EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027 - Fully Funded Life Sciences Research in Europe

About the Position

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.

Eligibility and Requirements

• PhD Degree: Applicants must hold a PhD degree or equivalent at the start of the fellowship, but not necessarily at the time the application is submitted.
• PhD Recency: Applicants who already hold a PhD degree are eligible if they obtained their PhD degree within the two years preceding the application submission date. The Fellowship Office considers the submission date of the application to check if the applicant holds a PhD title for less than 2 years.
• Career Breaks: Exceptions to the recency rule are made for applicants with career breaks during the relevant period due to parental leave (one year per child for female scientists; three months per child or total paternal leave taken for male scientists), mandatory military/civil service, or extraordinary personal circumstances such as severe illness or full-time care of an ill family member. Applicants must contact the Fellowship office prior to submission to obtain an exception.
• Medical Degree: Candidates with a medical degree (M.D.) may be eligible to apply provided they hold a PhD (MD-PhD programme).
• Publications: Applicants must have at least one first (or joint first) author primary research paper accepted for publication or published in an international peer-reviewed journal at the time the application is submitted. A first-author preprint with public in-depth peer reviews (e.g., from Peer Community In, Review Commons) is also sufficient.
• Mobility: EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to promote international exchange. All applications must involve a change of country. Specific rules apply for applications to work in EMBC Member States, EMBC/EMBO global partners, and Non-EMBC Member States. Applicants wishing to work in the country where they obtained their PhD are NOT eligible.
• Scientific Scope: Research proposals must be within EMBO's scientific scope (life sciences). Applications are expected to be driven by a biological question, explore mechanisms behind biological phenomena, and yield biological insight. Applied or clinical work without a clear biological question is not eligible.

Funding and Benefits

• Salary or stipend (rates vary by country).
• Relocation allowance (amount varies by country).
• Support for fellows with children (child daycare and dependent child allowances).
• Parental leave (extension of fellowship duration).
• Long-term sick leave extensions.
• Training in lab leadership and access to the extensive network of other EMBO Fellows.
• Travel and relocation support as a lump sum before the start date.

Application Process

Applications for an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship are accepted via the EMBO online application system. There are no application deadlines, but there are two cutoff evaluation dates:

• Spring Evaluation: Second Friday of February, 2 PM CET. Results announced at the end of June.
• Autumn Evaluation: Second Friday of July, 2 PM CEST. Results announced at the end of December.

The date on which the candidate confirms that their application is complete is the reference date for eligibility and evaluation. Only fully completed applications will be considered.

About EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization)

EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization, supports life sciences researchers through fellowships, training, scientific meetings and professional networks. Its programmes help researchers develop careers and exchange knowledge across institutions and countries. EMBO also publishes scientific research, connecting the international life sciences community with resources for collaboration, learning and scholarly communication.

Official website: https://www.embo.org

Application dates

Milestone	Date
Next Cutoff Date (Spring 2027 Round)	22 January 2027, 14:00 CET
Spring Evaluation Results	Mid-June 2027
Autumn Evaluation Cutoff	Second Friday of July 2027
Duration	Up to 2 years

Official Link

https://www.embo.org/funding/fellowships-grants-and-career-support/postdoctoral-fellowships/

Contact

• Email: fellowships@embo.org

Questions about this position, eligibility or the application process should be sent to the contacts above or raised through the channel given on the official announcement page.

Important Notes

• Effective from the Autumn 2027 selection round (applications submitted after January 22, 2027), re-applications will no longer be permitted.
• A host laboratory may support a maximum of one candidate per selection round.
• EMBO considers a first-author refereed preprint equivalent to a first-author publication.
• All EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows must complete an online course on research integrity.

How to Apply

Submit your application through the official portal before the deadline: Applications accepted year-round; next evaluation cutoff 22 January 2027, 14:00 CET. Read the eligibility requirements carefully and prepare all requested documents — early applications are strongly recommended for competitive awards.

Open the official application page ↗

Application guides

• Academic CV for PhD Applications: Structure and an Example
• How to Read a PhD Job Advert: Funding, Eligibility and Application Steps