Funded Opportunity to Attend the SLAS International Conference in the United States

The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) has opened applications for the SLAS Travel Award, an annual travel grant that supports students, researchers, and early-career professionals in attending the SLAS 2027 International Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, United States.

The program aims to recognize promising researchers who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in laboratory science, technology, and automation, while giving them the opportunity to present their research to an international scientific community through either an oral presentation or a research poster.

Award recipients receive complimentary conference registration, a travel allowance covering airfare or train tickets and hotel accommodation for up to four nights, as well as a one-year SLAS membership and a pre-conference training course.

Conference Location and Dates

• Location: San Diego Convention Center, California, United States.
• Conference dates: January 30 to February 3, 2027.
• Attendance is in person, and award recipients must present their research during the conference.

Relevant Fields

The award is suitable for researchers and students in fields such as:

• Laboratory science
• Laboratory automation
• High-throughput screening
• Drug discovery
• Biotechnology
• Biomedical engineering
• Chemistry
• Molecular biology
• Pharmacology
• Laboratory data analysis
• Artificial intelligence in laboratory science
• Laboratory Instruments and Technologies

The award covers the following benefits:

• Complimentary full registration for the SLAS 2027 conference.
• A travel allowance covering airfare or train tickets.
• Hotel accommodation for up to four nights.
• Complimentary registration for one pre-conference short course.
• A free one-year SLAS Premier membership.
• The opportunity to be featured on the SLAS scientific podcast.
• Access to professional mentoring through the SLAS Mentor Match program.
• The opportunity to present research to scientists, experts, and specialized companies in laboratory science and technology.

The following groups are eligible to apply:

• Undergraduate students.
• Graduate students, including master’s and doctoral candidates.
• Postdoctoral researchers.
• New faculty members who are within four years of their first academic appointment.
• Professionals who have completed undergraduate or graduate studies and are still within the first five years of their careers.

Applicants must also:

• Be the primary author of the submitted research abstract.
• Present their research during the conference through either a scientific poster session or an oral presentation.
• Submit research related to the themes of the SLAS 2027 conference.
• Provide a statement explaining the expected professional and scientific benefits of attending the conference.
• Submit documentation demonstrating their qualifications and scientific achievements.
• Commit to attending the conference in person and presenting their research if selected for the award.

Research Submission Requirements

• The applicant must be the primary author of the submitted research abstract.
• Applicants may choose to submit their work for either an oral presentation or a scientific poster.
• The research topic must be related to laboratory science, automation, screening, or associated technologies.
• No more than three applications may be submitted from the same research laboratory for each conference.
• Applications submitted from the same laboratory must cover different research topics.
• A single academic supervisor may not write support letters for more than three applicants.
• An individual may receive the award only twice during their career: once for a scientific poster and once for an oral presentation, provided that the two research projects are clearly different.

Application Deadlines

The deadlines vary depending on the presentation type:

• Oral presentation and the associated travel award: September 14, 2026.
• Scientific poster and the associated travel award: September 21, 2026.