper, and ten fellowships will be awarded with attention to equal representation across all IFMBE regions.
The IFMBE Students and Early Career Researchers Travel Fellowship and Young Investigators Competition is intended to support BME trainees, PhD candidates, and junior researchers within seven years of receiving their PhD. In addition to supporting international participation, the program aims to strengthen long-term collaboration among students and early career researchers across the global IFMBE community. As with the Equity & Inclusion Fellowship, applicants must be members of an IFMBE-affiliated society, submit a full paper, and present at the conference. This fellowship also covers the registration fee for the first author of an accepted full paper, and ten fellowships will be granted following the principle of regional balance.
Applications for both opportunities are made through the MEDICON 2026 paper submission page and the EasyChair submission system. For the Equity & Inclusion Travel Fellowship, applicants should check the “Low and Middle Income Country IFMBE Travel Fellowship” box during paper submission. For the Students and Early Career Researchers Travel Fellowship, applicants should check the “Add to Young Investigators Competition” box; by doing so, they are automatically considered for the travel fellowship as well. No separate email or additional application is required.
The submission deadline for both fellowships is 12 April 2026 at 11:59 pm CEST, and there will be no extension for travel fellowship applications. The names of the fellowship winners will be announced on the MEDICON 2026 website by 15 May 2026, and applicants will be informed of the outcome before the early bird registration deadline. Successful applicants will receive an invitation letter and confirmation of registration fee payment from the conference organizers.
IFMBE encourages its Member Societies to actively disseminate these opportunities and support strong participation in MEDICON 2026, helping to advance inclusion, mobility, and the development of the next generation of biomedical engineers worldwide.