ICGEB Fellowships for Scientists in Biosecurity – September 2026

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. 

Applicants wishing to apply for positions to the ICGEB in Trieste or New Delhi must submit an application for a short-term PhD Fellowship. Please refer to the guidelines: “Fellowships Application – Online Submission of Full Application Guidelines”.  

Applicants who want to apply to the ICGEB China Regional Research Centre in Taizhou, must submit an application for a SMART PhD Fellowship. Please refer to the guidelines: “Fellowships Application – Online Submission of Full Application Guidelines (SMART)”

Eligibility

This call is dedicated to nationals of countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), Mongolia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Applicants should have a background in virology, microbiology, biotechnologies or related biological sciences in the field of human, animal or plant health, and an interest in Dual Use Research of Concern (i.e. infectious diseases, gene editing etc).

Women scientists are particularly encouraged.

Degree requirements: applicants for ICGEB Trieste should hold a BSc (Honours) degree; applicants for ICGEB New Delhi should hold a MSc degree; applicants for the ICGEB RRC in China should hold an MSc or equivalent.

Candidates must have a good working knowledge of the English language, supported by a proficiency certificate (TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate, or equivalent). This document is not required when English was the medium of instruction; however, the university must provide an official certificate attesting to this.

Subject Area

Topics applied to humans, animals and plants:

Molecular and point-of-care detection tools for biological threats; epidemiology and genomic surveillance of pathogens; fundamental pathogen biology and host–pathogen interactions; drug discovery; therapeutic antibodies and biologics; vaccine development; antimicrobial resistance; genetic editing and synthetic biology, with attention to dual-use risks; industrial bioengineering and bioprocessing; regulatory science, quality assurance and biomanufacturing; computational biology and artificial intelligence (AI) in biotechnology; biosafety, biosecurity and the responsible conduct and governance of research, including oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC).

Financial support

Fellowships are co-funded by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the BWC ISU.

Duration: 2 months (which may be extended up to a maximum of 4 months under a co-funding mechanism).

Monthly stipend: Trieste (Italy): Euro 1,500. New Delhi (India): US$ 1,122. Taizhou (China): US$ 1,500.

Travel: the fellowship includes provision for travel expenses from the participant’s home country to the host 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.

Visa/permit of stay application and renewal costs are reimbursed.

ICGEB makes no financial provision, nor can it provide administrative support for family members of participants in the programme.

Bench fee allowance for fellowships at the ICGEB RRC in China

The bench fee allowance is a contribution to the implementation of the research project proposal presented by the candidate. The receiving laboratory is expected to use the entire bench fee allocation to the benefit of the approved research-training programme.

Any unspent balance left will have to be returned to ICGEB. Funds can only be used to cover the purchase of laboratory consumables that are directly related to the Fellow’s research activities including:  general labware, glassware and plasticware, chemicals and reagents, cell culture consumables, kits for molecular biology (e.g. PCR, RNA/DNA extraction, sequencing etc), pipettes and pipette tips. The following items are not considered eligible costs: costs of maintenance, repair, running or insurance of existing assets belonging to the Host Institute; purchase of equipment, office furniture or fittings; computer hardware or software; office stationary; travel costs; literature; administrative costs and overhead expenses of the Institute; bank charges.

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” 

“Fellowships Application – Online Submission of Full Application Guidelines (SMART)”

Only one application per call is accepted for each candidate.

Documents to be uploaded during the second phase: “Fellowship full application”

For ICGEB Trieste, New Delhi

Please note that you will be requested to upload the following documents (pdf files):
(i) Your full CV
(ii) A valid identification document (passport or identity card). Recommended passport validity should be 12 months at least
(iii) 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.

For the ICGEB RRC in China

Please note that you will be requested to upload the following documents (pdf files):
(i) Your full CV
(ii) The full CV of the Head of the Receiving Laboratory (complete with list of publications)
(iii) A valid identification document (passport or identity card). Recommended passport validity should be 12 months at least.

Selection

The ICGEB Fellowships Selection Committee will evaluate complete applications received by the closing date. 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.

The main criteria for selection includes the scientific excellence of the project, the qualities of the candidate’s CV and the potential benefit for the home country.

Accommodation

ICGEB Trieste: There is no housing service or accommodation facility. Fellows are 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 China Regional Research Centre: Accommodation support is provided to fellows by the Host Institute.