VvE Special Interest Groups (SIG)

Within the VvE, initiative is highly valued by members. To support initiatives within the framework of the objectives of the VvE, the VvE makes small grants available. These offer the possibility to establish a so-called Special Interest Group.

Objectives:

• Connecting epidemiologists and actively involving its members in the objectives of the VvE
• Promoting contact between epidemiologists who have a common interest in an epidemiological theme
• Promoting content-related continuing education on topics within epidemiology
• Offer young researchers (end of PhD/post-doc) the opportunity to set up a network around an epidemiological topic

Procedure:

• Proposals can be submitted throughout the year using the application form
• Proposals can be submitted to the secretariat of the VvE: secretariaat@epidemiologie.nl
• Submitted proposals will be discussed at the next AB meeting, provided they are submitted at least 14 days prior to the AB meeting.
• Feedback of the decision to the applicant(s) will follow as soon as possible after the AB meeting.
• Upon completion of the grant, applicants will prepare a brief written summary of the project and results achieved. This summary will be sent to the secretariat by email. The summary will be placed on the VvE website.

Conditions:

• The intended activity:
  (1) is consistent with the objectives of the SIG grant and
  (2) leads to a concrete result within the duration of the project

• Criteria on which the application will be evaluated are:
  • Subject relevant for members of the HOA (relevance)
  • Activity accessible for members of the HOA (accessibility)
  • Concrete and practicable (feasibility)
• Projects have a maximum duration of 2 years
• For a one-year project, a maximum of €250 can be applied for, and a maximum of €500 for a two-year project. A realistic budget is part of the application
• The special interest group will be mentioned on the website with a short summary of the project and contact details of the applicant(s)
• A maximum of 5 projects per calendar year will be honoured.

Ad1) Examples of an activity could be: organizing a workshop, mini-symposium or expert meeting, writing a position paper, or carrying out an in-depth task for the VvE, for example finding out what the value of the WEON is and what can be improved.

Re2) Examples of a concrete result could be: a report of a workshop, mini-symposium or expert meeting, a position paper, a report of an in-depth task, or results of a survey among members.

Additional benefits:

• The VvE offers practical support for, for example, organising a meeting or sending emails to members.