Balancing training with family
Balancing work with family life can be difficult, and often the opportunities for parents to advance their careers are limited as a result. EMBL and EMBO are both working to make attending scientific events easier, with EMBL providing onsite childcare at their conferences and symposia in EMBL Heidelberg, and EMBO offering childcare grants to cover the costs of having a child looked after while one or both parents attend an EMBO funded course or conference.
To avoid any confusion between the two options, here is an overview of what you might be eligible for to help you get the most out of your career and your family.
At a glance
| EMBL onsite childcare | EMBO childcare grant | |
| Eligibility | EMBL Conferences, EMBO Workshops or EMBO| EMBL Symposia taking place at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Heidelberg, Germany. | EMBO Courses, Workshops or EMBO| EMBL Symposia. The EMBL Course and Conference Office deals only with those events taking place at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Heidelberg, Germany. Grants for other EMBO events should be applied for directly to the individual event organisers. |
| Who and where? | Children are looked after on campus by our highly qualified kindergarten teachers in the EMBL Kinderhaus, Heidelberg, Germany. | Childcare grants are available to offset child care costs incurred by participants or speakers of EMBO events. Eligible costs include fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a care giver, or travel costs for bringing the child to the city/town where the meeting is being held, etc. |
| Languages | The two main languages of the teachers are German and English. | N/A |
| Childcare times | 8:30am – 5:50pm for the duration of the conference | Grant applicable for costs incurred in relation to child care costs during the meeting. |
| Financial details | A subsidised fee of €100 per child is payable by the conference participant | A total of €1000 is available per meeting, with a general cap of €500 per person. This can be allocated based on need at the discretion of the organisers. |
| What’s provided? | All necessary equipment such as meals, beds, toys and diapers are provided. | Eligible costs include fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a care giver, or travel costs for bringing the child to the city/town where the meeting is being held, etc. |
| Who is eligible? | One or both parents must be registered participants, organisers or speakers at the corresponding conference. The child must be between 3 months and 3 years of age. | Childcare grants are available to anyone attending the event (speakers, organisers, trainers, participants etc.) |
| How to apply | Registration for childcare must be made online 6 weeks before the start of the event by using the “register for childcare link” on the individual conference website. | Applicants must indicate during the abstract or motivation letter submission process how much funding they would like to apply for, and what it will be used for. They should also indicate at what stage of their career they are. |
| Allocation process | As childcare spaces are limited, registration will be on a first-come first-served basis. Your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee. The selection is handled by the EMBL Course and Conference Office. | The amount of money awarded for the childcare grant is dependent upon the number of applicants per event. The selection is handled by the organisers of the respective meetings. |
| Contact details | childcare@embl.de or Tel.: +49 (0)6221 387 8797. | Please contact the organisers of the individual event for more information. |
| Website | EMBL Onsite Childcare
| EMBO Childcare Grants
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