This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 754558

PREBIST

BIST PhD Fellowship Programme

PREBIST is a doctoral fellowship programme led by the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology. Altogether 28 four-year fellowships have been awarded and implemented in top research centres in the Barcelona and Tarragona area (Spain).

Last call was closed on 19th May, 2019

Programme Description & Calls Structure

PREBIST is a doctoral fellowship programme led by the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, which brings closer together seven independent Catalan internationally recognized research centres. The centres participating in the PREBIST programme are:

• The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
• Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)
• Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
• Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE)
• Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)

Also affiliated to BIST, but not directly participating in PREBIST, are:

• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
• Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)

Please kindly note that ICIQ and IRB are not hosting any topics for this call.

PREBIST applicants found a list of PhD projects and were able to freely choose their project of interest. Successful candidates are hosted by the selected research group. They have full access to facilities, PhD Programme seminars and training programmes of the BIST centres. Networking activities shall facilitate inter-centre and inter-disciplinary exchange and collaborations. PREBIST offers fellows the opportunity to opt for secondments from a pool of international institutions with which BIST centres have institutional agreements or collaborations.

The fellowships are granted for 4 years including:

• Anual gross salary: 26.500€ plus a single payment of 2000€ relocation support (Spanish tax and social security deductions apply),
• Close mentoring and supervision through prestigious researchers,
• A personalized doctoral career development plan,
• A training programme for scientific and transferable skills.

PREBIST Fellows accomplish a focused PhD programme, with an emphasis on intensive research-based training, offered by the hosting BIST Centre, in partnership with a major local university (degree-awarding institution). From the start, PhD students are integrated into one of the participating BIST centre research groups, under the supervision of the corresponding Group Leader, to begin their research projects, and participate in the training activities. In the following, a comprehensive list of the major doctoral programmes:

• ICFO: PhD in Photonics, in partnership with the Universitat Politènica de Catalunya (Barcelona)
• IRB Barcelona: TBD
• ICIQ: TBD
• ICN2: TBD
• IFAE: TBD

PREBIST fellows receive scientific training and take part in programs that aim at developing leadership skills, offering opportunities to assume responsability and tools to be active in own career progression.

PREBIST counts with an important number of active collaboration R&D with local and international companies and research institutions. Several BIST centres are also closely associated with major research hospitals in the Barcelona area. BIST has also established extensive collaboration agreements with major technology centres in Catalonia. PREBIST fellows are encouraged to undertake visits and short-term stays and secondments with these partners whenever relevant to their field of research.

Each BIST centre offers an internationally renowned, attractive research environment, complemented by a range of training activities that will help highly qualified young scientists to develop the skills necessary for a successful career. The high interdisciplinary nature of BIST makes it an excellent setting for fellows to access an extensive offer of scientific seminars, courses and workshops.

PREBIST fellows are able to participate in a number of existing programmes, including:

• Seminar programmes of the BIST centres
• Researcher exchange and networking programmes including international conferences and workshops organised by BIST centres.

In its effort to establish an outstanding long-term training programme, BIST and the afiliated centres are organising a variety of training initiatives, to support PhD fellows by exploring the different options for becoming successful scientist. Along this process, fellows should acquire key compentences in a highly competitive environment (effective research, ethical research responsibility, technical workshops), and awareness and responsibility for their own career progression.

BIST is aware that for training the scientific leaders of the future, involves providing them with tools and aptitudes on transferable skills which will allow them to excel in both, the academic and industrial worlds. The European Charter for Researchers requires that “all researchers … are given the opportunity for professional development and for improving their employability through access to measures for the continuing development of skills and competencies”. In this regard, PROBIST offers courses and seminars specifically designed to foster these abilities.

One of the main objectives of PREBIST is to provide high quality supervision offering:

• Targeted mentoring and access to a wide variety of scientific activities, services, and networks.
• Have close mentoring: The PREBIST PhD project performed by the fellow will be under the supervision of a reputated scientist, who at the same time will be shaping, together with the fellow, a personalized doctoral career development plan (PDCDP). The goal of this plan will be to develop and foster the individual competences of the fellow.

