Merci Postdoctoral Positions At Iciq

BIST People Working Group; Tarragona; On-site; EUR 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Welcome stipend €1,800

Family allowance €100/month

Research budget €400/month

Training budget €350/month

Secondments to international labs

Job summary

ICIQ's MERCI programme invites four postdoctoral researchers to join the European R&D system, with a path to Group Leader and potential Associated Researcher status at ICIQ, Tarragona.

Fellows will have two phases total 5 years, with salaries: 60,000 €/year in phase 1 and 50,000 €/year in phase 2, plus family allowance, research and training budgets, and a welcome stipend to help relocate.

Qualifications

• PhD required for the postdoctoral positions.
• Researchers must have between 2 and 10 years of postdoctoral experience at the call deadline.

Skills

Postdoctoral experience

Education

Doctoral degree

Job description

MERCI is a postdoctoral innovative co-funded programme (Choose Europe) that aims to recruit four highly talented and autonomous postdoctoral researchers who will be integrated within the European R&D&I system, reaching the R3 level during their employment at ICIQ. This level is required for them to be able to become a ‘Group Leader’ at the centre or at related research centres and universities, with the possibility to keep connected to ICIQ as ‘Associated Researcher’.

By joining ICIQ through MERCI, researchers will follow a clear career development path, including:

• Close mentoring by an internationally renowned Group Leader.
• Progress monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
• Personalised Career Development Plan (CDP) and research career support.

Fellows will also be able to explore interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility through secondments. ICIQ has active participation in international networks and platforms, as well as working collaborations, and more than 20 research and industry actors have already shown interest in hosting secondments.

The programme offers four five-year positions, each mentored by an internationally renowned Group Leader at ICIQ. Each position is divided into two phases (Phase 1: 3 years and Phase 2: 2 years) and includes both an intermediate and a final evaluation by ICIQ’s SAB (Scientific Advisory Board).

Postdoctoral candidates will be given freedom to choose their mentor and propose a research project within the three main research areas of the centre, aligned in a complementary way with the group’s framework research lines.

• Environment: A vibrant and international research atmosphere with 19 research groups.
• Development: A personalised Career Development Plan following the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers.
• Training: A tailored Training Programme and Networking opportunities in an international environment.
• Equipment: Access to excellent scientific equipment, facilities and secondments in international institutions.

Eligibility Criteria

Mobility rule

Researchers of any nationality are eligible to apply, however applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

Doctoral degree

Researchers must be in possession of a doctoral degree at the call deadline.

Employment status

Researchers should not be permanently employed by ICIQ at the call deadline.

Experience

Researchers must have between 2 and 10 years of postdoctoral experience at the call deadline.

Working Conditions

Contract

Full-time employment contract of 36 months (Phase 1) and 24 additional months (Phase 2). Fellows will be affiliated to the Spanish Social Security General Regime, which includes standard health and accident insurance, maternity and paternity leaves, pension and unemployment benefits.

Salary

• Phase 1: average gross salary (including living, mobility allowances) of 60,000 €/year, funded by the EU.
• Phase 2: average gross salary (including living, mobility allowances) of 50,000 €/year, funded by ICIQ.

Family allowance

Included, when applicable, €100/month as supplementary remuneration for family support. Any changes in family situation during the project will result in a corresponding salary adjustment from the date of status change.

Research support

A budget of €400/month for research expenses (consumables, reagents and materials, etc.) and additional support for the salary of a co-supervised PhD student between the fellow and the mentor.

Welcome stipend

A unique starting allowance of €1,800 to be included in the salary at the beginning to settle down in Tarragona.

Training and networking

€350/month to cover specific training courses, attendance at conferences worldwide, secondment costs and dissemination costs.

Selection Process

• Only one application per candidate may be submitted. Applications must include:
• Application details
• CV and research summary (max. 5 pages) following the template
• Research proposal (max. 6 pages) following the template
• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)
• Copy of the PhD title
• Supporting documents to prove at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience
• Ethical self-assessment questionnaire
• Preferred hosting group (mentor) by priority (max. 2 preferences)
• Information of at least two reference contacts
• Statement to comply with the mobility rule
• Agreement to personal data treatment

Guide for applicants

Check the guide for applicants for more information.

Only completed applications will be considered for evaluation. Once the application documents are submitted, candidates will receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt.

MERCI – Momentum for European Research Career at ICIQ – ICIQ

ICIQ is dedicated to promoting the role of women in science, and, therefore, explicitly invites women to apply.

OTM-R principles in the selection processes

ICIQ follows the principles of Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers as established by the European Commission.

ICIQ follows in its selection process a gender equality opportunity policy and a non-discrimination policy on the basis of age, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language and disability.

ICIQ is committed to promoting a work-life balance for its employees and, as such, offers flexible working hours.

This Project has received funding from the European Union (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101313516)

This project has received funding from the Spanish State Research Agency/Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the “Severo Ochoa” Centres of Excellence Programme 2024 (CEX2024-001469-S, MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)