Vetjoy is a joint initiative from FVE, FECAVA and IVSA, funded by Zoetis company and Zoetis foundation.

This year, Vetjoy will provide a research grant to enable Veterinary Medicine students to carry out research in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness (DEI) in the veterinary profession.

Eligibility Requirements

(Please check the Terms and Conditions document regarding the Criteria at the bottom of this page)

Who can apply?

• Applications are welcome from veterinary medicine (undergraduate or MSc) students of any nationality enrolled in European veterinary teaching institutions who are interested in carrying out a project in diversity, equity, and inclusiveness (DEI) in the veterinary profession.
• Please note: PhD students are NOT eligible to apply.

Where can the project be carried out?

• Projects may be carried out anywhere within Council of Europe countries.
• Approval from the University/Faculty is necessary when applying for the research grant.
• If the location of the study is not at the university or institute where the student is enrolled, confirmation is needed from the study host.
• The applications for research grants must be in collaboration with a supervisor currently working in a veterinary faculty member of the EAEVE (European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education). If the student is not enrolled at an EAEVE member establishment, the collaboration must entail a supervisor from the attended institution and one from an EAEVE member.
• Ethical approval from the University/Faculty is always necessary when applying for the research grant.

Review, evaluation and selection

The review and selection process will be coordinated by the FVE and its joint FVE/FECAVA/IVSA Working Group on Mental Well-being and DEI. Decisions are taken independently of all external influences and the content of all discussions until reaching decisions shall be confidential. Where conflicts of interest arise (e.g. in discussions of research proposals from a veterinary teaching establishment or with a supervisor sitting in the review committee), the review committee member in question will not participate in the evaluation and will not review the proposal.

About the research grant

What should the project be about?      

In the past few years, studies have illustrated the lack of diversity, equity and inclusiveness in the veterinary profession. More specifically, the racial diversity is really low. Female veterinarians – however highly represented in the veterinarian profession – suffers from sexisms, lack of respects towards their work life balance, and gender mismanagement. Moreover, members of the LGBTQ+ community suffer from more mental health problems and suicidal ideation as veterinary students and professionals. In addition, students also suffer from discrimination due to their ethnicity or sexual orientation.

To address these challenges, the research proposal must be about the different angles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) important to veterinary students and in the veterinary profession.

Please note that DEI must be the main focus of the project. We do not support projects focused on e.g. mental well being only.

What is the duration and size of the project?

The research will be relatively limited, due to their short duration and the early career stage of the students.
Although typically completed during July-September, research may be carried out at any time during the year of application.
Projects usually last 4 to 12 weeks, although projects may be longer than this.

What is the size of the Scholarship?

Three research grants will be provided. Each research grant is 500 € (Euros). A first amount of 300€ is paid by November 2025. The second part is paid after the presentation of the results for the FVE general assembly (June 2026).

How is the funding supplied?

Grants are normally paid by bank transfer.

What are the deliverables?

A report of research report that includes final results (max 10 pages, Aptos pt 11, single spaced) as well as a presentation and poster must be delivered at the end of the project/funding.

Timeline

Application deadline: 30th of June 2025 at midnight CEST.

Results announcement: 30th of September 2025.

May 2026: Deadline for submission of final research results (max 10 pages, plus poster/equivalent deliverable).

June 2026: presentations of results during the FVE General Assembly (hybrid event).

Questions

If you have any questions about the grant, we encourage you to check our Terms and conditions. It provides detailed information and answers to common inquiries about eligibility, the application process, and more.

For any further assistance, feel free to contact us directly: marine@fve.org

Application

The Zoetis and FVE DEI Research Grant is open for application in April 2025, with a closing date of 30th of June 2025.

When open, interested students are invited to complete and submit an online application form. The form is divided into sections and asks for the following information: details about the student and their current course (including a copy of their CV), details about the supervisor(s) who will be supervising the student for the duration of their project, and a description of the proposed project (including location, dates, and implications for DEI).

To apply for a grant, please complete the Vetjoy DEI Research Grant Application Form online.

Closing date: 30th of June 2025 at midnight CEST.

Consent: By filling out the form, you agree to the terms and conditions regarding the criteria of the grant. We will only use the provided information to process your application and contact you if necessary, not for any other means.

Don’t hesitate to share our LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook posts across your social media.