Calls Structure

The calls for candidatures will be open to everybody but special eligibility criteria and a multistep evaluation procedure will apply. There are no restrictions on gender, age, ethnic groups, national or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language, disability, political opinion, and social or economic conditions. BIST and its associated centres are committed to pro-active policies on equal opportunities and gender issues.

Please review the eligibility and evaluation criteria and carefully read the instructions on how to submit an application before applying.

Applications will exclusively be accepted through the on-line application platform. You will be informed on the state of your application at all stages. The main means of communication during the formal process will be by e-mail. The entire selection process will be managed under strict control of privacy rules.

Calls schedule:

Call 1 (CLOSED): 1 November 2017 – Deadline: 7 January 2018
Interviews: from 9 April to 3 May 2018
Incorporation foreseen from aprox. 08/2018 (*)

Call 2 (CLOSED): 27 April 2018 – Deadline: 31 May 2018
Interviews: from 12 to 27 July 2018 (exact days to be confirmed)
Incorporation foreseen around 09/2018 (*)

Call 3 (CLOSED): 27 March 2019 – Deadline: 19 May 2019
Interviews: from 17 to 21 June 2019 (exact days to be confirmed)
Incorporation foreseen around 09/2019 (*)

(*) the exact date of incorporation will be agreed with the host centre once the award is granted. The indicated entry dates are tentative and may be negotiated with the corresponding host centre. PhD matriculation constraint shall be taken into account.

Please check back frequently for updated information and dates.

Research Topics

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

ICN2 has 17 research groups broadly categorised into five main fields of research: Theory and Simulation; NanoBioSensing Devices; Nanodevice Fabrication and Properties; Chemical Routes to Nanostructures; and Nanoscale Manipulation and Characterisation. These groups are supported by three specialised technical divisions (Nanoscience Instrument Development, Electron Microscopy, Nanomaterials Growth) and a general services division.

Research Projects:

ICN2_C3-O1:  Nanoscience/Nanodevices for Information and Communication Technologies

Group Leader: Sergio Valenzuela, “Physics and Engineering of Nanodevices” Group

Aitor Mugarza, “Atomic Manipulation and Spectroscopy” Group.

Description: The work towards a PhD Thesis will be part of the scientific plan of the Severo Ochoa Research Program of ICN2, within the line of “Nanoscience/Nanodevices for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)”.

ICT research in ICN2 pushes at the boundaries of understanding of single state variables (spin, electric polarisation, phonons, strain) and hybrid states (e.g. coupled electric-mechanic variables or photon-phonon states) with the aim of taking information processing beyond the use of the electron charge alone.

Current research lines on this topic focus on laying the foundations of components for future information processing through the exploration of new nanomaterials down to the atomic scale, and of newly-discovered physical phenomena that enable alternative input fields or state variables.

The research should follow these research priorities: spintronics, quantum technologies, topological insulators, 2D materials, surfaces and adsorbates

 

ICN2_C3-O2:  Nanocharacterization

Group Leader:   Jordi Arbiol, “Advanced Electron Nanoscopy” Group.

Aitor Mugarza, “Atomic Manipulation and Spectroscopy” Group.

Belen Ballesteros, “Electron Microscopy” Unit.

Description: Currently the ICN2 has leading scientific expertise and strong technical competence in research areas such as imaging, spectroscopy and manipulation at the nanoscale, all of which require advanced characterisation techniques (e.g. advanced (S)TEM and related spectroscopies, photoelectron and Xray absorption spectroscopies, probe microscopies, XRD), making use of its own in-house equipment and of multiple national and international large-scale facilities.Description:  The work towards a PhD Thesis will be part of the scientific plan of the Severo Ochoa Research Program of ICN2, within the line of “Nanocharacterization”.

