Verified

Postdoctoral Fellowships

European Molecular Biology Organization

EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships support excellent postdoctoral researchers throughout Europe and the world for a period of up to two years. International mobility is a key requirement. The fellowship includes a salary or stipend, a relocation allowance and support for fellows with children. Awardees can attend an EMBO Laboratory Leadership course and become part of the global network of EMBO Fellows.

EMBO considers a first author refereed preprint equivalent to a first author publication as one of the eligibility and assessment criteria for the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme. Please carefully read our guidelines for the definition of refereed preprint.

Selection

All applications are initially reviewed by the EMBO Fellowships Office for completeness and eligibility.

All eligible applications are then sent to the Fellowship Committee for pre-screening, and about twice the number of available fellowships are selected for an interview (~25% of applications). During the pre-screening, the committee reviews a condensed application form, which includes a summary of the applicant’s main scientific achievements along with the three most important publications, summary and biological significance of the proposed work, justification for choice of the host lab, as well as reference and acceptance letters.

For applicants who successfully passed the pre-screening, an interviewer with expertise in the area of the application will be selected from among the EMBO Members and EMBO Young Investigators. When it is not possible to arrange a personal or video interview, the candidate’s application is sent for written evaluation.

All applications are then evaluated by the Fellowship Committee based on:

Previous scientific achievements of the applicant.
Novelty and biological significance of proposed research. Applications to continue exploring a topic similar to the PhD project, usually receive lower priority for funding.
Appropriateness of the host laboratory for the proposed research and training of the applicant.
The Fellowship Committee then meets to take the final funding decisions. Typically, the outcome of the selection is known between 16 to 18 weeks after the evaluation deadline and is provided directly to the applicant via email shortly after the committee meeting.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Scientific excellence and exceptional research track record

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

Scientific excellence is central across EMBO programmes.

For example, EMBO's Postdoctoral Fellowship selection explicitly evaluates the applicant's previous scientific achievements, including major publications and scientific accomplishments. The Global Investigator Network requires an excellent track record and at least one senior-author research article demonstrating independent work.

Strong evidence includes:

High-quality research publications
Important scientific contributions
Strong first/senior-author work
Evidence of intellectual contribution
Research achievements appropriate to career stage
Clear scientific progression

EMBO also does not want applicants relying on journal impact factor or similar metrics; its Young Investigator application explicitly prohibits such metrics, consistent with DORA principles.

2. Novelty and biological significance of the proposed research

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

For Postdoctoral Fellowships, EMBO explicitly evaluates the novelty and biological significance of the proposed research. Projects that simply continue the applicant's PhD research generally receive lower priority.

A competitive project should therefore demonstrate:

Important biological problem → knowledge gap → novel hypothesis → new biological insight

Particularly strong proposals should explain what will become possible if the central question is answered.

3. Strong independence and clear scientific identity

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical for investigator programmes

For the Young Investigator Programme, Installation Grants and Global Investigator Network, EMBO is looking for scientists who are establishing independent research laboratories.

The Global Investigator Network, for example, requires applicants to have already established an independent group and demonstrate independent scientific work.

A strong application should distinguish:

Applicant's own scientific contribution
Previous mentor's research
Applicant's independent research direction
Future laboratory vision
Unique scientific niche

This is especially important when the applicant's research area overlaps with a former supervisor.

4. Excellent fit between applicant, research project and host environment

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

EMBO explicitly evaluates the appropriateness of the host laboratory for the proposed research and training in its Postdoctoral Fellowship selection.

The applicant should demonstrate:

Host expertise unavailable or complementary to the home laboratory
Access to specialized technology
Appropriate experimental systems
Strong mentoring
Training opportunities
Collaborative potential
Clear reason for choosing that particular host

The application should answer:

Why this project + why this host + why this career stage?

5. International mobility and knowledge exchange

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

International mobility is a defining feature of several EMBO programmes.

EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships require international mobility, while Scientific Exchange Grants support research visits between laboratories to transfer expertise or access infrastructure unavailable in the applicant's laboratory.

