EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 2
PLEASE NOTE: the guidelines are updated periodically. Please ensure you are reading the
latest version.
EMBC Member states: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and United Kingdom
EMBC Associate Member states: India, Singapore
EMBC/EMBO co-operation partners: Chile, Taiwan
EMBO subject areas: Cell Cycle, Cell & Tissue Architecture, Cellular Metabolism, Chromatin &
Transcription, Development, Differentiation & Death, Evolution & Ecology, Genome Stability &
Dynamics, Genomic & Computational Biology, Immunology, Membranes & Transport,
Microbiology, Virology & Pathogens, Molecular Medicine, Neuroscience, Plant Biology,
Proteins & Biochemistry, RNA, Signal Transduction, Structural Biology & Biophysics, Systems
Biology
Contact: fel[email protected]
EMBO Fellowship Committee 2023:
Lea Sistonen (FI) (Chair)
Sigal Ben-Yehuda (IL)
Mario de Bono (AT)
Filippo Del Bene (FR)
David Drew (SE)
Alain Goossens (BE)
Ian Henderson (UK)
Brian McStay (IE)
Maria Dolores Martín Bermudo (ES)
Rosario Rizzuto (IT)
Raffaella Santoro (CH)
Robert Tampé (DE)
Boris Turk (SI)
Štěpánka Vaňáčová (CZ)
Danijela Vignjevic (FR)
Canan Altigan (TR)
Patricia Bassereau (FR)
Edward Lemke (DE)
Mariana G. Pinho (PT)
Balázs Papp (HU)
Sabrina Sabatini (IT)
Luisa Miranda Figueiredo (PT)
Michela Matteoli (IT)
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 3
Eligibility
Applications are accepted from candidates who meet the following criteria:
PhD degree
Applicants must hold a PhD degree or equivalent at the start of the fellowship, but not
necessarily at the time the application is submitted.
Applicants who already hold a PhD degree are eligible if they obtained their PhD degree
within the two years preceding the application submission date.
PLEASE NOTE: the Fellowship Office considers the SUBMSSION date of the application to
check if the applicant holds a PhD title for less than 2 years. The Spring and Autumn cutoff
deadlines (2
nd
Friday of February, 2PM CET, and second Friday of July, 2PM CEST,
respectively) do not play a role in this eligibility check.
Exceptions to this rule are made for applicants with career breaks during the relevant period
due to parental leave and mandatory military/civil service in which case the time of the
career break will not be counted. Additional exceptions might be made on a case-by-case basis
for extraordinary personal circumstances, such as demonstrable severe illness or full-time
care of an ill family member. The Fellowship office reserves the right to request the
appropriate documentation. No exceptions will be made for other types of voluntary career
breaks. The applicant must contact the Fellowship office prior to the submission of the
application to obtain an exception, no matter what type. Applications submitted without
prior approval of an exception will be deemed ineligible.
Candidates with a medical degree (M.D.) may be eligible to apply for an EMBO Postdoctoral
Fellowship provided they hold a PhD (MD-PhD programme), in which case, the rules
explained above apply. Candidates that don’t have a PhD but have equivalent research
experience to a PhD and meet all other eligibility criteria, should enquire with the EMBO
Fellowship office prior to submission.
Publications
Applicants must have at least one first (or joint first) author primary research paper accepted
for publication or published in an international peer reviewed journal at the time the
application is submitted. For papers not yet published but “accepted”, “accepted in principle”,
“accepted for publication” or similar status, send a copy of the editorial letter proving the
status of the paper to fellowshi[email protected]. In the letter it must be clear that the applicant is
the first (or co-first) author.
A first author preprint with public in-depth peer reviews is also sufficient for eligibility,
provided all the following conditions are met:
1. The preprint is posted on a recognized community preprint server such as Arxiv,
bioRxiv, medRxiv, Zenodo...;
2. the peer reviews must be publicly available online;
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 4
3. the peer reviews were verifiably obtained from an independent preprint peer review
service such as "Peer Community In”, “eLife” or “Review Commons”.
4. The reviews provide an in-depth expert analysis of the rigor and validity of the
research and its contribution to the field.