Work towards the PhD should be in one of these lines:

  • Advanced nanocharacterisation at ultra-high resolution (chemical, spatial, temporal, elemental, thermal and frequency domain) and the exploration of new scopes, e.g. nanoscale measurements of new physico-chemical phenomena.
  • Correlative microscopy, as an emerging topic in which techniques from standard solid-state physics, analytical chemistry, and molecular biology are combined with other advanced techniques such as probe microscopies, (S)TEM and related spectroscopies and, eventually, with in-situ and inoperando synchrotron experiments.
  • Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy, to explore the structure and physical properties of surfaces at the atomic level.

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

ICFO is devoted to the science and technologies of light with fundamental and applied research programmes that address issues such as health, renewable energies, information technologies, and security and industrial processes, among others. ICFO currently hosts more than 400 researchers organised into 25 research groups and teams and 60 laboratories.

ICFO_C3-01: Biomedical Optics & Biophysics

Keywords: biomedical, optics, biophysics, microscopy, imaging, biology, physics, biomedicine, bionano, photonics, nanobiosensors, nanomaterials, diagnostics, clinical research, biological systems, nanoantennas, engineering

ICFO_C3-02: Optical Sensing, Optoelectronics & Photovoltaics

Keywords: optics, sensing, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, solar cells, materials, physics, engineering, chemistry, photonics, graphene, nanotechnology, 2D materials, quantum, nanoquantum, biological systems, engineering

ICFO_C3-03: Nonlinear Optics, Ultrafast Optics & Attoscience

Keywords: Keywords: nonlinear, optics, photonics, ultrafast, attophysics, attoscience, light-matter, solid state physics, laser science, laser physics, laser, physics

ICFO_C3-04: NanoPhotonics & NanoMechanics

Keywords: Nanophotonics, Nanotecnology, bionano, physics, biological systems, 2D materials, graphene, ultrafast, plasmonics, nanoscale photonics, nanotubes, resonators, light-matter, nanoantennas, engineering, photonics

ICFO_C3-05: Experimental Quantum Optics & Quantum Information

Keywords: quantum optics, quantum information, quantum engineering, quantum physics, quantum, physics, optics, photonics, solid state physics, quantum mechanics, cold atoms, ultracold atoms, quantum metrology

ICFO_C3-06: Theoretical Nanophotonics, Quantum Optics & Quantum Information

Keywords: quantum optics, quantum information, quantum engineering, quantum physics, quantum, physics, optics, photonics, theory, theoretical, attoscience, ultrafast, mathematics, graphene, materials, 2D materials, plasmonics, many-body, nanoquantum

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

IFAE conducts experimental and theoretical research at the frontier of fundamental physics, namely in Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology. IFAE also works at the cutting edge of detector technology, applying its know-how to Medical Imaging, Data-Intensive Computing and projects in other research and engineering domains.

Research Projects:

IFAE_C3-01:  Development of 3D silicon detectors for the HL-LHC Experiments


Group Leader: Prof. Sebastian Grinstein

Keywords: Silicon detectors, Radiation detectors, Experimental particle physics, CERN, LHC, ATLAS experiment

The ATLAS experiment at CERN´s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) aims to understand which are the fundamental constitutes of nature and how they interact. To carry out its physics research program, ATLAS relies on sophisticated detector systems. The most complex of these detectors is the pixel detector, which is located in the innermost part of ATLAS and provides information about the position of the interaction vertex and the path of the outgoing particles produced in the proton collisions. The IFAE ATLAS instrumentation group has been making critical contributions to the most recent upgrades of the ATLAS pixel systems, providing detector modules for the current innermost pixel layer and fabricating the AFP 3D pixel tracker.

As the LHC accelerator pushes the energy and luminosity frontiers, the pixel sensors and the associated front-end electronics have to be upgraded to maintain their performance. IFAE, in a coordinated project with CNM, is developing ultra-radiation-hard silicon pixel detectors, called 3D sensors, to cope with the unprecedented radiation doses that the innermost layers of the ATLAS pixel detector will face during the LHC high luminosity period.

