Iciq Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships – 2Nd Call 2025

ICIQ; Tarragona; Presencial; EUR 19.000 - 25.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A leading research institute in Spain is offering ICIQ Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships for exceptional graduate students to pursue a PhD in Chemistry. This opportunity includes comprehensive training, supervision by esteemed faculty, and a focus on innovative research areas. Ideal candidates are passionate about chemistry research and possess strong academic records.

Servicios

Comprehensive training program

Networking opportunities at international institutions

Annual salary with social security coverage

Formación

• Exceptional graduate students with a keen interest in Chemistry or adjacent areas.
• Candidates expected to have an excellent academic record and commitment.

Responsabilidades

• Participate in a training and research program leading to a PhD in Chemistry.
• Conduct research aligned with ICIQ's Strategic Plan.

Conocimientos

Research skills

Strong commitment to scientific research

Excellent English proficiency

Educación

Master's degree in Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, or related

Descripción del empleo

ICIQ SEVERO OCHOA PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR RESEARCHERS 2025 (ICIQ‑FPI‑SO 2025_2nd call)

The ICIQ Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships for Researchers Training are aimed at exceptional graduate students from all over the world. These PhD studentships will support your enrolment in a training and research programme in the field of chemistry, ultimately leading to the completion of a PhD in Chemistry in partnership with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). The PhD will be ascribed to the project CEX2024‑001469‑S, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades / Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MICIU/AEI) under the 2024 C&E "Severo Ochoa" call for proposals.

The PhD trainees will have the opportunity to receive comprehensive training to successfully prepare for their professional career in academia or industry. This objective is achieved by the following activities:

• The performance of each individual research project is aligned with one of the research lines of the ICIQ‑Severo Ochoa Strategic Plan – Innovative Catalysis, Renewable Energy Vectors, and Molecular Medicine – in a creative and stimulating scientific environment.
• The Thesis project will be supervised by two ICIQ Group Leaders (supervisor and co‑supervisor) to ensure that the PhD student benefits from a multidisciplinary project and dual mentorship.
• A complementary training programme in both technical and soft skills is provided.
• 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 personalised annual training programme for PhD students called SHARP (Severo Ochoa PhD Training Programme), which occurs over two weeks and focuses on their specific PhD year.
• Opportunities for short‑term placements in distinguished international research institutions.

These fellowships are addressed to highly qualified, motivated and talented graduate students with a keen interest in research in Chemistry or adjacent areas. Candidates should have an excellent academic record, a strong commitment to scientific research and a solid working knowledge of English.

I. Available positions

See Annex.

II. Application process

The entire application process will be completed online. Applicants must apply via 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. Full Curriculum Vitae (maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages, in PDF format) including education, work or research experience, publications, conferences, grants and awards, other relevant merits and contact details for letters of recommendation.
2. Personal statement that describes the applicant’s academic background, research experience and career goals (maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages, in PDF format). Candidates must be able to communicate their interests and how these align with ICIQ and the Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships. Candidates should also mention the research groups where they would like to carry out their PhD and the reasons why they are interested in a particular research project.
3. 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 degree by the time the fellowship starts to be eligible for the program (refer to section III. Eligibility Criteria for further information). For academic records not issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a certified translation in English should be provided; otherwise, they will be ineligible. 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.
4. 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.
5. English proficiency level. Applicants must provide evidence of their proficiency in written and oral communication in the English language, preferably, by submission of a B2 certificate, Cambridge First Certificate, IELTS 6 or equivalent. This certificate is not mandatory but desirable; 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 as native speakers.

NOTE: Although applicants can select up to two Thesis projects, the first option will be prioritized for the selection process.

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.

The application period opens on November 3, 2025 and closes at midnight (Spain time) on January 11, 2026.

III. Eligibility criteria

1. Candidates must have a Master or an equivalent degree in Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy or related disciplines, completed by October 2025, allowing admission to a Spanish PhD programme by the time the fellowship starts.
2. Individuals who already hold a PhD degree, whether from a Spanish or foreign university, or who have previously benefited from a predoctoral training fellowship under the State Research, Development and Innovation Plan or any of the previous Spanish National Plans by MICIU/AEI are not eligible.

If in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria, applicants should contact ICIQ’s Human Resources Unit at [e-mail] before submission of the application.

Candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the Evaluation Criteria described in section IV.

IV. Evaluation Criteria

According to the 2024 C&E "Severo Ochoa" call for proposals, the evaluation criteria are the following:

Criteria 1. Academic and/or scientific‑technical career path of the candidate (up to 50 points).

