Fellowships for the Training of Pre-doctoral Researchers (FPI-ICIQ 2025-07 NL)

The FPI-ICIQ 2025 Call targets outstanding postgraduate students worldwide to support their participation in a training and research programme in chemistry ultimately leading to a Doctoral Thesis. The Doctoral Thesis will be linked to a research project funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación la Agencia Estatal de Investigación and the Fondo Social Europeo (FSE) under the framework of the Call 2024 of Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento.

The PhD students granted will have the opportunity to develop their professional careers in the fields of academia and industry. This objective is achieved by:

• The performance of an individual research project under the direction of an internationally renowned Group Leader in a creative and stimulating scientific environment.

• A complementary training programme in both technical and soft skills. The educational framework is designed to ensure a successful career: scientific seminars hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation IP management entrepreneurship research integrity knowledge and technology transfer grant applications project management communication skills and career development. ICIQ provides a personalized annual training program for PhD students called SHARP (Severo Ochoa PhD Training Program) which occurs over two weeks each academic year and focuses on their specific PhD year.

• Opportunities for short stays in distinguished international research institutions.

• The programme is addressed to highly qualified motivated and talented graduate students with a strong interest in research in Chemistry or related fields. Candidates should have an excellent academic record a deep commitment to scientific research and a solid working knowledge of English.

• The process of evaluation and selection guarantees the principles of competition publicity and transparency.

I. Available positions: See Annex 1

II. Application process

The entire application process will be completed online. Applicants must apply via the ICIQs Career Portal. Applications sent by email or any other means will be ineligible.

Only one application per person will be case of multiple applications only the first application submitted will be taken into consideration.

After completing the online form applicants must attach the following documents:

1) Required documentation

1. A full Curriculum Vitae (in PDF format). It should include the academic background work or research experience publications conferences grants and awards previous participation in ICIQ programmes and other relevant merits and references.

2. A personal statement that describes the applicants academic background research experience and career goals (maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages in PDF format). The candidate must be able to communicate their interests and how these would align with ICIQ and the PhD training programme. Candidates should also mention the research group where they would like to carry out their PhD and the reasons why they are interested in a particular research project.

3. Official transcripts of BSc and MSc studies in PDF format. A scanned copy of the certified academic record of the studies granting access to the PhD programme (BSc and MSc). Candidates must have completed their masters degree by November 2025 to be eligible for the programme (please refer to section III. Eligibility Criteria for further information on the eligibility requirements). For academic records not issued in Catalan Spanish or English a certified translation in English should be provided; otherwise they will be ineligible and therefore not taken into consideration. For degrees obtained in foreign institutions the academic record must include the range of marks used in the corresponding countries and the minimum mark to pass as well as the hours or ECTS and marks for each subject.

4. Contact details for letters of recommendation of two University professors Researchers in industry or other relevant individuals who can assess the candidates potential for research. ICIQ will contact the people listed as references only if a candidate is shortlisted. We suggest informing your references.

5. English proficiency level: Applicants must provide evidence of their proficiency in written and oral communication in the English language. Preferably by the submission of a B2 certificate First Certificate IELTS 6 or equivalent. This certificate is not mandatory but desirable and alternatively late-stage candidates will be interviewed to assess their English level. Applicants from the Anglosphere (UK Ireland USA Canada Australia and New Zealand) are exempt from this requirement.

Applicants should select only one PhD supervisor.

Once the application has been successfully completed an acknowledgement e-mail will be automatically sent. Candidates must ensure that all information is included before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

III. Eligibility criteria

The programme is open to graduate students from any nationality who fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• Candidates must have a masters or an equivalent degree in the areas of Physics Computer Science Chemical Engineering Chemistry or related disciplines completed by November of 2025 that allows them to be admitted in a Spanish PhD Programme by the time the fellowship starts (scheduled for the first quarter of 2026 incorporating to ICIQ no later than June 1st 2026).

When in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria applicants should contact ICIQs HR Unit at before submission of the application.

Candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the Evaluation Criteria described in point IV.

IV Evaluation criteria:

Criteria 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical career path of the candidate (up to 50 points).

Sub-criteria

• Scientific-technical contributions (up to 45 points). The academic record and other curricular merits of the candidate will be assessed as well as their suitability for the tasks to be carried out based on training and professional experience.

• Mobility and internationalisation (up to 5 points). Short stays in national and international institutions universities and industry will be assessed based on the prestige of the hosting entity and the activities conducted during the stay. Additionally the impact of the research stays on the candidates career will also be considered.

