The Endocrine Society is seeking proposals for Science Summits, designed to highlight basic science topics while encouraging discussion, collaboration, and innovation. Science Summits are intended to serve the education and collaboration needs of basic and clinical scientists. Possible topics may include:
Cancer Biology and Therapeutics
Cardiovascular Biology and Disease
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (environmental and man-made chemicals)
Molecular and Structural Biology of Steroid Receptors
Non-Steroid Hormone Signaling
Nuclear Receptor Actions
Nuclear Receptor Coregulators
Steroid Hormone Receptor Biology and Action
Systems Biology and Cell Signaling Networks
With a membership of over 18,000 dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of hormone disorders to care for patients and cure disease, the Society wants to support and collaborate with groups that organize and advocate for research education across the field. The Endocrine Society has a history of engaging with basic scientists to host small conferences focused on the education needs of our bench researcher community.
Proposals will be accepted through Friday, October 31, 2025.
Proposal Submission Guidelines
Provide a clear, concise, and compelling overview of the proposed summit. Include a rationale for why this topic is significant now, defined goals, and anticipated outcomes. Highlight the scientific novelty, urgency, and alignment with the Society’s mission. Include any specific, measurable outcomes from past events (attendance, demographics, etc.), if any.
Explain the history of the summit and its current format, if any. Outline a coherent plan for executing the summit, including geographical andvenue considerations, participant engagement strategies, and resource needs. Clearly define your target audience and recruitment strategies(who is in the audience and at what level)
Propose a program agenda with interactive sessions, keynotes, panels, and/or poster presentations.Note that projected attendance should not exceed 200 people.
Present a realistic, transparent budget with revenues and expenses, and strategies for sustainability. Include contingency planning and demonstrate that the summit can be executed within fiscal parameters. Highlight any potential sponsorship or partnership opportunities. Please note the submission must guarantee a minimum sponsorship commitment of $25,000 (not to be used for attendee registration/travel support and separate from any projected registration revenue). Said financial support must be unrestricted and transferred directly to the Endocrine Society.
Describe how the summit's impact will extend beyond its duration. Include plans to submit content for publication in an Endocrine Society journal, data sharing, follow-on collaborations, and maintaining participant engagement. Propose tangible products such as white papers or special journal issues.
All proposals must be submitted via the official online proposal form provided by the Endocrine Society. The form will guide applicants through required sections: Summary and Description, Brand & Operational Plan, Financial Stewardship, and Legacy & Continuity. Applicants will also be prompted to upload a preliminary agenda, list of proposed speakers with affiliations, and a draft budget.
Evaluation
Proposals will be scored on a 1–5 scale for each criterion:
1 = Exceeds Expectations
2 = Meets Expectations
3 = Somewhat Meets Expectations
4 = Below Expectations
5 = Incomplete
Final selections will consider scores and portfolio balance across topics.
Projected Timeline:
Science Summit proposal submission period opens
Late September 2025
Science Summit proposal submission period closes
Late October 2025
Submission review period begins
Early November 2025
Submission review period ends
Late November 2025
Science Summit proposal accepted/rejected notification sent