The successful candidate will join the IFAE-ATLAS group and will take a leading role in the development of the 3D pixel sensor technology for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade. This task includes the characterization before and after irradiation of prototype devices, in the laboratory and in beam tests. Understanding the charge collection mechanisms through measurements and simulations will also be pursued. The results of this research will be presented at internal ATLAS meetings and international conferences/workshops, and will be published in peer-reviewed international journals. The possibility of investigating and developing novel radiation detectors for medical applications can also be considered. This position involves stays at CERN, DESY and other leading high energy physics institutes.

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

IRB Barcelona aims to answer fundamental questions in biomedicine and apply new knowledge to real issues in human health. Its current 24 groups are organised into five research programmes: Cell and Developmental Biology; Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology; Molecular Medicine; Structural and Computational Biology; and Oncology.

Note that IRB Barcelona is not hosting any projects for the current call. 

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

From the vantage point of molecular science, ICIQ aims to lead cross-strategies to answer major social and economic challenges related to sustainability, energy and health. In this regard, it conducts research of excellence in Catalysis and Renewable Energies.

Note that ICIQ is not hosting any projects for the current call. 

 

Partner Institutions

The following partner institution are already available for undertaking secondments. The possibility of working with other partners can be explored during the fellowship.

ALBA Synchrotron Light Source
Cerdanyola de Vallès, ES (Barcelona)
www.albasynchrotron.es

BIOCAT
Barcelona, ES
www.biocat.cat

Cataloniabio
Barcelona, ES
www.cataloniabio.org

CRAC Career Development Organization
Cambridge, UK
www.crac.org.uk

Dark Energy Survey – University of Chicago
Chicago, USA
www.darkenergysurvey.org

Eurecat Technology Center
Barcelona, ES
www.eurecat.org

Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science
Weizmann Institute of Science, Materials and Interfaces Department
Rehovot, IL
www.weizmann.ac.il/kimmel-nano/

Hokkaido University, Faculty of Advanced Life Science
Sapporo, JP
www.altair.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/advlfsci/en/

Imperial College London, research group for high energy particle physics
London, UK
www.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/~wascko/

Innovació I Recerca Industrial I Sostenible – IRIS
Castelldefels (Barcelona), ES
www.iris.cat

Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute – IDIBAPS)
Barcelona, ES
www.idibaps.org

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia – IBEC
Barcelona, ES
www.ibecbarcelona.eu

Intelligent Pharma S.A.
Barcelona, ES
www.intelligentpharma.com

Iproteos S.L.
Barcelona, ES
www.iproteos.com

Laboratorios Dr. Esteve, S.A.U.
Barcelona, ES
www.esteve.com

Leitat Technology Center
Barcelona, ES
www.leitat.org

Michigan State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
East Lansing, MI, USA
www.pa.msu.edu/

Mind the Byte, S.L.
Barcelona, ES
www.mindthebyte.com/

Mynoryx Therapeutics S.L.
Mataró (Barcelona), ES
www.mynoryx.com

Nanonica S.A.
Lugano, CH
www.nanonica.com

Radboud University Medical Center, Institute for Molecular Life Sciences
Nijmegen, NL
www.rimls.nl

Research Center of Vall d’Hebron – VHIR
Barcelona, ES
www.vhir.org

RMIT Europe
Barcelona,ES
www.rmit.edu.au

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona – UAB
Bellaterra (Barcelona), ES
www.uab.cat

Universitat Rovira i Virgil – URV
Tarragona, ES
www.urv.cat

Université de Pau & Pays de l’Adour (UPPA)
Pau, FR
https://www.univ-pau.fr/en/home.html

University of Toronto, Insitute of Particle Physics
Toronto, CA
www.physics.utoronto.ca

Eligibility Criteria & Evaluation Process

Eligibility Criteria

To be admitted to the review process, candidates must comply with the following eligibility criteria:

• Presenting complete applications including all requested compulsory information and documentation.

