Call for Applications: Doctoral INPhINIT Fellowships

Furthermore, these fellowships are intended to provide researchers with additional training skills that will expand their possibilities for development in their professional careers, not only in the academia, but also in industry and entrepreneurship.

Funding Information

• The ”la Caixa” Foundation will sign an agreement with the host institution, which will receive the fellowship payments directly. This amount must be wholly allocated to cover the fellow’s costs as broken down below:
  • €35,800 per year to cover the fellow’s labour costs. This amount includes the Social Security cost and any other compulsory fee or compensation, whether current or that may be provided for in a future legal framework, that are linked to the fellow’s labour contract, as well as the fellow’s annual gross salary. In any case, the minimum annual gross salary to be offered to the fellow by the host institution must be €25,000. If the total labour costs exceed the maximum amount offered by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, the host institution will cover the excess. In the case of being recruited by a Portuguese host institution, the economic conditions will be the same as those described above, regardless of the type of relationship established between the fellow and the host institution (employment contract or fellowship contract), in accordance with the current Portuguese legislation.
  • €3,500 per year for research costs such as conferences, courses, research stays, consumables, equipment, charges for the use of intellectual property, etc. This amount will be managed by the host institution for the benefit of the fellow and must be justified separately.
  • The tuition fees to the official doctoral programme where the fellow will be admitted to.
• The contractual relationship between the fellow and the host institution must comply at any time with the provisions of the host country’s current legislation. In any case, the start date of the contract must coincide with the start date of the fellowship.

Complementary Training 

• In addition to financial support, the fellowship includes a training programme on transversal skills, which has been specially designed by leading international institutions in the sector.
• This programme includes aspects such as technology transfer, entrepreneurship, commercialisation of innovation, intellectual property, leadership, creativity, communication skills, teamwork, personal development, planning, assertiveness and networking.
• Three sessions will be held over the duration of the fellowship. Each session will last between 3 and 5 days, and attendance is mandatory for all fellows. The ”la Caixa” Foundation will cover all costs for these sessions, as well as the fellows’ accommodation and travel expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nationality: Young researchers of any nationality are eligible to apply for the Doctoral INPhINIT Incoming Fellowships Programme.
• Studies pursued: Applicants must hold a higher education degree that makes them eligible to enrol in a doctoral programme before starting at their host institutions. The host university will verify, upon starting the admission process to the doctoral programme, that the studies taken up by the selected candidates make them eligible to enrol in an official doctoral programme in accordance with the regulations in force in Spain or Portugal. Should they be found not eligible after verification, the fellowship will be withdrawn. Candidates must not have been enrolled in a doctoral programme prior to the start of the fellowship.
• Language proficiency: Applicants must accredit their proficiency in the English language by submitting any of the certificates mentioned below. Under no circumstances will any other certificate be accepted, despite being issued by the same organisations and/or accredit equivalence with any of the accepted levels.
  • English certificates accepted
    • Cambridge Certificates
    • First Certificate in English
    • Certificate in Advanced English
    • Certificate of Proficiency in English
    • IELTS or IELTS UKVI: Academic or General Training version
    • Linguaskill online test
    • TOEFL: Internet-based test
    • Duolingo English Test
    • School of Modern Languages (EIM) of the University of Barcelona
    • Official Language Schools (EOI) in Spain
  • Candidates who are nationals of any of the countries listed below, as well as applicants who have pursued their bachelor’s studies (minimum of 3 years on a full-time basis) or postgraduate studies (minimum of 2 years on a full-time basis) at any of these countries are exempt from submitting the English language proficiency certificate:
    • Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, United States, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago.
• Research experience
  • On the deadline for applications, applicants must still be within the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers.
• Mobility
  • Candidates cannot have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of destination (Spain/Portugal) for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the deadline for applications.
  • Short stays, such as holidays, spent in a country other than their country of usual residence (where they carried out their main activity), will be considered as time spent in their country of usual residence.

Conditions

• The call for applications is intended for the pursuit of a doctoral degree in the fields of technology, engineering, physics, mathematics, life and health sciences. Applicants must meet the admission requirements for a doctoral programme.
• The fellowship is made effective when the selected candidates and the host institutions reach an agreement regarding their recruitment. Once an agreement has been reached, the host organisation will hire the fellow using the funds provided by the ”la Caixa” Foundation. The host organisation must always hold the excellence accreditation at the time the fellow’s contract begins.
• Fellows should start at the host institutions between September and November 2025. Nevertheless, in duly justified cases, the ”la Caixa” Foundation may allow this to be delayed until 31 January 2026.
• The fellowship has a maximum duration of four years. Having said that, it is granted for one year and in all cases includes the possibility of three renewals, provided that the follow-up reports requested on an annual basis are favourable.

For more information, visit ”la Caixa” Foundation.