Fellowships for the Training of Pre-doctoral Researchers. FPI-ICIQ Call 2025

Fundació Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ); Tarragona; Presencial; EUR 24.000 - 29.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A leading chemistry research institute is offering PhD fellowships intended for highly qualified students wanting to engage in cutting-edge research. Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Chemistry and have a dedication to scientific research. The program includes personalized training and opportunities for international collaboration.

Servicios

Fully funded short stays abroad

Social security coverage

Annual training program (SHARP)

Formación

• Strong interest in research in Chemistry or related fields.
• Excellent academic record and deep commitment to scientific research.
• Ability to communicate interests aligning with ICIQ and the PhD program.

Responsabilidades

• Conduct individual research projects under the guidance of a Group Leader.
• Participate in a comprehensive training program.
• Engage in knowledge and technology transfer activities.

Conocimientos

Research in Chemistry

Strong English communication

Teamwork

Educación

Master’s degree in Chemistry or related field

Descripción del empleo

The FPI-ICIQ 2025 Call targets outstanding postgraduate students worldwide to support their participation in a training and research programme in chemistry, ultimately leading to a Doctoral Thesis. The Doctoral Thesis will be linked to a research project funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, la Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and the Fondo Social Europeo (FSE+) under the framework of the Call 2024 of Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento.

The PhD students granted will have the opportunity to develop their professional careers in the fields of academia and industry. This objective is achieved by :

• he performance of an individual research project under the direction of an internationally renowned Group Leader, in a creative and stimulating scientific environment.
• A complementary training programme in both technical and soft skills. The educational framework is designed to ensure a successful career : scientific seminars, hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP management, entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and technology transfer, grant applications, project management, communication skills and career development. ICIQ provides a personalized annual training program for PhD students called SHARP (Severo Ochoa PhD Training Program), which occurs over two weeks each academic year, and focuses on their specific PhD year.
• Opportunities for short stays in distinguished international research institutions.

The programme is addressed to highly qualified, motivated and talented graduate students with a strong interest in research in Chemistry or related fields. Candidates should have an excellent academic record, a deep commitment to scientific research and a solid working knowledge of English.

The process of evaluation and selection guarantees the principles of competition, publicity and transparency.

II. Application process

The entire application process will be completed online. Applicants must apply via the ICIQ’s Career Portal. Applications sent by email or any other means will be ineligible.

Only one application per person will be considered. In case of multiple applications, only the first application submitted will be taken into consideration.

After completing the online form, applicants must attach the following documents :

1)Required documentation

a.A full Curriculum Vitae (in PDF format). It should include the academic background, work or research experience, publications, conferences, grants and awards, previous participation in ICIQ programmes, and other relevant merits and references.

b.A personal statement that describes the applicant’s academic background, research experience and career goals (maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages, in PDF format). The candidate must be able to communicate their interests and how these would align with ICIQ and the PhD training programme. Candidates should also mention the research group where they would like to carry out their PhD and the reasons why they are interested in a particular research project.

c. Official transcripts of BSc and MSc studies in PDF format. A scanned copy of the certified academic record of the studies granting access to the PhD programme (BSc and MSc). Candidates must have completed their Master’s degree by September 2025 to be eligible for the programme (please refer to section III. Eligibility Criteria for further information on the eligibility requirements). For academic records not issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a certified translation in English should be provided; otherwise, they will be ineligible and, therefore, not taken into consideration. For degrees obtained in foreign institutions, the academic record must include the range of marks used in the corresponding countries and the minimum mark to pass, as well as the hours or ECTS and marks for each subject.

d. Contact details for letters of recommendation of two University professors, Researchers in industry or other relevant individuals who can assess the candidate’s potential for research. ICIQ will contact the people listed as references only if a candidate is shortlisted. We suggest informing your references.

e. English proficiency level : Applicants must provide evidence of their proficiency in written and oral communication in the English language. Preferably, by the submission of a B2 certificate, First Certificate, IELTS 6 or equivalent. This certificate is not mandatory but desirable, and alternatively, late-stage candidates will be interviewed to assess their English level. Applicants from the Anglosphere (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are exempt from this requirement.

Applicants should select only one PhD supervisor.

Once the application has been successfully completed, an acknowledgement e-mail will be automatically sent. Candidates must ensure that all information is included before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

V. Fellowship Conditions

1. The awardees of an FPI-ICIQ PhD fellowship will be considered research personnel in training, and they will have an employment contract (a pre-doctoral contract) which is regulated in the Spanish Law 14 / 2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and Education.

2. The Fellowship Conditions are regulated in the 2024 call of “Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento” and fellowships for predoctoral researchers associated with these projects, in the framework of the “Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2024-2027”, Articles 3, 12 and 13.

3. The fellowship includes the salary, the enrolment fees to a PhD program (up to 4 years) and the opportunity to carry out fully funded short stays in other institutions, companies or universities abroad.

4. Pre-doctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities. The time spent with previous pre-doctoral contracts will be deducted from the 48 months granted.

The gross annual salary will be divided into twelve monthly payments. At the time of publishing this call, the gross monthly salary is set at 24.348,77 euros. This amount may be adjusted in the event of an increase in the remuneration established by the Statute of Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (EPIF). In any case, the remuneration of the contract may not be lower than 75% of the salary established for equivalent categories under the applicable collective agreements during any of the funded years. It shall also not be lower than the minimum interprofessional wage established annually, under Article 27 of the Revised Text of the Workers’ Statute Law.

To determine these remunerations, the minimum reference category shall be that corresponding to Professional Group M3 of labour personnel. The provisions of Article 12.4 of the 2024 call for “Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento” shall also apply.

5. The fellowship includes full social security coverage through the Spanish Social Security system, providing access to the Spanish public health care system and pension and unemployment benefits.

6. Recipients of the FPI-ICIQ fellowship may enter a postdoctoral orientation phase if they successfully defend their PhD thesis before the end of the fellowship period. In this case, the PhD student and the supervisor may agree to continue the existing contract for up to 12 months, within a postdoctoral orientation phase. The combined duration of both the doctoral and postdoctoral periods must not exceed 48 months.

7. The fellowship holder is entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship in the situations regulated in Article 21. C) of the Spanish Law 14 / 2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and Education and in Article 25.7 of the 2024 call of “Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento” and fellowships for predoctoral researchers associated with these projects, in the framework of the “Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2024-2027”.The time elapsed during this interruption will not be accounted for against the total time.

8. The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.

9. The PhD fellowship awardees will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship with the same purpose or regular income.

VI. Scientific reporting of the actions for the training of predoctoral researchers associated with the projects.

Pre-doctoral researchers in training are required to report their activities and achieved objectives to the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. They must use the templates available on the website of the Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Researchers are obligated to submit two reports : one intermediate report due at month 20 of the fellowship and a final report that covers the entire duration of the fellowship, including the POP phase, if applicable.