The American Society for Virology wishes to provide, through this block grant, partial support for the travel of 20 selected outstanding junior virologists to participate in the XIIIth International Congress of virology (ICV), July, 2005. This triennial ICV will be in San Francisco, the first time it has been held in the U.S.A., and it is essential that the U.S. be represented by its best junior virologists. The ICV is a unique opportunity for U. S. junior investigators to meet and interact directly with internationally recognized expert virologists as well as learn in plenary sessions, workshops, and poster sessions the most recent developments in all virus research areas, including viruses of humans, animals, plants, insects, and prokaryotes. Current problems in clinical virology, AIDS, and SARS will be included. Plenary sessions will cover viral emergence, evolution, immunobiology, pathogenesis, molecular biology, disease control, as well as virus structure and assembly. Workshops and poster sessions will address all virus families and their replication and pathogenesis, including HIV, hepatitis, influenza, and coronaviruses. The ASV considers one excellent way to stimulate and aid junior researchers in their future work is to enable them to interact directly with the best virologists world-wide, from which unique, long-lasting collaborations often result. Dr. Patricia Spear, ASV President, as P.I. will appoint a selection committee to judge who among the applicants will receive partial travel support based upon (1) Congress participation, (2) prospect that the awardee's research will benefit, and (3) financial need. A satisfactory post-meeting report detailing the benefits to their research will be required of successful applicants. Our aim is to provide partial funding for junior virologists, including women and minority scientists, who might otherwise be unable to attend the Congress, with the goal of benefiting virological research in the U.S.A. for years to come. Virological research has many applications in the fields of infectious, immunologic, neoplastic, hematologic, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurologic, ophthalmologic, developmental and childhood diseases, and in chronic and degenerative diseases, as well as in basic genetics, genomics, gene therapy, and biotechnology.