The ICIQ Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships are
aimed at exceptional graduate students from all over the world.
These PhD studentships will support your enrolment in a training
and research program in the field of chemistry, ultimately leading
to the completion of a PhD in Chemistry in partnership with the
Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).The PhD will be ascribed to the
CEX2024-001469-S project funded by the ‘Ministerio de Ciencia,
Innovación y Universidades / Agencia Estatal de Investigación
(MICIU/AEI)’ in the framework of the 2024 ‘Centros de Excelencia
«Severo Ochoa» y Unidades «María de Maeztu»’ call for proposals. As
a PhD trainee, you will have the opportunity to receive
comprehensive training to successfully prepare you for a
professional career in academia or industry. This objective is
achieved by the following activities: The performance of each
individual research project is aligned with one of the research
lines of the ICIQ-Severo Ochoa Strategic Plan - Innovative
Catalysis, Renewable Energy Vectors, and Molecular Medicine- in a
creative and stimulating scientific environment. The Thesis project
will be supervised by two ICIQ Group Leaders (supervisor and
co-supervisor) to ensure that the PhD student benefits from a
multidisciplinary project and dual mentorship. A complementary
training program in both technical and soft skills is provided. The
educational framework is designed to ensure a successful career:
scientific seminars, hands-on training in the use of
state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP management,
entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and technology
transfer, grant applications, project management, communication
skills and career development. ICIQ provides a personalized annual
training program for PhD students called SHARP (Severo Ochoa PhD
Training Program), which occurs over two weeks and focuses on your
specific PhD year. Opportunities for short-term placements in
distinguished international research institutions. These
fellowships are addressed to highly qualified, motivated and
talented graduate students with a keen interest in research in
Chemistry or adjacent areas. Candidates should have an excellent
academic record, a strong commitment to scientific research and a
solid working knowledge of English. The process of evaluation and
selection guarantees the principles of competition, publicity and
transparency. I. Available positions: See Annex II. Application
process The entire application process will be completed online.
Applicants must apply via ICIQ’s Career Portal . Applications sent
by email or any other means will be ineligible. Only one
application per person will be considered. In case of multiple
applications, only the first application submitted will be taken
into consideration. After completing the online form, applicants
must attach the following documents: A full Curriculum Vitae
(maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages, in PDF format). It should include
education, work or research experience, publications, conferences,
grants and awards, other relevant merits and contact details for
letters of recommendation. A personal statement that describes the
applicant’s academic background, research experience and career
goals (maximum two (2) DIN A4 pages, in PDF format). Candidates
must be able to communicate their interests and how these align
with ICIQ and the Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships for
Researchers Training. Candidates should also mention the research
groups where they would like to carry out their PhD and the reasons
why they are interested in a particular research project. Official
transcripts of BSc and MSc studies in PDF format. A scanned copy of
the certified academic record of the studies granting access to the
PhD program (BSc and MSc if available). In case that the MSc
studies have not yet been completed at the time of the application,
candidates must include details on the subjects in which they are
currently enrolled (subject name and number of credits). For
academic records not issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a
certified translation in English should be provided; otherwise,
they will be ineligible and, therefore, not taken into
consideration. For degrees obtained in foreign institutions, the
academic record must include the range of marks used in the
corresponding countries and the minimum mark to pass, as well as
the hours or ECTS and marks for each subject. Contact details for
letters of recommendation of two University professors, researchers
in industry or other relevant individuals who can assess the
candidate’s potential for research. ICIQ will contact the people
listed as references only if a candidate is shortlisted. We suggest
informing your references. English proficiency level . Applicants
must provide evidence of their proficiency in written and oral
communication in the English language, preferably,



by the
submission of a B2 certificate, Cambridge First Certificate, IELTS
6 or equivalent. This certificate is not mandatory but desirable;
alternatively, late-stage candidates will be interviewed to assess
their English level. Applicants from the Anglosphere (UK, Ireland,
USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are exempt from this
requirement as native speakers. Applicants should select only one
Thesis project. Once the application has been successfully
completed, an acknowledgement e-mail will be automatically sent.
Candidates must ensure that all information is included before the
deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The
application period opens on March 30th and closes at midnight
(Spain time) on May 3rd, 2026 . III. Eligibility criteria The
fellowships are addressed to graduate students from any nationality
who fulfil the following eligibility criteria: Candidates must have
a Master’s or an equivalent degree in the areas of Chemistry,
Physics, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy, or related disciplines,
that must be completed by the time of enrolment in the PhD program.
Individuals who already hold a PhD degree, whether from a Spanish
or foreign university, or those who have previously benefited from
a predoctoral training fellowship under the ‘Plan Estatal de
Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica’ or any of the
previous Spanish National Plans by MICIU/AEI are not eligible .
When in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria, applicants should
contact ICIQ’s Human Resources Unit at [email protected] before
submission of the application. Candidates who fulfil the
eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the Evaluation
Criteria described in section IV. IV. Evaluation criteria According
to the 2024 ‘Centros de Excelencia «Severo Ochoa» y Unidades «María
de Maeztu»’ call for proposals, the evaluation criteria are the
following: Criteria 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical career
path of the candidate (up to 50 points). Sub-criteria 1. a)
Scientific-technical contributions (up to 45 points). The academic
record and other curricular merits of the candidate will be
assessed, as well as their suitability for the tasks to be carried
out based on training and professional experience. Sub-criteria 1.
b) Mobility and internationalisation (up to 5 points). Short-term
research stays in national and international institutions,
universities, and industry will be assessed, considering the
prestige of the entity hosting the stay and the activity carried
out therein, as well as the impact of the research stays on the
research career path of the candidate. Criteria 2 . Suitability of
the candidate for the proposed research activities (up to 50
points). The candidate's suitability for the program, project, and
planned research activities will be evaluated based on their prior
training and experience. In this context, consideration will be
given to the added value that undertaking the project would bring
to their research career, as well as the value the candidate would
contribute to the host institution and research groups. V.
Evaluation and Selection Process The evaluation and selection of
the candidates will be conducted by the ICIQ Severo Ochoa Committee
for Predoctoral Training following the guidelines set by the 2024
‘Centros de Excelencia «Severo Ochoa» y Unidades «María de Maeztu»’
call for proposals, supported by the Human Resources team, and
following the procedure below: Submitted applications will be
checked for eligibility, and those not fulfilling all the criteria
will be rejected. It will not be possible to modify the application
or to add missing documentation after the call deadline. The
selection will be based on the evaluation criteria described in
Section IV. At the late stages of the selection process,
short-listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.
All applicants will be informed of the final selection decision by
early June 2026. Successful candidates will be requested to inform
ICIQ whether they accept or decline the offer within five business
days of being notified. If the applicant does not respond during
this time, the offer will be considered declined. ICIQ follows in
its selection processes a gender equality opportunity policy and a
non-discrimination policy based on age, ethnic or social origin,
religion or belief, sexual orientation, language and disability.