For a mobility-focused application, the strongest rationale is:

Expertise unavailable at home institution → international host → new skills/technology → knowledge transferred back

Scientific Exchange Grants specifically support visits of up to three months and require applications at least 30 days before the research visit.

6. Strong experimental design and feasibility

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

Scientific excellence alone is not sufficient. The proposed research must be technically credible and achievable.

A competitive proposal should include:

Clearly defined objectives
Appropriate experimental methods
Suitable controls
Feasible timeline
Appropriate statistical/analytical methods
Access to necessary technology
Contingency plans
Clearly interpretable outcomes

The research should be ambitious enough to produce an important advance but sufficiently focused to be realistically completed within the award period.

7. Strong career-development potential

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

EMBO's programmes are designed not simply to finance experiments but to develop future scientific leaders.

Postdoctoral Fellows receive career-development support and can attend EMBO Laboratory Leadership courses. Young Investigators receive mentoring, leadership training and networking opportunities.

Strong applications should explain:

New skills to be acquired
How the research expands scientific expertise
How the host environment contributes to development
How the award advances independence
Long-term career objectives

8. International collaboration and scientific-network potential

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

EMBO places considerable value on scientific networks.

Young Investigators receive opportunities for laboratory visits, collaborations, joint meetings and participation in the EMBO Young Investigator Network. Global Investigators become part of a large international network linking researchers in Europe and partner countries.

A proposal becomes stronger when collaboration is:

Scientifically necessary
Complementary
Long-term
Two-way
Capable of generating new research directions

9. Strong institutional environment and independence

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

For group-leader programmes, EMBO explicitly evaluates the group and research environment, host-institution offer and financial/intellectual independence. This is particularly explicit for Installation Grants.

The institution should provide:

Laboratory space
Research infrastructure
Start-up resources
Personnel support
Access to core facilities
Institutional commitment
Appropriate intellectual independence

For Installation Grants, EMBO also evaluates the host institute's offer and the applicant's financial and intellectual independence.

10. Clear scientific communication and compelling research vision

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

EMBO applications are highly competitive and are evaluated by scientists across broad life-science fields.

The proposal therefore needs to make the following immediately clear:

What is the problem?

Why does it matter biologically?

What is new?

Why is the applicant uniquely positioned to answer it?

What will change if the research succeeds?

For senior applicants, a coherent laboratory research vision is particularly important.

Specialties

Molecular Biology

Eligibility Requirements

Main eligibility criteria:

Applicants must hold a doctorate or equivalent at the start of the fellowship.
Applicants who already hold a PhD at the time of application are eligible to apply only if they obtained it during the two years prior to the date the application is submitted.
Applicants must have at least one first author publication (research paper) accepted in or published in an international peer reviewed journal at the time of application.A first author preprint (research paper) with public in-depth peer reviews is also sufficient for eligibility provided the reviews were verifiably obtained from an independent peer review service . Informal comments, highlights and reviews posted by individuals are excluded. Please see guidelines for further information.
All applications must involve movement between countries (detailed information about mobility requirements is listed in the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships guidelines).
Applications to go to the country in which the PhD was obtained will not be considered.
Applications to return to a laboratory where the candidate has worked in the past for more than six months, either in one or in several visits will not be considered.
Applications for an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship to be held in the laboratory, institute or department in which the candidate worked to obtain the PhD, or to work again with the candidate’s supervisor, no matter where the latter is located, will not be considered.
Candidates who have already started working in the host laboratory can apply only if they have been living in the host country for less than six months at the time the application is submitted.
Candidates can only submit one application for one project at one host laboratory at each round of selection.
Reapplication is permissible only once.

Effective from the Autumn 2027 selection round (i.e., for all applications submitted after January 22, 2027, 14:00 CET), re-applications will no longer be permitted. Researchers may submit only one EMBO Fellowship Proposal.

Projects that are a direct continuation of the PhD work are not eligible.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Molecular Biology Organization

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity