Guidelines and Application Form
ICGEB offers competitive Postdoctoral Fellowships in Life Sciences to highly motivated scientists wishing to pursue postdoctoral research in a world-class scientific environment. The Fellowships comprise a very competitive package including stipend, health insurance and additional benefits. The most successful fellows will also be eligible, upon completion, to apply for ICGEB Early Career Research Grants to support their own research programmes as young PIs upon return to an ICGEB Member State.
Application Deadlines:
14 August 2026, 23:59 CET – FELLOWSHIP EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
30 September 2026, 23:59 CET – FELLOWSHIP FULL APPLICATION
Starting Date
Trieste , Italy
1 February 2027
New Delhi, India
1 February 2027
Cape Town, South Africa
1 February 2027
To Apply – NEW PROCEDURE
A new procedure has been introduced for submitting your application for an ICGEB fellowship. We therefore recommend that you carefully read the instructions provided on this webpage, as well as the related guidelines.
1 July – 14 August 2026
FELLOWSHIP EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
The first stage is the submission of the Fellowship Expression of Interest through the ICGEB Service Gateway. In this phase, the candidate selects the ICGEB laboratory and the prospective supervisor and completes the online form with basic information.
Please refer to the guidelines: “Fellowship Expression of Interest – Online Submission Guidelines”.
It is very important to submit your Expression of Interest by the indicated deadline in order to proceed to the next stage. This will be followed by a review phase by the Principal Investigators.
16 – 30 September 2026
FELLOWSHIP FULL APPLICATION
If you are selected by your prospective supervisor, you will receive a notification confirming that you can proceed with the submission of your full application through the ICGEB Service Gateway by the deadline of 30 September 2026.
Please refer to the guidelines: “Fellowships Application – Online Submission of Full Application Guidelines”.
Eligibility
Applicants must be nationals of an ICGEB Member State and may not apply for fellowships to be undertaken in their country of origin, unless they have been working abroad for, at least, the last 3 years and at the time of application.
Degree requirements: applicants should hold a recent PhD in Life Sciences or have at least 3 years research experience.
Preference is given to candidates below the age of 35.
Financial support
Duration: 2 years with the possibility of a 1-year extension.
Monthly stipend: Trieste (Italy): Euro 2,300, New Delhi (India): US$ 1,749, Cape Town (South Africa): ZAR 27,500.
Travel: the fellowship includes provision for travel expenses from the participant’s home country to the ICGEB lab at the beginning of the fellowship and a return travel provision upon completion of the fellowship.
Medical health insurance coverage is provided for the duration of the fellowship.
All Research costs will be supported by the research group’s budget.
Visa/permit of stay application and renewal costs are reimbursed.
Support for participation in Meetings and Courses is generally provided by the Group Leader / PI.
ICGEB makes no financial provision, nor can it provide administrative support for family members of participants in the programme.
Submission
Please complete this application online in the ICGEB Service Gateway by following the related guidelines:
1 July – 14 August 2026
FELLOWSHIP EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
“Fellowship Expression of Interest – Online Submission Guidelines”
16 – 30 September 2026
FELLOWSHIP FULL APPLICATION
“Fellowships Application – Online Submission of Full Application Guidelines”
Only one application per call is accepted for each candidate.
Documents to be uploaded
Please note that you will be requested to upload the following documents (pdf files):
(i) Your full CV.
(ii) Academic records (PhD degree certificate, issued by the degree-granting University and bearing the official seal/s and signatures, to be submitted in the original language accompanied by an official English translation of each document).
(iii) A valid identification document (passport or identity card). Recommended passport validity should be 12 months at least.
(iv) English Certificate (TOEFL, Cambridge or similar). This document is not required when English was the medium of instruction; however, the university must provide an official certificate attesting to this.
Selection
All submitted applications will be transmitted to the respective ICGEB Liaison Officer in the country of which you are a national for endorsement. Endorsement is a fundamental requirement for the Fellowship to be awarded. The ICGEB Fellowships Selection Committee will evaluate complete and endorsed applications received by the closing date.
The main criteria for selection include scientific excellence of the project, the qualities of the candidate’s CV and potential benefit for the home country. Both successful and unsuccessful candidates will be notified of the outcome by e-mail only. Please note that the selection might take several weeks according to the amount of applications received. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback to all applicants at the end of the selection process.
Accommodation
ICGEB Trieste: ICGEB Trieste has no housing service or accommodation facilities. However, fellows will be provided with a list of possible contacts that offer housing options in Trieste.
ICGEB New Delhi: A Guest House is run on campus, on a twin-share basis, for a nominal rate.
ICGEB Cape Town: Accommodation support is provided to fellows. Arrangements are made prior to arrival.
Starting Date
Trieste, Italy: 1 February 2027
New Delhi, India: 1 February 2027
Cape Town, South Africa: 1 February 2027
Awareness Workshops
Member States may also request targeted Awareness Workshops to be held for the scientific community in their country, where participants can interact with ICGEB scientists and obtain specific information on CRP grants and fellowships.