Note:
Reviewers’ comments, as well as individual comments or feedback pasted online by the
author(s) on the pre-print server are not accepted since their authenticity is not verifiable.
Examples:
Bénitìere F, Necsulea A, Duret L (2023). AX1BP1 recruits ATG9 vesicles through SCAMP3
binding. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.09.519597 peer reviewed by PCI Evolution
https://doi.org/10.24072/pci.evolbiol.100642
Hama Y, Kurikawa Y, Matsui T, Mizushima N, Yamamoto H (2023). TAX1BP1 recruits ATG9
vesicles through SCAMP3 binding. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.18.553817 peer
reviewed by Review Commons https://reviewcommons.org/eeb/10.1101/2023.08.18.553817
The following items should not be listed as publications:
• Papers submitted or in preparation.
• Papers published in non-English language.
• Abstracts of presentations at conferences
EMBO will consider primary research papers published on preprint servers without
reviewers’ comment, but a first-author publication in an international peer-reviewed journal
or a first author refereed preprint is still a requirement. Similarly, reviews, comments, book
chapters, instruction-based methods papers or videos and patents can be listed where
appropriate, but are not considered primary research publications. Papers describing in
detail the development of a new protocol to answer a specific biological question may count
as first-author papers. Contact the Fellowship office in case of doubt.
Do NOT indicate the journal impact factor or any other metrics, commentaries, highlights or
citations in the publication list. EMBO is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on
Research Assessment (DORA, https://sfdora.org), which recommends “not to use journal-based
metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual
research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or
funding decisions”.
Publication updates after the application is submitted are not allowed. In case of publication
updates prior to the selection process, the application must be withdrawn and re-submitted
with eligibility rules counting at time of re-submission (see also APPLICATION PROCESS).
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 5
Mobility
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to promote international exchange. All
applications must involve a change of country.
a) Applications to work in an EMBC Member State
Applicants, regardless of their nationality or the country in which they obtained their PhD,
can apply for an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship to work in any EMBC Member State provided
there is international mobility (see list of EMBC Member States on page two).
b) Applications to work in an EMBC Associate Member State or Countries / Territories
covered by a co-operation agreement
Applicants who wish to work in an EMBC Associate Member State or a Country / Territory
covered by a co-operation agreement are eligible if they move from, are nationals of and have
performed their PhD in
• an EMBC Member State or
• an EMBC Associate Member State or
• a Country / territory covered by a co-operation agreement.
c) Applications to work in a Non-EMBC Member State
Applicants who wish to work in a Non-EMBC Member State must meet all the following
requirements:
• must move from an EMBC Member State,
• must be nationals of an EMBC Member State
• must have performed their PhD in one of the EMBC Member States.
A maximum of 30% of fellowships are awarded in this category (c).
PLEASE NOTE:
1) Applications to move within the country where the host institute is located
(independently if this is a EMBC Member State, a EMBC Associate Member State /
EMBC Cooperation Partner State or non-EMBC member State) are eligible if the
applicant has been living or working for a maximum of six months in that country
during the previous 18 months counting back from the time the application is
submitted.
2) Similarly, candidates can apply if they have already started working at the host
laboratory, but only if they have been working there for a maximum of six months
at the time the application is submitted. This includes candidates that started
working with the host supervisor and then moved with the host supervisor to a
different location: the relevant start date will be the date the candidate joined the
host laboratory regardless of location. Please note that the maximum stay of six
months in the country where the host institute is located within the last 18 months as
listed above (1) takes precedence.
The Fellowship Office will take into consideration ONLY the SUBMSSION date of the
application to run the above-mentioned mobility and temporal checks. The Spring and
Autumn cutoff deadlines (2
nd
Friday of February, 2PM CET, and second Friday of July, 2PM
CEST, respectively) do not play a role in this eligibility check.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 6
Further mobility rules
Applicants wishing to work in the country in which they officially obtained their PhD are NOT
eligible. If the PhD is officially shared between two institutions in different countries, both
countries will be excluded. Visits of less than 6 months to the future supervisor or any other
laboratory in the proposed destination country are permitted.
