Could you contribute to global advancement and collaboration in the molecular life sciences by hosting a PhD student or postdoctoral fellow from Africa in your lab for a short research stay?

IUBMB-FEBS-FASBMB PROBio-Africa (Promoting Research Opportunities for Biochemists in Africa) is a new joint venture between FEBS, the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and the Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FASBMB).

The PROBio-Africa Fellowships Programme will enable PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from Africa to spend up to six months (1–6 months) in the laboratory of a scientist in a FEBS country who belongs to a FEBS Constituent Society. In that way the awardees will get access to technologies and expertise that may not be readily available in their home countries, allowing them to grow their knowhow and skills, and contribute to building capacity in the molecular life sciences at home.

Full details about the scheme, aimed at applicants, can be found on the FEBS website here. Awardees will receive funding from FEBS and IUBMB to cover travel and living expenses. Research costs are not covered.

To assist students and researchers in accessing this scheme, FEBS will provide a list of labs in FEBS countries (i.e. countries with a FEBS Constituent Society) willing in principle to host a PhD student or postdoctoral fellow from Africa so that the applicants can contact them directly to discuss suitability and a research proposal (which they will include in their application to FEBS/IUBMB for the Fellowship award). As part of this application, they will also need a letter of agreement from the host lab.

If you are interested in welcoming a PhD student or postdoctoral fellow from Africa to your lab for a short research stay as part of this scheme, please fill the Host Lab Form on the IUBMB website at your earliest convenience. The list of laboratories offering hosting will be made available from the FEBS website during the 2023 call for applicants, which runs from 15 March to 15 May 2023.