• Having not spent more than 12 months of the prior 36 months in Spain, at the time of the call deadline. You will be required to confirm your compliance through a self-declaration.

• Hold a University degree (by the time of enrollment in the PhD program) that would qualify the applicant to enter one of the PhD programmes recognized by the BIST research centers. These have formal agreements with the major Catalan Universities (UB, UAB, UPC, URV, and UPF) whereby BIST senior researchers (generally of professorial rank and enjoying international recognition) are accredited to supervise PhD students, who do their research at BIST research centres and obtain their degree from the corresponding university. Please provide evidence when you apply (e.g. scanned copy of your degree or similar).

• At the time of the call deadline, be in the first 4 years of your scientific post gradual career (full-time equivalent research experience). In case your University degree was longer ago than 4 years, you will need to provide documental evidence for complying with this criteria.

• Having not been awarded yet a PhD degree.

Evaluation & Selection

The evaluation of eligible candidates will be carried out by an external, independent selection panel. The evaluation will be objective, independent, free of conflicts of interest and the selection will be based on merits, equal opportunities and freedom of choice of research.

Please, kindly note that you can select up to 3 topics (from the same or different host centres) but you will only be evaluated by the review panel related to the centre hosting the topic you select as 1st  choice.

The review procedure will be carried out in various steps:

  1. First review by the selection panel reviewing the documentation submitted with the application. General suitability and admissibility for the PREBIST programme will be evaluated (review 1).
  2. Second review by the selection panel: interviews (review 2).
  3. Decision on awardees, reserve list and rejected candidatures.

The evaluation criteria to be applied to review 1 (pre-selection phase) are:

• Scientific capacities: assessed based on application material presented:

* Education: graduate education, level and grades achieved. (45/100)
* Research experience: research skills acquired, ability for scientific analysis, scientific production in terms of publications, patents, and attendance to international conferences, etc. (10/100)
* Quality and support of Referees (15/100)
* Strength and relevance of Motivation (25/100)
* Mobility experience: experience in multicultural environments, capacity for adaptation to different working environments, etc. (5/100)

• Admissibility to the corresponding hosting centre’s PhD programme: academic suitability assessed based on application material presented (Y/N).

Only the best shortlisted candidates shall pass to the next step.

The evaluation criteria to be applied to review 2 (selection phase) are:

• Creativity, independent thinking, resourcefulness (20/100)
• Research experience (20/100)
• Motivation for applying for the PREBIST fellowship (15/100)
• International and/or multicultural experience (15/100)
• Industrial collaboration and/or technology transfer knowledge/experience (15/100)
• Presentation and outreach skills, social awareness (15/25)

Final overall score = 0,75 * score pre-selection phase + 0.25 * score selection phase

The weightings in the final overall scoremay be modulated in order to ensure fair and coherent cross-comparison of evaluations in the different call themes. The threshold for being included into the final short-list for fellowship concession is set at 70%.

Intended re-integration of scientists after a career break is encouraged. Equal opportunities is a principle for the selection process. BIST and the participating centres aim at equal gender balance and pay special attention to candidatures coming from unfavourable conditions.

Applicants will be informed on the progress at all stages of the process. The default means for communication is e-mail.

Due to the large number of applications received in the previous call, only applicants passing to subsequent evaluation steps will be informed of the progress at all stages of the process. The candidates being interviewed will receive an evaluation report for their candidature should they request it. The default means for communication is e-mail through fellows@bist.eu.

Submitting an Application

Preparing an application

The on-line submission platform for the current call will be open from 27 March 2019. The deadline for the submission of applications is 13 May 2019 end of the day (CET).

Please check the specific call parameters for detailed timelines and research topics.

Before start applying, please carefully read the below instructions.

Start your application now.