Applicants wishing to work in the country where they developed their PhD studies, even if the
PhD is officially issued by a different country, or to work again with the candidate’s PhD
supervisor, no matter where the latter is located, are not eligible. Again, visits of less than 6
months to any other laboratory in the proposed destination country are permitted.
Applicants wishing to return to a laboratory where they have already worked for more than
six months in one or several visits are not eligible, regardless of where that laboratory may
be located. This includes the time spent during the master studies.
Other eligibility rules
Scientific scope
Research proposals must be within EMBO’s scientific scope (EMBO subject areas are listed on
page two). A more detailed description can be found at http://www.embo.org/about-
embo/subject-areas.
EMBO is no longer exclusively dedicated to the promotion and funding of molecular biology
and has opened to fields in the life sciences that traditionally have not explored biological
questions at the molecular level. However, applications to the EMBO Fellowship Programme
are expected to be driven by a biological question, explore the mechanisms behind
biological phenomena and yield biological insight, rather than remaining at the descriptive
or observational level. Mechanistic insight may involve molecules, but can also involve higher
levels of organization, such as cells, tissues, organisms, populations or ecosystems. Similarly,
applied or clinical work without a clear biological question is not eligible. Projects with an
aim to develop an application, commercial product or process, or a device may be considered
if a fundamental biology question behind the project is to be answered. For instance,
development of technologies that enable biological discovery (microscopy, PCR, etc).
Applications in which the postdoctoral project is a direct continuation of the PhD
project will not be considered.
Research integrity
EMBO expects responsible conduct of research from its awardees. All research activities
supported by the EMBO Fellowship Programme must be in compliance with the respective
national and institutional research integrity and ethics requirements, such as those set out in
the Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of
Research, and in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. These refer to
questions relevant to the use in research of human materials, including human embryonic
stem cells, the use of animal models and, in general, any other potential ethical issues that
may arise during the applicant’s daily research activities. Applicants may be asked to provide
evidence that their planned research conforms to the relevant regulations that apply at the
host institution. In line with our commitment to the principles of research integrity, we
require all EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows to complete an online course on research integrity.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 7
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools
EMBO acknowledges the value of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, as well as human
feedback, in the preparation of funding applications. Applicants are fully and solely
responsible for the originality and accuracy of their applications.
To provide transparency, applicants are requested to disclose whether AI tools were used in
preparing their applications, and for what purpose (e.g., chatGPT was used to improve
language style).
EMBO will continue following the developments in generative AI and adapt this policy
as required.
Number of applications per selection round
Candidates may only submit one application, for one project, at one host laboratory at each
round of selection. More than one applicant can apply to the same host laboratory provided
they propose different projects.
Re-application
Re-application is permitted only once. However, we will only consider a re-application in
case of substantial changes to the proposal and/or the CV of the applicant or a change of
host lab. The applicant should outline in the “Other Funding” section under “application
changes” detailed and exact changes made to the proposal and/or the CV. Candidates can
re-apply for the next round of selection while a decision is being made on their first
application only if they will not be eligible after the decision on the first submission is made.
Industrial research laboratories and applied projects
Applications to work in an industrial research laboratory with the intention to develop new
commercial products or procedures will not be considered. Applications to work in an
industrial or for-profit research laboratory to develop a basic research project in biology are
eligible.
Projects with an aim to develop an application, commercial product or process, or a device
may be considered if there is a fundamental biology question behind the project to be
answered. For instance, development of technologies that enable biological discovery
(microscopy, PCR, etc.) may be eligible for funding.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 8
Application process
Applications for an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship are accepted via the EMBO online
application system.
There are no application deadlines for EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships, but there are two
cutoff evaluation dates:
Second Friday of February, 2 PM Central European Time: Applications submitted up to
this date will enter the Spring Selection Round. Results for this round will be announced at
the end of June of the same year.
Second Friday of July, 2 PM Central European Summer Time: Applications submitted up to
this date will enter the Autumn Selection Round. Results for this round will be announced at
the end of December of the same year.
Although the online application system will be open throughout the year, the system may be
closed for short periods after each selection deadline for technical and maintenance purposes
and occasional downtimes may occur at any time. Candidates must take these potential issues
into consideration during their application process.
Applicants need to register for an EMBO online application account. Once login details for the
account have been received by e-mail it is possible to start an application.
Applications must be written in English and no special formatting is allowed. Similarly,
figures and tables cannot be included in the application.
Applications and supporting documentation (two reference letters and the acceptance letter
from the receiving institute) are only accepted via the EMBO online application system. Please
keep in mind that one of the reference letters must be from the PhD supervisor/PhD co-
supervisor and none of the reference letters can come from referees in the receiving institute.
We require that the reference letters and acceptance letter from the receiving institute use
institutional email addresses and not private ones.
No application can be completed without all the information required, including the
two reference letters and the acceptance letter from the receiving institute.
The date, according to Central European Time, on which the candidates successfully
submit their application is the reference date for eligibility and evaluation. Changes in
address or contact email that occur after submission of an application are the only changes
permitted after the application is submitted without re-opening it. All other changes,
including publication updates, will require the office to re-open the application which will
change the submission date to the date when the application completed and submitted. Please
note that this may cause the application to become ineligible. Once the application enters the
evaluation process no further changes are allowed.
IMPORTANT: Registration for an EMBO online application account is not sufficient to enter
the corresponding evaluation round. An application is only regarded as complete once all the
required information is submitted and the candidate confirms completion. Applications
completed after 14:00 CE(S)T on the day of the evaluation cutoff deadline will enter the next
evaluation round. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 9
For a detailed description of the information that will be requested during the application
process, screenshots of the online form are included in the Annex.
Selection process
The primary selection criteria applied by the EMBO Fellowship Committee are scientific
excellence of the candidate, the project and the host laboratory.
Aspects considered are:
Scientific achievements of the applicant
• Scientific contributions and CV
• Performance of the applicant based on reference letters
Project proposal
• Quality, scope, novelty and biological significance of the proposed research
• Coherent and logical presentation of the research project
Host laboratory
• Suitability of the host laboratory for the proposed research project and training of the
applicant
• Scientific achievements of the host laboratory
Applications to work with host laboratories with which the candidate has collaborated in the
past generally receive lower priority for funding. Likewise, projects that are a continuation of
an applicant’s PhD research will not be considered.
Fellowships are awarded to candidates. However, the selection process also takes into
consideration the specific research project proposed by the candidate and the suitability of
the host laboratory. For this reason, substantial changes to the proposed project or moving to
a different host laboratory will result in the termination of the fellowship. However,
exceptions can be made under extraordinary circumstances. The EMBO Fellowship Office
must be informed of any intention to change the research project or the host laboratory once
a fellowship has been awarded. Requests for such changes are examined by the Head of the
Fellowship Programme and the Chair of the Fellowship Committee on a case-by-case basis.
Evaluation timeline (times are approximate)
0-6 weeks after cutoff date. First stage of evaluation: pre-screening
All complete applications are screened by the EMBO office to ensure eligibility requirements
are met. Ineligible applications will receive an email explaining why their application is
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 10
ineligible. All eligible applicants receive an acknowledgement e-mail within maximum two
weeks of the evaluation cutoff date.
Each eligible application is then assessed by three members of the Fellowship Committee.
During the pre-screening, the committee reviews a condensed application form, which
consists of:
• the summary of the applicant’s main scientific achievements along with the list of
publications:
• the summary and biological significance of the proposed work:
• justification for choice of the host lab:
• reference and acceptance letters.
All applicants are informed about the outcome of the pre-screening by email about six to eight
weeks after the cutoff date. Approximately, the top 25% of the applications are selected for the
second round of evaluation.
7-15 weeks after cutoff date. Second stage of evaluation: interview
For applicants who successfully pass the first evaluation step, an interviewer, who is an
expert in the applicant’s area of research, is selected from among the EMBO Members and
EMBO Young Investigators. Interviews take place through videoconference only. Candidates
must give a presentation as part of the interview procedure. The interview lasts ninghty
minutes: in the first thirty minutes the applicant should introduce their PhD achievements
and describe the proposed postdoctoral project, while the following sixty minutes are
dedicated to a Q&A session. The interview will take place at the interviewer's convenience.
