Guidelines and Application Form
With the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), ICGEB offers researchers from African countries a six-month training opportunity at its laboratories in Italy, India, or South Africa.
Application Deadlines:
14 August 2026, 23:59 CET – FELLOWSHIP EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
30 September 2026, 23:59 CET – FELLOWSHIP FULL APPLICATION
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
This call is open to nationals of African countries. Applicants must be early/mid-career scientists in human or animal health (virology, microbiology, or related biological sciences) with a strong research background in infectious diseases, diagnostics, or biosafety/biosecurity. They must be affiliated with a research institute, university, or public health laboratory in their home country and demonstrate a commitment to applying newly acquired knowledge in their institution.
Women scientists are particularly encouraged to apply.
Degree requirements: applicants for ICGEB Trieste and Cape Town should hold a BSc (Honours) degree; applicants for ICGEB New Delhi should hold an MSc degree.
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 Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).
Duration: 6 months.
Monthly stipend: Trieste (Italy): Euro 1,500, New Delhi (India): US$1,122, Cape Town (South Africa): ZAR 16,500.
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.
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 during the second phase: “Fellowship full application”
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.
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 Cape Town: Accommodation support is provided to fellows. Arrangements are agreed upon before arrival.