Q: I am still pursuing my PhD studies. Can I apply?
A: Yes, but please note that if you are awarded, you must provide us with your PhD degree before the starting date of your fellowship. Please note you must also start your fellowship within 9 months of the offer.
Q: I already have a PhD. Can I apply?
A: Yes, but please note that you are eligible only if you submit your application within two years after the date of award of your PhD. For example: if your PhD was awarded on the 1st of January 2021, then you must complete and fully submit your application by the 1st of January 2023.
Q: I have missed the limit to apply within 2 years after my PhD award. Can you grant me an exception?
A: Exceptions may be granted for applicants with official career breaks that have affected their capability to apply during the relevant 2-year eligibility period. In such cases, the time of career break will not be counted towards the 2 years limit.
Parental leave, mandatory military service, severe illness and other extraordinary personal circumstances may qualify as career breaks. The Fellowships Office must be contacted prior to submitting a claim for an exception, no matter what type. Applications submitted without prior approval of an exception will be deemed ineligible.
Q: I have an MD rather than a PhD. Can I apply?
A: Yes, if you have appropriate research experience that is comparable to a PhD, and if you meet all other eligibility criteria. If in doubt, please write to us at with an updated CV and a summary proposal. Please make sure your CV includes your present and past positions, a list of your research papers and other funding that you might have previously held.
In your summary proposal, please give us a short overview of the project you would be planning to undertake for your fellowship, while ensuring it includes the intended biological insight you want to obtain.
Q: What do you consider as the date of PhD award? Is it the date of my thesis defense/viva voce, the date of the doctoral programme completion, or the date shown on my diploma?
A: Please note that due to varied doctoral education systems across countries, please check directly with the institution where you obtained your degree.
Q: I am not sure whether my proposed project falls within EMBO’s scientific scope. What do I do?
A: Please check EMBO subject areas here: https://www.embo.org/about-embo/programmes-and-activities/subject-areas/
If in doubt, please write to us at with an updated CV and a summary proposal. Please make sure your CV includes your present and past positions, a list of your research papers and other funding that you might have previously held.
In your summary proposal, please give us a short overview of the project you would be planning to undertake for your fellowship, while ensuring it includes the biological question being investigated and the intended biological insight you want to obtain.
Q: I don’t have a first (or joint first) author primary research paper yet. Can I still apply?
A: No, you must have at least one first (or joint first) author primary research paper accepted for publication or published in an international peer reviewed journal or a refereed preprint (https://www.embo.org/features/refereed-preprints-recognized-as-eligibility-criterion-for-embo-postdoctoral-fellowships/) at the time the application is submitted. Papers submitted or under review will not be considered.
Q: I meet all of the eligibility criteria but want to pursue my fellowship in a non-EMBC Member State (e.g., US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand…). Can I apply?
A: Yes, but only if you meet all 3 of the following conditions: 1) you are national of an EMBC Member State; 2) you completed your PhD in an EMBC Member State; 3) you would be moving from an EMBC Member State. A list of EMBC Member states can be found here.
Q: I want to pursue my fellowship in an EMBC Member State. Can I apply?
A: Yes, you can apply regardless of your nationality or the country in which you obtained your PhD, providing that there is a change of country and that you also meet all other eligibility requirements.
Q: I have been living or working in the country where I obtained my PhD. Can I apply to pursue my fellowship there?
A: No, applications to work in a country where the applicant has developed their PhD studies are not eligible.
Q: I am already at my host institute/country. Can I apply?
A: Yes, but only if you haven’t been in the institute/country for more than 6 months. For example: if you started at the institute on the 1st of June 2022, then you must complete and fully submit your application by the 1st of December 2022.
In case you have been in the host country for more than 6 months, but for other non-research purposes, please contact us at to determine your eligibility.
Q: I previously conducted a research visit in the country where I intend to undertake my fellowship. Can I apply?
A: Yes, but only if your stay there was of less than 6 months, either in one or several visits.
Q: I made a mistake when filling out the information of my referees/my proposed host supervisor in your online application form, and I have already activated the contact. Can you help me?