15-17 weeks after cutoff date. Third stage of evaluation: selection
Applications selected to the 2
nd
stage are independently evaluated by five members of the
EMBO Fellowship Committee. The Fellowship Committee evaluate the full application. along
with the respective report from the interviewer.
The committee then meets to take the final funding decisions. For the 2024 Autumn selection
round: the Committee will conduct short online interviews with a subset of applicants whose
applications need a last evaluation check. Involved applicants will be contacted one week in
advance.
All applicants are officially informed about the outcome by email within one week of the
committee meeting.
Successful applicants in the Spring Selection Round must start their fellowship between July
1
st
of that year and February 15
th
of the following year. Successful applicants in the Autumn
Selection Round must start their fellowships between January 1
st
and August 15
th
of the
following year. Due to practical limitations, fellowships can only start on either the 1
st
or the
15
th
of each month.
PLEASE NOTE: No feedback will be provided to applicants at any stage of the application
process. Due to the large number of applications the committee members evaluate, they cannot
include any individualized comments in their assessments. For feedback to be helpful it must be
correct and detailed. To do this for the >1,200 applications received per year, the EMBO office
would need to employ several individuals trained to at least PhD level. Instead, the funds are
used to support additional fellowships.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 11
Benefits
EMBO Fellows’ Network
Every year, fellows awarded two-three years earlier are invited to the EMBO Fellows’ Meeting
in Heidelberg, Germany. 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.
EMBO encourages current, former and prospective fellows to follow the programme on
Facebook and X (Twitter) (@EMBOFellows) for further information and events. This is also a
great opportunity to meet and connect with your colleagues.
EMBO Laboratory Leadership Courses
EMBO offers its Postdoctoral Fellows the possibility to attend online the EMBO Laboratory
Leadership Courses free of charge. Fee waivers are granted to fellows within 3 years of being
awarded and only if the fellowship has been held for at least 6 months.
In addition, fellows can take one of the 1-day Scientific Skills courses (online only) from the
selection below:
• Communicating Research: Paper Writing & Short Presentations
• Applying Design Principles to Schematic Figures
The number of available spots will be determined each year depending on the budget.
The EMBO Laboratory Leadership and the Scientific Skill courses are hosted by the
Fellowship office directly. The Fellowship office will send out regular updates to notify EMBO
Fellows regarding upcoming courses and how to register for them.
EMBO Non-Stipendiary Fellowship
Postdoctoral Fellows who decide to early terminate their Fellowship should contact the
Fellowship Office as soon as possible to obtain the correct information on how to properly
terminate their Fellowship.
In case of early termination of the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship due to funding from
another source, postdoctoral fellows can become holders of a non-stipendiary fellowship.
To apply for becoming EMBO Non-Stipendiary Fellows, postdoctoral fellows must have
received at least one month of paid fellowship and must continue working on the same
project and in the same lab as described in the application. Postdoctoral fellows who
terminate their fellowship early due to change of research project or career trajectory are not
eligible to become EMBO non-stipendiary Fellows.
EMBO Non-Stipendiary Fellows are entitled to attend the Fellows’ Meetings and, if they have
held the paid fellowship for at least 6 months, the Laboratory Leadership Course for postdocs
free of charge.
Please note: It is not possible to directly apply for a non-stipendiary fellowship. Non-
stipendiary fellowships are only offered to applicants who terminate early the award and
held the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship for at least one month.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 12
Applicants who during the evaluation process are awarded with another grant, should get in
contact with the Fellowship Office to clarify if they still intend to be part of the selection.
Fellowship Duration
Fellowships are awarded for a period of 24 months although shorter durations can be
requested. The minimum fellowship duration that can be requested is 12 months. Fellowships
must be started within one calendar year from the relevant evaluation cutoff (for details, see
page 10).
