Frequently-Asked Questions about FEBS Long-Term Fellowships

Can a scientist who is not a member of a FEBS Constituent Society apply for a fellowship?
No, only members of a FEBS Constituent Society are eligible to apply for a fellowship. Applications submitted without a letter from the appropriate FEBS Constituent Society confirming that the applicant is a member and indicating the date on which the applicant joined the Society are automatically discarded.

How does one become a member of a FEBS Constituent Society?
The full list of FEBS Constituent Societies can be found here. To join a FEBS Constituent Society, please contact that Society directly. The Fellowships Committee has no influence on this matter. Potential applicants for a fellowship should therefore not contact the Committee about this.

What is a FEBS country?
A FEBS country is a country where there is a FEBS Constituent Society. The full list of these Societies can be found here.

Is it possible to apply for a fellowship to work in Australia, USA, etc?
FEBS is a European Federation and it is exclusively for work to be carried out in countries where there is a FEBS Constituent Society that a fellowship may be sought - the full list of these Societies can be found here. Countries such as Australia and the US do not belong to the FEBS area and scientists wishing to work there should therefore apply for appropriate local funding and not to FEBS.

Is it possible for a member of a FEBS Constituent Society not working in a FEBS country to apply for a fellowship in the FEBS area?
Scientists not working in a FEBS country are not eligible to apply for a fellowship, notwithstanding the fact that they are members of a FEBS Constituent Society and wish to work in a laboratory in a FEBS country. Thus, scientists working in Asia, North America, etc. are not eligible to apply. Applications from developing countries in the FEBS area of interest may be considered.

Is there any restriction on the nationality of an applicant?
No, there is no restriction on the nationality of applicants.The determinant factors are the country in which the applicant is working and the country where the applicant would like to work. In other words, irrespective of his/her nationality, any member of a FEBS Constituent Society fulfilling the criteria laid down for the Fellowships Programme may apply for a fellowship if he/she is working in a FEBS country and is seeking to work in a FEBS country.

Is it possible for a national of a given country to seek a fellowship to work in his/her country?
Yes, a national of a given country may seek a fellowship to work in his/her country provided that at the closing date for applications he/she had been working in a different FEBS country for a reasonable amount of time (i.e. at least one year). This being said, since one of the primary objectives of FEBS is to expose young researchers to different methods of work and customs in other European environments preference in the evaluation process is generally given to applicants seeking to work elsewhere than in their own country.

If a potential candidate is already at the host institute or working/living in the country for which a Fellowship is being sought can he/she apply for a FEBS Fellowship?
If at the closing date for the submission of applications a potential candidate has already joined the laboratory which is to be his/her host laboratory or is already working or living in the country of the host institute, this candidate is eligible for a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship if the length of the stay does not exceed nine months at the closing date of the call. In other words, the stay in the host laboratory should not have started before January 1st of the same year.

If the research group at the proposed host institute is already hosting a FEBS Long-Term fellow is it possible to apply for a Long-Term Fellowship?
Yes, a potential candidate may apply for a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship even though the research group at the proposed host institute is already hosting a FEBS Long-Term fellow. However, in any call for applications no more than one candidate per given head of research group in a host laboratory will be granted a fellowship.

For which topics is a FEBS Fellowship granted?
Only applications aimed at furthering the science of biochemistry and molecular biology are considered.

Can a scientist who has not yet been awarded a Ph.D apply for a Long-Term Fellowship?
Applicants for a Long-Term Fellowship should normally have a Ph.D. at the closing date for the submission of applications. However, those applicants who provide written evidence from the authority responsible for awarding their Ph.D. that the degree is to be conferred on them within three months of the closing date of the call for which they are submitting an application may apply.

Is it possible for a past recipient of a FEBS Short-Term Fellowship or FEBS Collaborative Developmental Scholarship to apply for a Long-Term Fellowship if the latter is to be used for work at the same host laboratory?
Yes, this is possible provided that the visit with the initial Fellowship/Scholarship was completed more than 12 months prior to the date of application for a Long-Term Fellowship.

As the guidelines on the Fellowships Programme stipulate that fellowships are originally granted for one year and may be renewed for a further year, up to a maximum of 3 years, should the outline of the proposed research at the host institute attached to the initial request for a Long-Term Fellowship cover the work to be carried out during the first year or the full work to be carried out during 2-3 years?
The outline of the proposed research should cover the full work it is proposed to carry out at the host institute since it is this that gives a clear picture of what is being sought. Notwithstanding this, if a fellowship is granted, this will initially be for one year only. An extension to a second year, and later to a third year, is granted if the candidate is able to show the excellence of his/her work. In the case of an extension to a third year, a candidate will need to show evidence of material published as a result of work carried out with the FEBS Fellowship.

Can the references to publications or the lists of representative papers of the host laboratory be submitted separately to the outline of the proposed investigation which is to be on no more than six A4-sized pages of single-spaced text?
No, the references to publications are to be included in the six A4-sized pages giving the outline of the proposed investigation. This also applies to both lists of representative papers of the host institute. An applicant’s ability to prepare a clear, concise proposal in the space recommended is one of the factors that is taken into account in the evaluation process. Please note the maximum file size of 1 MB, and the minimum top and bottom margins of 2 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively.

Can the outline of the proposed investigation include figures and diagrams?
Yes, the outline of the proposed investigation may include figures and diagrams if these illustrations help describe the project.  In this case, the proposal may consist of seven instead of six A4-sized pages of single-spaced text. Please note the maximum file size of 1 MB, and the minimum top and bottom margins of 2 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively.

Can papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication be included in the list of publications given in an applicant’s curriculum vitae?
No, only published papers may be mentioned in the applicant’s list of publications.

May applicants up-date their application after the closing date for applications?
No, applicants may not up-date their application after the closing date for applications. However, letters of acceptance for papers submitted to journals for review before the closing date will be taken into consideration.

What is the stipend granted for a Long-Term Fellowship?
There are a number of factors that determine the stipend that is granted to a Long-Term Fellow, i.e. number of dependent children he/she has, and country for which the Fellow is granted a Fellowship. For the current yearly stipends, download the pdf on the right of this page.

Can a scientist receiving a small grant or salary from other sources be in parallel the recipient of a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship?
No, a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship is not granted to a scientist who is receiving a grant from sources other than the FEBS Fellowship or a salary from sources other than the host institute (see next point), irrespective of how insignificant these funds may be. If, however, the scientist’s salary is to be suspended for the duration of his/her stay at the host institute, then a Long-Term Fellowship may be granted.

Can the host institute provide additional funds on top of the fellowship, for example so that legal minimum income levels are met?
Yes, the host institution may provide additional top-up funds in cases where the stipend granted is below the minimum income for a postdoctoral researcher defined by law in the host country or for other reasons acceptable to FEBS.

Does the Chairperson of the Fellowships Committee acknowledge receipt of an application for a Long-Term Fellowship when it is received?
After submitting their application candidates will receive an automated e-mail confirming successful submission.

How many Long-Term Fellowships are given per call?
The number of fellowships awarded varies from call to call depending on the budgets of FEBS. In the call in 2019, ten fellowships were awarded

For queries not covered above, please contact the Fellowships office at [email protected]