This year, we received over 4,500 applications for scholarships to attend AIDS 2024. We awarded scholarships to 865 people, 739 of whom attended in person and 126 virtually.
• The 2024 cohort reflected the diversity of the global HIV response. Regarding profession, 35% of recipients were healthcare workers or social service providers, 17% were activists or advocates, 16% were researchers, 10% were working in policy or administration, and 9% were educators/trainers.
• Our recipients spanned a wide range of ages: 39% were 26-35 years, 31% were 36-45, 14% were 46-55, 10% were 18-25, and 6% were >55.
• We also had a mix of genders: 50% were female, 44% were male, 5% were non-binary or gender non-conforming, and 1% were other not listed. In addition, 8% of recipients identified with a different gender than their sex at birth.
• Our scholarships reached people across the globe: 43% were awarded to people from central, eastern, western and southern Africa (Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya were the top three countries), 16% to people from South and Southeast Asia, 10% to people from North America, and 9% from Latin America.
The following candidates were given priority:
- Abstract presenters; workshop facilitators and co-facilitators; and Global Village organizers and co-organizers whose submissions were selected for AIDS 2024
- Applicants from low-income and middle-income countries
- Applicants who are part of key populations or people living with HIV
- Young people and junior investigators below the age of 35
- Applicants who did not previously receive a scholarship for an International AIDS Conference
Please note that we are also offering scholarships for a limited number of media representatives. Learn more.
Types of financial support
IAS – the International AIDS Society – awarded both in-person and virtual scholarships for AIDS 2024. Applicants could indicate their preferred attendance type in their application, as well as the types of financial support they required to participate. Note that given the high demand, we were not able to grant full scholarships or in-person scholarships to all selected candidates.
In-person attendance:
Applicants could request:
- Registration for in-person plus virtual attendance (access to all sessions at the conference venue, as well as access to the virtual platform)
- Travel support (pre-paid economy class return ticket from the nearest international airport in your country of residence) for the dates of the conference and pre-conferences
- Accommodation (single room in a budget hotel), for the duration of the conference and pre-conferences
- Daily living allowance for the duration of the conference and pre-conferences
Virtual attendance:
Applicants could request:
- Registration for virtual attendance (full online access to all hybrid conference sessions)
- Accessibility support for virtual attendance (subject to the connectivity needs of selected candidates)
All scholarship recipients also received paid IAS membership for two years after the conference.
IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, will also feature a scholarship programme. We will share information on scholarships for IAS 2025 closer to the opening date for applications: 20 November 2024.