Postdoctoral Fellowships

Supporting internationally mobile postdoctoral researchers in Europe and around the world

Applications accepted throughout the year (next cutoff date: 9 February 2024, 14:00 CET)

Eligibility

Main eligibility criteria:

  • Applicants must hold a doctorate or equivalent at the start of the fellowship.
  • Applicants who already hold a PhD at the time of application are eligible to apply only if they obtained it during the two years prior to the date the application is submitted.
  • Applicants must have at least one first author publication accepted in or published in an international peer reviewed journal at the time of application. New as of 25 April 2022: A first author preprint with in-depth peer reviews publicly available from a trusted independent preprint peer review platform is also sufficient for eligibility. Informal comments, highlights and reviews posted by individuals are excluded.
  • All applications must involve movement between countries (detailed information about mobility requirements is listed in the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships guidelines).
  • Applications to go to the country in which the PhD was obtained will not be considered.
  • Applications to return to a laboratory where the candidate has worked in the past for more than six months, either in one or in several visits will not be considered.
  • Applications for an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship to be held in the laboratory, institute or department in which the candidate worked to obtain the PhD, or to work again with the candidate’s supervisor, no matter where the latter is located, will not be considered.
  • Candidates who have already started working in the host laboratory can apply only if they have been working in the host laboratory for less than six months at the time the application is submitted.
  • Candidates can only submit one application for one project at one host laboratory at each round of selection.
  • Reapplication is permissible only once.

Exceptions to the eligibility rules are made for applicants with extraordinary personal circumstances, such as parental leave, severe illness, or military service during the relevant period. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis. No exceptions will be made for voluntary career breaks. The Fellowship Office can provide further information and must be contacted prior to submitting an application. Submitted applications that fall outside of the eligibility criteria will be deemed ineligible if they do not have prior approval from the Fellowship Office.

For detailed eligibility criteria, carefully read the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships guidelines.