Call for Applications, ECFS / CF Europe Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship


Deadline:  24 November 2023, 23.59 CET - Call for applications closed
Open to: participants below the age of 35, holding a PhD diploma in life sciences or similar obtained in 2020 or later and citizen from a European country (according to WHO/Europe | Countries).


Description: The ECFS / CF Europe Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship is supported by the European Cystic Fibrosis Society and Cystic Fibrosis Europe. The application for the ECFS / CF Europe Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship is open from 15 September 2023 to 24 November 2023. 

TIMELINE FOR THE FIRST CALL

  • Call: 15 September 2023 until 24 November 2023 23:59 CET
  • Evaluation and selection: December 2023 to end of April 2024
  • Results: June 2024 presented at the ECFS annual conference
  • Contracts with institutions over the Summer/Autumn
  • Launch: As from September 2024 and as soon as contract in place with institution

The European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) is an international society of researchers and clinical professionals committed to improving survival and quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) by promoting high quality research, education and care.
Cystic Fibrosis Europe (CFE) is the federation of national CF Associations in Europe. CFE represents persons with CF and their families in Europe. CFE aims to promote investment and progress in CF research in Europe, to promote the best care from a patient perspective and represent and defend the interests of people with CF.
With aim to foster basic and translational research on CF, the ECFS and CFE have joined forces to support a number of European Post-Doctoral 3-year duration Research Fellowships. It is foreseen that a call for this 3-year support will be launched each year.

Eligibility criteria for Post-Doctoral Fellow: 

To participate in the Post-Doctoral fellowship, you must:

  • hold a PhD diploma in life sciences or similar obtained in 2020 or later. Exceptions might be granted on a case-by-case basis for duly justified reasons (i.e., maternity leave, sick leave, etc…).
  • be ≤ 35 years old by the application deadline. Exceptions might be granted on a case-by-case basis for duly justified reasons (i.e., maternity leave, sick leave, etc…).
  • be a citizen from a European country (according to WHO/Europe | Countries
  • not have previously benefitted from an ECFS/CFE Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship.
  • be planning to work for 3 years as a Post-doctorate in a scientific laboratory, the host laboratory 
  • be planning to work on a scientific project aiming at understanding the biology of CF covering basic or translational research. The topics covered under this programme are: CFTR expression, folding, trafficking and activity, cell physiology and ion transport, mucus and mucins, inflammation, infection, model systems for CF, innovative therapeutic approaches targeting the basic defect. Clinical research is not within the scope of this funding.
  • ensure the scientific project involves at least 2 laboratories (host laboratory and collaborative laboratory) located in 2 different countries. A move from the candidate's current place of work to the host laboratory is preferred, but not mandatory.
  • plan a stay of a few weeks in the collaborative laboratory over the 3 years funding.
  • provide a letter of support signed by your Mentor in the host laboratory and the Director of the host laboratory 
  • provide a short CV from your Mentor
  • provide a letter of support from the researcher involved in the collaboration from the main collaborative laboratory 
  • provide at least one recommendation letter from someone working in the CF field in another laboratory than those working on your scientific project
  • be an ECFS member
  • agree to your application being reviewed externally
  • agree to submit your work to an ECFS conference for presentation
  • agree to submit a report to ECFS and CFE at the end of the first year, at the end of the second year and a final report at the end of the third year
  • provide a separate salary budget signed by the host laboratory institution's human resources department stating the total cost of the fellowship candidate’s salary per year for the duration of the fellowship
  • if possible: provide a 1-2-minute video message in English presenting yourself and explaining the main purpose of your research 

For full details of the eligibility criteria, please consult the associated documents on this page.

Grant duration

The postdoctoral fellowship will be of 3 years in duration. The duration of the fellowship should reflect the time frame of the research activities.

Funding support

The ECFS/CFE support is to cover the total cost of the fellowship recipient’s own salary. The exact amount will be based on the actual salary and costs that are directly related to the payment of salary, including any mandatory taxes, social security contributions and similar as required to pay or withhold under local law but excluding all other costs.

Language

The application must be in English.

Application procedure 

The application form (see associated document) is to be filled out and sent back to this address: ECFS-CFEPostdocFellowship@ecfs.eu together with the required supporting documents by the deadline advertised.
The deadline to send the applications is: 24 November 2023 (23:59 CET)