A: Yes, please email us at explaining which referee (i.e., the name), as well as with your own name so that we can find your application in our system. We will re-set the referee/host supervisor form so that you can insert the new/corrected information.
Q: My referee/proposed host supervisor did not receive the link via email to provide the recommendation for my application. Can you help me?
A: Yes, please email us at explaining which referee (i.e., the name) has not received the link, as well as with your own name and the email address you registered with so that we can find your application in our system. Please make sure your referee/host supervisor also checks the spam folder.
Q: Can I change my referee if the one I previously approached is not able to provide the reference letter on time?
A: Please confirm with potential referees prior to entering them in the form, however, if you do need to change a referee, please email us () right away. We will re-activate the referee form for you, and you will be able to enter new referee information and email.
Q: Can I attach documents to my application?
A: No, our online application system supports text only (no figures or graphs). Please also refrain from sending reference letters to the Fellowship Office as these cannot be considered in your application. Referees and the host supervisor should complete their recommendations via our online form.
Q: I would like to make a change in my application, but I have already submitted it. Can you help me?
A: No, unfortunately it’s not possible to make changes to the application after it has been submitted. Please double-check the information you have provided before submitting your application.
Q: My PhD supervisor cannot provide a reference for me. What do I do?
A: Please get in touch with the Fellowship Office as soon as possible explaining why your PhD supervisor is not able to provide you with a reference letter. The Office will discuss the request on a case by case approach.
Q: My referees will need some time to complete the reference forms for my application. Can I submit my application first and the reference forms later?
A: No, our online application system will not allow you to submit your application without the completed reference forms. Please ensure to reach out to your referees in advance and as early as possible.
Q: I just recently became a postdoc at my home institute, and I am not sure how to differentiate the “Work at Home Institute” field and the “PhD award” field.
A: Even if it’s recent, please use the field work at home institute to explain what you have been doing for your current postdoc. For achievements specific to your PhD, please use the PhD award field. If one of these two fields do not have enough space, you may complement the information by using the field that still has space.
Q: Why do I need to provide information related to the receiving institute’s director?
A: As a formality, and only if you are awarded the fellowship, the receiving institute’s director might need to sign the grant agreement between the host institution and EMBO. This can also be done by another authority/representative of the host institution in case the director is not available. Please note that nothing will be required from the director during the application process.
Q: What are my chances of success?
A: We receive on average 600 applications per evaluation round. The success rate is around 15%.
Q: My application has been rejected. Can I receive feedback?
A: No, unfortunately we cannot provide individual feedback and we do not have comments from the fellowship committee.
Q: My application has been rejected. Can I re-apply?
A: Yes. Reapplication is allowed only once, irrespective of a change of project or host lab. This means that you can apply only two times in total, providing that you meet all eligibility requirements at each time. A submission is counted as an application once receipt has been acknowledged and a reference number has been assigned. Please also be aware that previous applications cannot be automatically re-considered for new application rounds. Applicants must follow the same procedure and re-apply.
Q: I have two potential laboratories/institutes to collaborate with in my host country during the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship. Can I collaborate with both?
A: Yes. However, as an EMBO fellow, you can only have one official host lab and one official host supervisor. You can apply with a research proposal that involves collaboration with other labs, but still, you must choose only one main supervisor and one main lab. Please make sure to describe the planned collaboration in your research proposal.
Q: I do not have a host lab/supervisor. Can you help me to find one?
A: No, it is the applicant’s responsibility to identify a potential host lab/supervisor, in line with their own research interests and objectives.
Q: I have previously collaborated with my intended host supervisor/institute, and we have co-published. Can I apply?
A: Applications to work with host laboratories with which the candidate has collaborated in the past generally receive lower priority for funding.
If in doubt, please write to us at with an updated CV and a summary proposal. Please make sure your CV includes your present and past positions, a list of your research papers and other funding that you might have previously held.
In your summary proposal, please give us a short overview of the project you would be planning to undertake for your fellowship, while ensuring it includes the intended biological insights you want to obtain.