Applications checklist for the initial submission:
By the deadline, the following documentation and information needs to be presented to be eligible:

1. Application form on personal data (on-line form to be filled in)

• Basic personal data and contact information

2. Application form on background (on-line form to be filled in)

• Specific background information on University degree, previous works, results, awards, etc.
• Upload of the Degree certificate or substituting document issued by the corresponding University
• Indication of the preferred research projects (one or several)
• Indication of reference persons who endorse your candidature
• Additional information relevant for the application and the eligibility, if applicable

3. Letter of motivation (document upload)

• The cover letter addresses research interests and motivation for the application, as well as the applicant’s background and suitability for the fellowship.

4. Curriculum Vitae (document upload)

• Applicants should indicate their academic and professional trajectory and include any relevant information on publications, awards or other scientific or academic merits and experience. Candidates with career breaks or variations in the chronological sequence of their career steps are welcome to apply.

Applications cannot be updated after the submission. Only complete applications are eligible.

After the deadline, applicants will be checked for eligibility. Non-eligible applicants will be rejected. The eligible candidates will be reviewed by the selection panel. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the second review stage (pre-selected candidates).

Requirements for the second review stage

The shortlisted pre-selected candidates will be invited to an interview at the centre(s) where they have obtained a hosting commitment. The dates for the interview are published in the call information when the call is opened. The interview provides applicants the opportunity to further explain their experience, highlight their achievements, and describe their career aspirations and any other personal or professional aspects of relevance.

Successful candidates will be awarded the fellowship or put onto a reserve list according to a shortlist created by the selection panel. Candidates not passing the 70% evaluation threshold will be rejected. Rejected candidates have the right to appeal in justified cases, like evidence of bias or conflict of interest by evaluators, evidence of failure to have reasonably followed the published evaluation procedure, factual errors by evaluators that have substantially altered the outcome of evaluation.

Awardees will be offered the fellowship that they would need to accept or reject within 1 week after the offer. Accepting the offer will start the incorporation process.

Applicants will be informed on the progress of their application at all stages of the process.

All personal data will be treated confidentially.

Start your application now.

After Application

Redress procedure
In case you consider it necessary to redress the evaluation result, please direct your request through our contact form on www.bist.eu/probist indicating the programme (PREBIST) and the call deadline. Please state clearly the reasons for your redress. Only justified requests that indicate serious doubts with complying the principles applicable to the evaluation and selection procedure can be taken into account and evaluated.

Incorporation 
Accepting the offer of the grant will start the incorporation process.

Requirements for starting your fellowship, in case of being selected:
• At the time of recruitment you will need to be admitted to a homologated PhD programme recognized by your BIST host centre. This may require homogenization of academics credits or degrees. It also will require a formal inscription process to the corresponding Catalan University. Your hosting centre will provide you with further information on time once you accepted the grant.
• You will have to take care of obtaining Visa, work permit and the Spanish Social Security number. You will also need to register residency in Spain in order to obtain the necessary tax number. Your future host organization will provide support and orientation where possible.
• Sign a work contract with the host centre. The place of work will be at the host centre. The usual working conditions of the host apply to your fellowship.

Living and working in Barcelona
An exhaustive description on work and life in Catalonia can be found here.

Post award requirements
The fellows will participate in the generation of the scientific and review reports for the European Commission wherever this is necessary. The European Commission or BIST may require to give feedback on the program and the personal experience of the fellow in it. Both can be necessary during and after the fellowship. In particular, the PREBIST Fellows will need to prepare a final report after the completion of their fellowship. This report should arrive the BIST project manager no later than eight weeks after the end of the fellowship.

Awardees

Know the PREBIST Fellows here

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When will the calls for the PREBIST postdoctoral fellowship program be?
Call 1: 01/11/2017, deadline 07/01/2018 end of the day CET, selection 03/2018,
incorporation foreseen for 08/2018 (*)
Call 2: 15/04/2018, deadline 31/05/2018 end of the day CEST, selection 07/2018,
incorporation foreseen for 09/2018 (*)

(*) the exact date of incorporation will be agreed with the host centre once the award is
granted. The indicated entry dates are tentative and may be negotiated with the
corresponding host centre in justified cases.