ICIQ is committed to promoting a work-life balance for its
employees and, as such, offers versátil working hours. VI.
Fellowship Conditions The awardees of a ICIQ Severo Ochoa
Predoctoral Fellowship for Researchers Training will be considered
research personnel in training, and they will have an employment
contract (a predoctoral contract), which is regulated in the
Spanish Law 14/2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and
Education. The fellowship conditions are set out in the 2024
‘Centros de Excelencia «Severo Ochoa» y Unidades «María de Maeztu»’
call for proposals , in the framework of the ‘Plan Estatal de
Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023’.
Articles 10, 11 and 29. The fellowship includes the salary, the
enrolment fees to a PhD program (up to 4 years) and funding to
carry out short stays in other institutions, companies or
universities abroad. Predoctoral contracts are renewed annually for
up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in
the PhD studies and related research activities. The gross yearly
salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and
distributed as shown below: The first year of PhD: 20,364.88 €/year
The second, third and fourth year of PhD: 25,456.10 € /year The
amounts are stated according to the ‘Estatuto del Personal
Investigador en Formación (EPIF)’ rules and Article 10.4 of the
2024 ‘Centros de Excelencia «Severo Ochoa» y Unidades «María de
Maeztu»’ call for proposals. They will be increased if the EPIF is
updated. The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded
student joins the centre. The fellowship holders can become
postdoctoral researchers during a postdoctoral training period
(POP) if they defend their PhD thesis before the end of the
fellowship. The total duration of both periods (doctoral and
postdoctoral) cannot exceed 48 months. The fellowship includes full
social security coverage through the Spanish Social Security
system, providing access to the Spanish public health care system
and pension and unemployment benefits. The fellowship holder is
entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship under the
circumstances set forth in Article 21. c) of the Spanish Law
14/2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and Education, and in
Article 24.5 of the 2024 ‘Centros de Excelencia «Severo Ochoa» y
Unidades «María de Maeztu»’ call for proposals (i.e., part-time
leave for reasons such as maternity or paternity, reduced working
hours due to care of family members). The period of interruption
shall not count against the total duration of the fellowship. The
awardees will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other
fellowship funding with the same purpose or regular income. VII.
Scientific and technical monitoring of activities for the training
of predoctoral researchers. Predoctoral researchers in training
must report to the ‘Agencia Estatal de Investigación’ on the
activities carried out and the fulfilment of the training program.
They are required to prepare two reports: an interim report at
month 20 of the fellowship, and a final report covering the entire
duration of the fellowship, including the POP period, if
applicable. Researchers will receive support from the HR Unit and
the ICIQ Severo Ochoa Project Manager throughout the entire
duration of the fellowship. VIII. Indicative Calendar Call
opening…………………………………………… 30 March 2026 Call
deadline………………………………………….. 03 May 2026 Evaluation and selection
process…………… May/June 2026 Final resolution…………..…………………………… from
12 June 2026 Annex: Available positions Reference:
CEX2024-FPI-2026-1 Supervisor: Prof. Jordi Burés Co-supervisor:
Prof. Ruben Martin Title: Unravelling the mechanistic intricacies
of catalytic chain-walking reactions Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2026-2
Supervisor: Prof. Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano Co-supervisor: Prof.
Jordi Burés Title: Unveiling C(sp3)–H Activation Principles in
Cp*Co(III) Catalysis for Innovative Synthetic Methodologies
Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2026-3 Supervisor: Prof. José A. Berrocal
Co-supervisor: Prof. Pablo Ballester Title: Mechanoresponsive
Polymers with Embedded Macrocycles: Synthesis, Characterization,
and Applications Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2026-4 Supervisor: Prof.
Núria López Co-supervisor: Prof. J.R. Galán-Mascarós Title: Design
of doping strategies in advanced Fischer Tropsch catalysts
Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2026-5 Supervisor: Prof. Beatriz
Prieto-Simón Co-supervisor: Prof. José A. Berrocal Title: Biofilm
based bioelectronic device to unravel AMR mechanisms Please refer
to the Severo Ochoa page with detailed information on the available
positions, the grant conditions, application documents and the
fellowship eligibility criteria. CEX2024-001469-S funded by
MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

📌 PhD Call ICIQ Severo Ochoa 2026 (Cataluña)
🏢 ICIQ
📍 Cataluña