Applications Now Open: Childcare Endowment for Young Investigators Attending the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting

BMES is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Linda Griffith & Douglas Lauffenburger Endowment, a childcare support initiative designed to help young investigators attend the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting.

Established through the generosity of Linda Griffith and Douglas Lauffenburger, longtime BMES members, MIT professors, and leaders in the biomedical engineering community, the endowment reflects a shared commitment to supporting early-career researchers as they balance professional growth with family responsibilities. The fund was created to help reduce childcare-related financial barriers that can prevent postdoctoral researchers and early-career investigators from participating in one of the premier events in biomedical engineering.

Eligible young investigators attending the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting may apply for a $500 childcare grant to help offset childcare expenses associated with conference participation. Funding is intended to make it easier for researchers with caregiving responsibilities to take advantage of the networking, professional development, and scientific opportunities available at the Annual Meeting.

To be eligible for the Linda Griffith & Douglas Lauffenburger Endowment, applicants must:

• Be a current BMES member.

• Be registered for, or planning to attend, the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting.

• Have submitted either an abstract or a Special Session proposal for presentation at the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting.

• Be in the post-doc or early-career stage of their career.

• Have not received funding for travel, registration, or childcare from another source.

The Linda Griffith & Douglas Lauffenburger Endowment is an important step toward supporting researchers with families and ensuring that caregiving responsibilities are not a barrier to professional engagement.

If you are planning to attend the 2026 BMES Annual Meeting and could benefit from childcare assistance, we encourage you to submit an application.

Applications Are Now Closed

To learn more about the inspiration behind this endowment and the vision of Linda Griffith and Douglas Lauffenburger, read the full announcement from BMES.