Each year, IAMCR offers travel grants to support early-career scholars in media and communication research, with particular attention to researchers from low- and middle-income countries. By helping to reduce financial barriers, these grants enable members whose papers have been accepted to attend the annual conference and contribute to IAMCR’s international research community.
The experiences shared by grant recipients demonstrate the value of this support. For some, the grant made it possible to participate in an international academic conference for the first time; for others, it provided an opportunity to reconnect with the IAMCR community and expand existing networks. Scholars highlighted the value of engaging with different perspectives, receiving feedback that strengthened their research, and establishing collaborations that continued beyond the conference itself.
Their stories underscore the importance of creating inclusive opportunities for participation in international research communities. By supporting scholars IAMCR’s travel grants contribute not only to the development of individual researchers, but also to a more diverse, inclusive and globally connected field of media and communication research.
“Participating in IAMCR through this grant was such a fulfilling experience. The discussions that followed my presentation, particularly around my experience as an insider/outsider researcher, gave me new ways of thinking about my work, positionality, and participatory communication. It was also a privilege to meet professors whose work I deeply admire, including Lauren Dyll, Thomas Tufte, and Jessica Noske Turner, and to experience being a discussant for the first time. I am truly grateful for the grant that made this experience possible”.
Paper title: “Performing Social Change from the Margins: The Value of Performing Arts as Social Change Communication in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya”.
Submitted to: Participatory Communication Research.
"At the IAMCR Annual Conference, I found a learning environment with a diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives. The opportunity to interact with other colleagues in a serious and intellectual setting is invaluable. I particularly appreciate the large number and variety of papers shared in the Music, Audio, Radio, and Sound Working Group. Furthermore, without the financial support of IAMCR, it would have been impossible to participate in this Conference ”.
Paper title: "Attention Economics and Distribution Logic in the Ibero-American Podcast Industry".
Submitted to: Music, Audio, Radio, and Sound Working Group.
" Presenting my cross-country research on deepfake detection allowed me to receive insightful feedback and discuss the challenges of understanding how people perceive and identify AI-generated content across different cultural and national contexts. Beyond the presentation itself, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to connect with researchers working on related topics and to learn from a wide range of approaches in communication research".
Paper title: "Factors shaping deepfake detection: Cross-country evidence from Brazil, China, France, and the US".
Submitted to: Media Education Research Section.
"The sessions were not only high level, they were thought provoking and beautifully delved into the participatory communication theme with a plurality of contexts and experiences. The atmosphere was favorable and the session chairs were fully immersed in what was going on at any one time. They created the right energy for the sessions and reflections to flow organically. I am definitely going to spread the word and encourage my colleagues to submit abstracts for subsequent conferences. Thank you IAMCR2026. Thank you all!".
Paper title: "Some say vaccines kill children; others say they are expired’: Understanding community-driven narratives that exist alongside expert-driven vaccine communication in fishing communities in Uganda".
Submitted to: Participatory Communication Research Section.
"As a Brazilian researcher and journalist, I had the opportunity to present my work, engage with researchers from different parts of the world, and follow key debates on the contemporary challenges facing communication, the media, and democracy. Throughout the event, I was able to share perspectives drawn from the Brazilian context, learn about innovative research being conducted in different regions of the world, and establish new academic connections. I am deeply grateful to IAMCR for the support I received and for its ongoing commitment to democratizing access to international research ".
Paper title: "Mato Grosso: the tragedy of femicide and extreme right-wing sexism".
Submitted to: Multimodal Communication Research Working Group.
"At the conference, I had the opportunity of presenting two research papers at different working groups. For me, Galway became much more than a conference venue. It was a place to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and engage in thoughtful conversations with scholars from around the world. I extend my heartfelt thanks to IAMCR Chair Prof. Daya Kishan Thussu, Executive Director Salvatore Scifo, and the entire IAMCR team for making my participation possible ".
Papers title: "Digital Politics: How Nepal's Gen Z Uprising Reinvents Arab Spring Revolutions for the 2020s" and " Localizing a Global Controversy: Nepali Media Narratives on the Origin of the COVID-19 " .
Submitted to: Digital Divide Working Group and Health Communication Working Group.
"This was my second IAMCR conference, and once again, it was a wonderful experience. IAMCR brings together an inspiring community of communication, journalism, and media scholars, practitioners, and experts from across the world. What I value most is the warmth and intellectual stimulation of the IAMCR community. I would especially encourage my peers to explore IAMCR, with its diverse working groups and broad range of research areas. It is a place where ideas travel, conversations grow, and new possibilities begin".
Paper title: "Exploring the Digital Divide among Hijras in Bangladesh: Patterns of Device and Internet Use, AI Awareness, and Socio-Economic Intersections ".
Submitted to: Digital Divide Working Group.
"As a mother of five and an emerging scholar pursuing a career in academia, attending an international conference of this scale would not have been possible for me without the IAMCR Travel Grant. Standing before an international audience and sharing research rooted in post-Soviet Kazakhstan made me realize that perspectives from Central Asia are valuable to global communication research. IAMCR opened an important opportunity for me to contribute Kazakhstan’s experiences to broader debates on media, digital communication, and decolonization ".
Paper title: "From the Periphery to the Platform: Social Media, Cognitive Decolonization, and Epistemic Sovereignty in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan"
Submitted to: International Communication Section.
"My first IAMCR experience was truly one to remember. Beyond presenting my research, I had the chance to meet scholars from different parts of the world, listen to new ideas, and see how different perspectives can shape the way we understand communication and society. I came back inspired, more confident, and reminded that our stories from Ghana also matter in global academic spaces. It was a learning experience, a networking opportunity, and a beautiful reminder that research becomes richer when we share, listen, and learn from one another ".
Paper title: "Parent Graduate Students’ Communication of Health Outbreaks to Children: A focus on Graduate Students of the University of Education, Winneba".
Submitted to: Health Communication Working Group.
"During my candidature, I attended IAMCR three times, and each experience allowed me to meet wonderful and supportive colleagues, scholars, and mentors. I have now joined Dalian University of Technology as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Communication. I hope in the following years I can have the opportunity to continue this wonderful friendship in many more places around the world ".
Papers title: "From Edited Perfection to Live Judgment: Professional Culture and Soft Nationalism in Chinese Music Reality Show" and "Playable City or Privatized Paradise? Connectivity and Privatized Urbanism in Sunway City"
Submitted to: Music, Audio, Radio and Sound Working Group and Emerging Scholars Network Section.