• Sub‑criteria 1a. Scientific‑technical contributions (up to 45 points). The academic record and other curricular merits of the candidate will be assessed, as well as suitability for the tasks to be carried out under training and professional experience.
• Sub‑criteria 1b. Mobility and internationalisation (up to 5 points). Short‑term research stays in national and international institutions, universities and industry will be assessed, considering the prestige of the hosting entity and the impact of the research stays on the candidate’s research career.

Criteria 2. Suitability of the candidate for the proposed research activities (up to 50 points). The candidate’s suitability for the programme, project and planned research activities will be evaluated based on prior training and experience. Consideration will be given to the added value of undertaking the project for their research career, as well as the value the candidate would contribute to the host institution and research groups.

V. Evaluation and selection process

1. The evaluation and selection process will observe the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
2. Submitted applications will be checked for eligibility; those not fulfilling all criteria will be rejected. It will not be possible to modify the application or to add missing documentation after the call deadline.
3. The selection will be based on the evaluation criteria described in Section IV. The threshold to be admitted to the programme will be 65 points.
4. At the late stages of the selection process, short‑listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.
5. All applicants will be informed of the final selection decision by early February 2026.

Successful candidates will be requested to inform ICIQ whether they accept or decline the offer within five business days of being notified. If the applicant does not respond during this time, the offer will be considered declined.

ICIQ follows a gender equality opportunity policy and a non‑discrimination policy based on age, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language and disability.

VI. Fellowship conditions

1. The awardees of an ICIQ Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowship for Researchers Training will be considered research personnel in training, with an employment contract regulated by Spanish Law 14/2011.
2. The fellowship conditions are set out in the 2024 C&E "Severo Ochoa" call for proposals, within the framework of the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica 2021‑2023 (Articles 10, 11 and 29).
3. The fellowship includes salary, enrolment fees to a PhD programme (up to 4 years) and funding to carry out short stays in other institutions, companies or universities abroad.
4. Predoctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years, subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities.
5. The gross yearly salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and distributed as follows:

First year of PhD: €19,574.52 per year.
Second, third and fourth year of PhD: €24,468.15 per year.

The amounts are stated according to the EPIF rules and Article 10.4 of the 2024 C&E call. They will be increased if the EPIF is updated.

The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre. Fellowship holders can become postdoctoral researchers during a postdoctoral training period if they defend their PhD thesis before the end of the fellowship. The total duration of both periods (doctoral and postdoctoral) cannot exceed 48 months.

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.

The fellowship holder is entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship under the circumstances set forth in Article 21c of Spanish Law 14/2011 and Article 24.5 of the 2024 C&E call (e.g., part‑time leave for maternity, paternity or reduced working hours due to family care). The interruption period will not count against the total duration of the fellowship.

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

VII. Scientific and technical monitoring of activities for the training of predoctoral researchers

Predoctoral researchers in training must report to the Agencia Estatal de Investigación on the activities carried out and the fulfilment of the training programme. They are required to prepare two reports: an interim report at month 20 of the fellowship, and a final report covering the entire duration of the fellowship, including the POP period, if applicable. Researchers will receive support from the HR Unit and the ICIQ Severo Ochoa Project Manager throughout the entire duration of the fellowship.

VIII. Indicative calendar

• Call opening: 3 November 2025
• Call deadline: 11 January 2026
• Evaluation and selection process: January 2026
• Final resolution: from 9 February 2026

Annex: Available positions

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑7
Supervisor: Prof. J. R. Galán‑Mascarós
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Title: Magnetically‑Enhanced Photocatalysis for Selective Oxidation of Organic Molecules
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑8
Supervisor: Prof. Antoni Llobet
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Beatriz Prieto‑Simón
Title: Nanotechnology for Energy Applications
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑9
Supervisor: Prof. Jordi Burés
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Ruben Martin
Title: Unravelling the mechanistic intricacies of catalytic chain‑walking reactions
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑10
Supervisor: Prof. Mónica H. Pérez‑Temprano
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Jordi Burés
Title: Unveiling C(sp3)–H Activation Principles in Cp*Co(III) Catalysis for Innovative Synthetic Methodologies
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑11
Supervisor: Prof. Núria López
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Title: Understanding and Predicting Magnetically‑Enhanced Photocatalysis for Selective Oxidation of Organic Molecules
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑12
Supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Co‑supervisor: Prof. Beatriz Prieto‑Simón
Title: NIR‑Driven Micromotors for Biofilm Eradication and Electrochemical Monitoring
Strategic research line: Molecular Medicine

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑13
Supervisor: Arjan W. Kleij
Co‑supervisor: Mónica Pérez‑Temprano
Title: Light‑driven cobalt catalysis
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024‑FPI‑2025‑14
Supervisor: José A. Berrocal
Co‑supervisor: Pablo Ballester
Title: Mechanoresponsive Polymers with Embedded Macrocycles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications
Strategic research line: Molecular Medicine

CEX2024‑001469‑S funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033