How many PREBIST fellowships are available?
The program will fund 28 fellowships of 4 years duration, distributed in 3 calls until the first
half of 2019.

How do I apply?
Applications need to be presented through the BIST online submission platform. Please
read with attention the “Submitting an application” section before you apply to make sure
you can meet the call’s requirements.

Which research projects are offered for the fellowships?
Applicants freely choose the offered research project within the thematic area
corresponding to a hosting group. After a first review step for general suitability for the
PREBIST program, shortlisted pre-selected candidates will be invited to an interview.

Which are the participating centres hosting the fellowships?
• The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
• Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)
• Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
• Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE)
• Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)

Where can I carry out the fellowship and what are the conditions?

PREBIST fellowships will be placed within the host group the successful candidate has
chosen during the application process. The working contract will be between the host
centre and the fellow. BIST itself will not contract fellows directly.
The specific working conditions of the host centre and the MSCA-COFUND program apply.
All participating centres have obtained the “HR Excellence in Research” recognition or
have corresponding action plans ongoing.
Annual gross salary: 26.500€ plus a single allowance of 2000€ relocation support
(Spanish tax and social security deductions apply).
The fellow will receive close mentoring and supervision through prestigious researchers, a
personalized doctoral career development plan and a training program for scientific and
transferable skills.

What will be my salary? How much is the fellowship worth?
Annual gross salary: 26.500€ plus a single allowance of 2000€ relocation support
(Spanish tax and social security deductions apply).
We cannot indicate the precise net salary. It very much depends on your particular
situation and additional incomes you might have. You can estimate it yourself through the
following web: https://www.calcularsueldoneto.com/csn-en-calculate-net-salary.php
The estimated net figures there are only informative, tentative and not binding for the final
fellowship.

Can the PREBIST fellowship be prolonged?
The duration the fellowship is 48 months and usually cannot be prolonged.

What are the eligibility criteria?
The eligibility criteria can be found in the “Eligibility Criteria” section.

Can I apply if I have lived or worked in Spain previously?
If you have worked in Spain for more than 12 months out of the last 36 months at the date
of the call deadline, you are not eligible for PREBIST.

Can I apply if I do not yet possess a University degree that qualifies me for a BIST PhD
programme?
To be eligible, candidates must hold a University degree sufficient to join a BIST PhD
programme by the time of enrollment in the PhD program.

Can I apply if I already do have a PhD?
No, holders of a PhD degree are not eligible for PREBIST.

I hold a PhD degree and would like to develop my career at a BIST centre. Is there
also a post-doctoral program?
Yes, please follow this link to the PROBIST post-doctoral fellowship program.

How do I get access to the application platform?
After having checked the requirements for a successful application, you can start the
submission process on our website. The platform will guide you through the process. You
will be asked to answer an application questionnaire and to upload documentation. You
can save and complete your application any time until the call deadline. Only complete
applications are eligible for further review.
The application platform will be open for submission from the official call opening date to
the call deadline.

What is the exact deadline?
Call 1: opens 01/11/2017, deadline 07/01/2018 end of the day CET
Call 2: opens 15/04/2018, deadline 31/05/2018 end of the day CET

Call 3 (OPEN): 27 March 2019 – Deadline: 19 May 2019
Interviews: from 17th June to 2nd July 2019 (exact days to be confirmed)
Incorporation foreseen around 09/2019 (*)

Are referees mandatory and will they be contacted?
You will be asked to present the contact of at least two referees for your application. As
the referees are important for the evaluation of your application, it is mandatory to provide
sufficient contact details. The referees will be contacted by BIST after you have validated
your application in the on‐line system. The referees will receive an e‐mail with a request to
answer a questionnaire and to provide a recommendation letter before the call deadline
via the online submission platform. It is the applicant’s responsibility that referees provide
the necessary information and documentation before the call deadline. Once you have
submitted your application you will be able to follow in the system if your referees have
submitted a statement or letter. You can send them a reminder if necessary.
Not having presented two referees will be considered as incomplete applications. Not
obtaining sufficient feedback from your referees may negatively impact the evaluation of
your candidature.

