Call for Proposals: Installation Grant Program

Focus 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.

Benefits

• Recipients of an Installation Grant are integrated into the EMBO Young Investigator Network. As a result, they benefit from the extensive networking opportunities and practical support this programme offers:
  • Networking:
    • The annual EMBO Young Investigator meeting
    • Special interest groups organizing sectoral meetings on a number of topics
    • Joint group meetings with other programme member’s labs
    • Visits to discuss a potential collaboration with other programme members
    • Seminars by Young Investigators at another programme members’ institute
    • Research visits of a lab member to other programme members’ laboratories to exchange expertise.
  • Support for Installation Grantees:
    • Mentorship by an EMBO Member
    • Training in research leadership and management skills through EMBO Lab Leadership Courses
    • An online training course on responsible conduct of research co-developed by the EMBO Policy
    • Posting of vacancies in programme members’ laboratories
    • Grants for organizing conferences
  • Support for their research groups:
    • Access to EMBL Core Facilities
    • Annual course for PhD students from programme members’ laboratories
    • Travel grants for meeting attendance for Installation Grantees and their group members

Funding Information

• EMBO Installation Grants provide 50,000 euros/year for up to 5 years.

Eligible Countries

• SDIG 2025 participating countries: Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal and Türkiye.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications are accepted from candidates who meet the following criteria:
  • Applicants must be negotiating a full-time position at an institute or university in one of the eligible countries by the date of application or have established a laboratory in one of these countries in the last 2 years.
  • Applicants must be doing research in any of the EMBO subject areas.
  • Applicants should have received their PhD less than 9 years prior to the year of application, i.e. not earlier than in 2016 for the 2025 call.
  • In the four years prior to their application (since 2021 for the 2025 call), applicants should have spent at least two consecutive years outside the country in which they are planning to establish their laboratory.
  • Medical scientists working in fields related to general EMBO subject areas are eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must be able to attend an online interview on 28 or 29 October 2025.
  • Candidates can re-apply as many times as they fulfil eligibility criteria, but only once more after having been interviewed (i.e. candidates can only attend two interviews).

Selection Criteria

• The selection committee takes into account the application, interview report and host institute’s offer and will rank all applications based on the following criteria:
  • Track record
  • Proposed research
  • Group and research environment
  • Offer by the host institute
  • Financial and intellectual independence.

Application Requirements

• The application includes:
  • an online form;
  • an offline form to be filled out and uploaded via the EMBO online application system;
  • 3 reference letters (uploaded by the referees directly);
  • Receiving Institute Online Application Form (to be filled out online by the Receiving Institute).

For more information, visit EMBO.