Criteria 2. Adequacy of the candidate to the research activities to be carried out (up to 50 points).

The adequacy of the candidates for the program project or research activities to be carried out will be assessed based on their previous training and experience. For that purpose consideration shall be given to the added value that carrying out the project will represent for their research career as well as the value contributed to the institution and the host research group.

V. Evaluation and Selection Process

The evaluation and selection of the candidates will be performed by the project supervisor supported by the Human Resources team and following the procedure below:

1. Submitted applications will be checked for eligibility and those not fulfilling all the criteria will be rejected. It will not be possible to modify the application or to add missing documentation after the call deadline.

2. The selection will be based on the evaluation criteria described in Section IV.

3. At the late stages of the selection process short-listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.

4. All applicants will be notified of the final selection decision once a candidate has been selected. The name of the awardee will be published on ICIQs website. Candidates may submit allegations they deem to be appropriate within 10 days of the date of the publication.

Successful candidates will be requested to inform ICIQ whether they accept or decline the offer within five business days of being notified. If the applicant does not respond during this time the offer will be considered declined.

ICIQ follows a gender equality opportunity policy and a non-discrimination policy based on age ethnic or social origin religion or belief sexual orientation language and disability in its selection process.

ICIQ is committed to promoting a work-life balance for its employees and as such offers flexible working hours.

V. Fellowship Conditions

1. The awardees of an FPI-ICIQ PhD fellowship will be considered research personnel in training and they will have an employment contract (a pre-doctoral contract) which is regulated in the Spanish Law 14/2011 of June 1st of Science Technology and Education.

2. The Fellowship Conditions are regulated in the 2024 call of Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento and fellowships for predoctoral researchers associated with these projects in the framework of the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica Técnica y de Innovación 2024-2027 Articles 3 12 and 13.

3. The fellowship includes the salary the enrolment fees to a PhD program (up to 4 years) and the opportunity to carry out fully funded short stays in other institutions companies or universities abroad.

4. Pre-doctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities. The time spent with previous pre-doctoral contracts will be deducted from the 48 months granted. The gross annual salary will be divided into twelve monthly payments. At the time of publishing this call the gross monthly salary is set at 24.348.77 Euros. This amount may be adjusted in the event of an increase in the remuneration established by the Statute of Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (EPIF). In any case the remuneration of the contract may not be lower than 75% of the salary established for equivalent categories under the applicable collective agreements during any of the funded years. It shall also not be lower than the minimum interprofessional wage established annually under Article 27 of the Revised Text of the Workers Statute Law. To determine these remunerations the minimum reference category shall be that corresponding to Professional Group M3 of labour personnel. The provisions of Article 12.4 of the 2024 call for Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento shall also apply.

5. The fellowship includes full social security coverage through the Spanish Social Security system providing access to the Spanish public health care system and pension and unemployment benefits.

6. Recipients of the FPI-ICIQ fellowship may enter a postdoctoral orientation phase if they successfully defend their PhD thesis before the end of the fellowship this case the PhD student and the supervisor may agree to continue the existing contract for up to 12 months within a postdoctoral orientation phase. The combined duration of both the doctoral and postdoctoral periods must not exceed 48 months.

7. The fellowship holder is entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship in the situations regulated in Article 21. C) of the Spanish Law 14/2011 of June 1st of Science Technology and Education and in Article 25.7 of the 2024 call of Proyectos de Generación del Conocimiento and fellowships for predoctoral researchers associated with these projects in the framework of the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica Técnica y de Innovación 2024-2027. The time elapsed during this interruption will not be accounted for against the total time.

8. The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.

9. The PhD fellowship awardees will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship with the same purpose or regular income.

VI. Scientific reporting of the actions for the training of predoctoral researchers associated with the projects.

Pre-doctoral researchers in training are required to report their activities and achieved objectives to the Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades. They must use the templates available on the website of the Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Researchers are obligated to submit two reports: one intermediate report due at month 20 of the fellowship and a final report that covers the entire duration of the fellowship including the POP phase if applicable.

Annex 1: Available positions

Supervisor: Prof. Núria López Alonso

Project (PID): Artificial Intelligence for the Simulation of Materials in Energy (ANIMATE)

PID Project Reference: PID2024-157556OB-I00

Number of positions: 1

Reference: FPI-ICIQ 2025-07 NL