What are the structure and the formal requirements for the project description and the
CV?
Any CV design is allowed but please make sure that key aspects of your career (trajectory,
publications, awards, etc.) are easy to find and understand. The file format of all uploaded
documents ideally should be pdf.

What are the different steps in the selection process?
The evaluation of eligible candidates will be carried out by an external, independent
selection panel. The evaluation will be objective, independent, free of conflicts of interest
and the selection will be based on merits, equal opportunities and freedom of choice of
research.
The review procedure will be carried out in various steps:
• First review by the selection panel reviewing the documentation submitted with the
application. General suitability for PREBIST will be evaluated.
• Second review by the selection panel: interviews with shortlisted candidates.
• Decision on awardees, reserve list and rejected candidatures.
Selected candidates (awardees) will be offered the grant. Rejected offers may be offered
to candidates from the reserve list.

What are the evaluation criteria?
The evaluation criteria to be applied to review 1 (pre-selection phase) are:
Scientific capacities: assessed based on application material presented:
• Education: graduate education, level and grades achieved. (45/100)
• Research experience: research skills acquired, ability for scientific analysis, scientific
production in terms of publications, patents, and attendance to international conferences,
etc. (10/100)
• Quality and support of Referees (15/100)
• Strength and relevance of Motivation (25/100)
• Mobility experience: experience in multicultural environments, capacity for adaptation to
different working environments, etc. (5/100)
Admissibility to the corresponding hosting centre’s PhD programme: academic suitability
assessed based on application material presented (Y/N).

Only the best shortlisted candidates shall pass to the next step.
The evaluation criteria to be applied to review 2 (selection phase) are:
• Creativity, independent thinking, resourcefulness (20/100)
• Research experience (20/100)
• Motivation for applying for the PREBIST fellowship (15/100)
• International and/or multicultural experience (15/100)
• Industrial collaboration and/or technology transfer knowledge/experience (15/100)
• Presentation and outreach skills, social awareness (15/25)
Final overall score = 0,75 * score pre-selection phase + 0.25 * score selection phase
The weightings in the final overall score may be modulated in order to ensure fair and
coherent cross-comparison of evaluations in the different call themes. The threshold for
being included into the final short-list for fellowship concession is set at 70%.

Is it possible to update my application after the submission?
No, modifications will not be accepted after the call deadline. Pre-selected candidates,
however, will be able to upload additional information and documents.

How do I know about the state of my application?
Applicants will be informed on the progress at all stages of the process. E-mail is the main
instrument for communication during the process.

When is the result communicated?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 754558
Candidates are informed approximately 2 to 3 months after the call deadline whether they
will be granted a fellowship. The result can be an offer by BIST, forming part of the reserve
list, or a rejection.
Candidates being offered the grant should actively accept the offer within a week.
Otherwise, reserve list candidates may be contacted. Once you have accepted the grant
you will receive an appointment letter.

When should the fellowship start? When should be the incorporation to the host centre?
You can start immediately the preparation of formal issues (work permits, visa etc.) after
you have received the appointment for the grant. It is expected that you to start two
months after having received the appointment letter.

Where can I find practical information regarding living and working in Spain?
An excellent updated guide on all you have to know before you arrive can be found on
the website of the Catalonian Government.

What languages do you speak?
English is the language required at least for working at the BIST centres. Sound command
of English is a requirement for effective work in the fellowship.
For your information we state that in Catalonia dominate 2 official languages: Spanish and
Catalan. Although you do not need to be able to speak Spanish or Catalan to begin your
fellowship, for your own interest we strongly encourage to learn these languages.

BIST centres

Institutional Members of the Board of Trustees