Applications to the EMBO Young Investigator Programme are accepted annually in a two-stage process and must be submitted through an online system.
Application process:
- The 2026 application round will be open on 1 February 2026.
- Application Guidelines and Forms are currently being updated and will be available under the Downloads section by 1 February.
- For re-applicants: one may reapply as many times as one fulfils eligibility criteria, but may be invited to the interview only twice.
- The Young Investigator Committee invites selected candidates to submit a full application and attend an interview.
- The deadline for full applications is to be confirmed (mid-July 2026).
- All invited candidates will be virtually interviewed by the Young Investigator Committee on either 17 or 18 November 2026.
- The final selection will be made at the Young Investigator Committee meeting.
- All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by email.
The complete application for the Young Investigator Programme consists of:
- CV
- Synopsis of past work
- Outline of the planned research project
- Short summary of research
- Publication list and list of three best papers
- Three letters of reference
- List of grants and pending grant applications
- ORCID number
Applicants must not indicate the journal impact factor or any other metrics such as H-index, number of citations, etc, in their application. EMBO is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment ( DORA ), which recommends “not to use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions”.