EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships Grant

EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: European Molecular Biology Organization
Last Updated: March 19, 2026

Summary

The EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers with a doctoral degree to pursue postdoctoral training in EMBC Member States. Grants cover employment contracts and stipends for fellows in non-member countries. Eligible applicants must have a first author publication and apply within two years of obtaining their PhD. Benefits include childcare and relocation allowances, as well as opportunities for networking and participation in leadership courses. The fellowship duration is typically two years, with flexibility for shorter terms.

Overview

NOTE: 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. Benefits EMBO provides grants for host institutions in EMBC Member States to issue employment contracts to EMBO Fellows. Fellows working in other countries than EMBC Member States will receive a stipend. Duration EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded for a period of two years although shorter durations can be requested. The minimum fellowship duration that can be requested is one year. Fellowships must be started within one calendar year from the relevant evaluation cut-off. Contract EMBO provides grants to the host institution with the sole intention to cover the cost of an employment contract to be issued by the host institution to the awardee. These costs include employer’s social contributions, awardee’s social contributions, taxes as required by national and local laws and regulations, and the net salary of the awardee. The EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship does not cover bench fees, overheads, funds for consumables or any other financial benefits to the host supervisor or the receiving institute. The grant rate depends on the country being visited. The transfer of funds is regulated by a grant agreement that will be signed by both EMBO and the host institution. The contract between the host institution and the awardee will be issued by the host institution according to the national and local regulations in each of the EMBC Member States. Please refer to the guidelines for more information. Childcare allowance For children under the age of six, fellows can claim support for incurred childcare costs up to the amount of 2,500 euros per fellowship year and per child. The corresponding amount is prorated according to the fraction of the year in which childcare expenses were incurred. Relocation allowance The relocation allowance is intended to cover travel costs up to the amount of 5,000 euros for the fellow and his/her family to and from the host institute. EMBO Fellows' Network Every two years, fellows awarded three and four years earlier are invited to the EMBO Fellows’ Meeting. Similarly, once every two years, fellows residing in North America are invited to the US Fellows’ Meeting. These events bring fellows together in a friendly atmosphere to learn, share experiences, and establish new collaborations and contacts. It is also an opportunity to meet the EMBO staff and give feedback and suggestions on the programme. Alternating with the EMBO Fellows’ Meeting, every two years fellows will be invited to the EMBO Alumni Fellows’ Meeting. EMBO Laboratory Leadership Courses EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows are offered to attend a Laboratory Leadership Course for postdocs in Heidelberg free of charge at the end of their fellowship. Online training is also possible. Please note that waivers are available only to a limited number of EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows per year, both previous and current. Places are granted on a strict first come, first served policy and although all fellows will be able to attend the course, there might not be available places for a course on a particular date. Waiver is available within five years of being awarded the fellowship and only if the fellowship is held for at least six months. Dependent child allowance EMBO Fellows are entitled to receive an additional allowance for dependent children under the age of 18. The value of the allowance depends on the country being visited. Parental leave Fellows whose children were born during their fellowship are entitled to three months paid parental leave. Fellows who take parental leave during the fellowship are entitled to an extension of their fellowship for an equivalent period. This extension must be requested by the host supervisor at the end of the fellowship. Parental leave must begin within six months of the birth of a child. Fellows must inform the EMBO Fellowship Office of their intention to take parental leave. Part-time work For childcare it is possible to work part-time (50% or 75% of full time) during the fellowship. Please note: The maximum fellowship duration (full-time plus part-time) must not exceed 36 months. Deadlines Spring evaluation: includes all eligible applications submitted by the second Friday of February, 14:00 Central European Time. Results for this round will be announced at the end of May or beginning of June. Autumn evaluation: includes all eligible applications submitted by the second Friday of August, 14:00 Central European Summer Time. Results for this round will be announced at the end of November or beginning of December

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. 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 from this pilot. This pilot will run until 14:00 CET on 12 August 2022.All applications must involve movement between countries (detailed information about mobility requirements is listed in the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships guidelines).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.

Ineligibility

The EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship does not cover bench fees, overheads, funds for consumables or any other financial benefits to the host supervisor or the receiving institute.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.