Arturo Falaschi Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027

Who can apply

National of an ICGEB Member State, who may not take the fellowship in their own country of origin unless they have already been working abroad for at least the 3 years before applying
A recent PhD in Life Sciences, or at least 3 years of research experience
Preference given to candidates under 35
A written statement of support from the specific ICGEB Group Leader/PI you plan to work with is mandatory before applying; the two-stage process starts with an Expression of Interest naming your chosen lab and prospective supervisor, and only proceeds to a Full Application if that supervisor selects you
Every application is forwarded to the ICGEB Liaison Officer in your country of nationality for endorsement, which is required for an award
Selection weighs scientific excellence of the proposed project, the strength of the candidate's CV, and the project's potential benefit to the candidate's home country, not scientific merit alone

The two-stage process is the detail most likely to trip up a first-timer

The two-stage application process here is the detail most likely to trip up a first-time applicant. You don’t submit a full application straight away. You first submit an Expression of Interest naming your preferred ICGEB lab and prospective supervisor, and only if that supervisor actually selects you do you move on to the Full Application stage. Reach out to a Group Leader and line up their support well before the Expression of Interest window opens, since that outreach is effectively the real gatekeeper here, not the paperwork.

A nationality-and-mobility rule that’s easy to miss

There’s a meaningful nationality-and-mobility rule buried in the eligibility that’s easy to miss: you generally cannot take this fellowship in your own country of origin. The one exception is if you’ve already been working abroad for at least three years before you apply, so if you’re hoping to return home for your postdoc through this specific route, this isn’t the programme for that.

Your country matters twice, not once

As with the PhD track, your country matters twice: you need to be a national of an ICGEB Member State to apply at all, and separately, your application has to be endorsed by the ICGEB Liaison Officer for your specific country before an award can be made. Selection itself weighs three things together, scientific excellence of the proposal, the strength of your CV, and the potential benefit of the project to your home country specifically, not research quality in isolation.

Accommodation differs sharply by centre

What happens to your housing on arrival differs sharply depending on which centre you’re assigned to. ICGEB Trieste runs no housing service of its own, offering only a list of contacts for private options in the city. New Delhi runs an on-campus guest house on a twin-share basis at a nominal rate. Cape Town provides genuine accommodation support, with arrangements made before you arrive. Factor that difference into which centre you rank first if housing logistics matter to you.

The currently listed call has already moved past new applicants

If you’re reading this hoping to apply right now, know that the currently listed “September 2026” call has already moved past the point where a new applicant can join. Its Expression of Interest window closed in mid-August, and what remains open is only the Full Application stage for people already selected. The next real opportunity for a fresh applicant is the January-March 2027 call. If you’re earlier in your career and don’t yet hold a PhD, the Arturo Falaschi PhD Fellowships run through the same ICGEB centres and application system.