Benefits for fellowships in EMBC member states
Contract
EMBO provides funds to the host institution with the sole intention to cover the cost of a full-
time employment contract to be issued by the host institution to the awardee. These costs
include employer’s social contributions, awardee’s social contributions, taxes 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
and their use 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
according to the local and national regulations in each of the EMBC member states.
PLEASE NOTE: The grant rates listed above are not an indication of a gross salary. The net
salary of a fellow may be lower. Please also note that if the host institution’s internal, local or
national regulations limit the maximum salary of the awardee to a level below the funds
provided by EMBO, the host institution shall return the remaining funds to EMBO. Applicants
should inform themselves of the salary and employment conditions with their intended
host institute.
Travel and relocation allowance
The travel & relocation allowance is intended to support the travel and relocation costs of
eligible fellows and their families. The principles, rules and eligibility criteria as well as
current rates are available in the travel and relocation policy.
Maternity and Parental leave
Part of the funds transferred to the Hosting Institute is used to cover the social contribution of
the fellow, therefore the fellow has access to the welfare system of the hosting country to get
parental benefits. Fellows whose children are born during their fellowship are entitled to
request an extension of their fellowship at no cost for EMBO equal to the time they take as
maternity and/or parental leave. The extension needs to be requested by the host supervisor
to the EMBO Fellowship office before the end of the fellowship.
Long-term sick leave
Similarly to the parental leave, fellows who due to sicknesses are not allowed to work for an
extended period of time and that during this time are paid by the social security system of the
hosting country can require an extension of their fellowship at no cost for EMBO. The
extension needs to be requested by the host supervisor to the EMBO Fellowship office before
the end of the fellowship.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 13
Part-time work
It is possible to work part-time during the fellowship at no additional cost for EMBO. The
request to work part time shall be discussed with the Host Supervisor and the Fellowship
Office. Please note: the maximum fellowship duration (full-time plus part-time) must not
exceed 36 months.
Benefits for fellowships in EMBC Associate Member
States, Countries/Territories covered by a co-operation
agreement and non-member states
Fellows going outside EMBC member states receive a stipend (see below) for 24 months
unless a shorter time is requested (minimum of 12 months). Fellows receiving a stipend also
have access to child day-care allowance, relocation allowance, EMBO fellows’ network
activities and Laboratory Leadership courses, like fellows in EMBC member states (please see
the section above). Please note that additional benefits listed below compensate for benefits
that are normally regulated by employment contracts in EMBC member states.
Stipend instead of an employment contract
The stipend is solely intended to cover the cost of living in the host country. 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 stipend rate
depends on the country being visited and might be subject to taxation. We cannot advise on
national tax regulation, and we recommend fellows to contact the relevant authorities in the
host country.
Travel and relocation allowance
The travel & relocation allowance is intended to support the travel and relocation costs of
eligible fellows and their families. The principles, rules and eligibility criteria as well as
current rates are available in the travel and relocation policy.
Child-daycare allowance
Fellows can claim child-daycare support for children under the age of six who accompany the
fellow to the host country during the fellowship. The incurred child day-care costs up to a
total of €2.500 per fellowship year and per child is permitted. The corresponding amount is
prorated according to the fraction of the year in which child-daycare expenses were incurred.
The child-daycare allowance can be claimed upon completion of the first year of the
fellowship and presentation of the childbirth certificate; the resulting amount will be
transferred directly to the fellow as a reimbursement.
Dependent child allowance
EMBO fellows are entitled to receive a country-specific additional allowance for dependent
children under the age of 18. See the stipend rate sheet for further information.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 14
Parental leave
Fellows whose children are born during their fellowship are entitled to 3 months paid
parental leave. Parental leave has to begin within 6 months of the birth of a child. 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.
Fellows must inform the Fellowship Office of their intention to take parental leave.
Part-time work
It is possible to work part-time during the fellowship at no additional cost for EMBO. The
request to work part time shall be discussed with the Host Supervisor and the Fellowship
Office. Please note: the maximum fellowship duration (full-time plus part-time) must not
exceed 36 months.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships – Application guidelines (August 2024) 15
Annex – EMBO Postdoctoral
Fellowships Application Form
(Preview)
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