Young Investigator Programme

• Applications are accepted from candidates who meet the following criteria:
• Candidates should have been an independent research group leader for at least one (1) year and no more than four (4) years at the pre-application deadline (between 1 January 2022 and 1 April 2025 for the application round 2026).
• There is no age limit for candidates to the EMBO Young Investigator Programme.
• Candidates must perform research in the life sciences (see EMBO Subject Areas) in an EMBC Member State, Associate Member State, or Global Partner.
  • For the application round 2026, current PIs or Co-PIs of the following programmes of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) are eligible to apply: ASPIRE, FOREST (in Japanese known as “創発的研究支援事業”), PRESTO (in Japanese known as “さきがけ”), ACT-X.
• Candidates should have an excellent track record, as defined in the Young Investigator Programme Application Guidelines section 4.6.1 .
• Candidates are expected to have obtained sufficient funding to run their independent research group.
• Candidates must have at least one last author research publication accepted or published in an international peer-reviewed journal arising from work conducted in their independent research group. Review articles will not be considered.
  • A last author research publication that is “in submission” by the pre-application deadline will be accepted as fulfilling the pre-application eligibility criterion. At least one last author publication must be accepted or published in an international peer-reviewed journal by the interview date.
• Candidates can re-apply as many times as they fulfil eligibility criteria, but only once more after having been interviewed (i.e. candidates can only attend two interviews). 
• Candidates must be able to attend an online interview on 17 or 18 November 2026.

Please note:

• EMBO defines an independent research group leader as someone who:
  • Conceives original research questions and leads research projects, providing guidance and intellectual direction;
  • is able to apply for grants in their own name and report directly to funding agencies;
  • submits manuscripts as the last author; and
  • supervises graduate students and/or postdocs in their independent research group.
• A “last author” is a researcher who played a critical leadership role in the research project. Last authorship signifies leadership and ultimate accountability for the research, reflecting a pivotal role in guiding and supporting the scientific work. This author is typically the group leader who conceptualized the original research idea; contributed towards securing funding for the project; supervised the research team; provided critical guidance and intellectual direction; and ensured the scientific and ethical standards of the work.
• A last author preprint posted will be accepted as fulfilling the eligibility criterion provided that the following conditions are met:
  • The preprint is posted on a recognized community preprint server such as Arxiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Zenodo;
  • the peer reviews must be publicly available online;
  • the peer reviews were verifiably obtained from an independent preprint peer review service such as Peer Community In, eLife, or Review Commons; and
  • the peer reviews provide an in-depth expert analysis of the rigor and validity of the research and its contribution to the field.
• Candidates who are applying to the EMBO Young Investigator Programme (YIP) can also apply to the EMBO Global Investigator Network in the same year if they meet the eligibility criteria, for which a separate application is required. Applying to both programmes in parallel does not affect your chances in either programme (the committees and EMBO offices are different). If you are invited for interviews by both, you only have to attend the Global Investigator Network interviews if you are not selected for the YIP.
  • Please note that once you are selected as an EMBO Young Investigator, you cannot apply to the Global Investigator Network in the future. However, as an EMBO Global Investigator you can still apply to the YIP if you meet its eligibility criteria.

Eligibility extensions criteria

• For candidates who have given birth, the eligibility limit is automatically extended by one year per child.
• For candidates who did not give birth but took parental leave, the eligibility limit may be extended by:
  • the actual time taken off; or
  • three months per child, if during the parental leave period the candidate’s partner worked at least 80% FTE (full-time equivalent), whichever is longer.
• Illness, other care responsibilities or extended military service are considered as exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Special provisions may also be made for clinical scientists. 

Please contact the EMBO Young Investigator Programme office () for eligibility advice before applying if:

• You are unsure whether you meet the criteria for an independent research group leader;
• your transition to an independent research group leader did not involve a formal change in job title; or
• you require an extension of the eligibility period due to extraordinary personal circumstances.