This call is part of an ongoing collaboration between
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and The Vall
d’Hebron University Hospital Foundation – Research Institute
(VHIR). With the aim to promote translational collaboration and
train the next generation of biomedical researchers with a focus on
bioengineering, IBEC and VHIR offer 2 fellowships for projects
co-supervised by group leaders from IBEC and from VHIR. Selected
fellows will spend around 50% of the time time of the fellowship at
VHIR. Please review the full call details by clicking the link
below (password: IBEC-VHIR2026) : IBEC-VHIR PhD Programme 2026
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS The IBEC-VHIR International PhD programme
fellowships offer a 4-year predoctoral contract at IBEC with the
following gross annual salary: 19,500 € for the first two years
23,713 € for the 3rd year 25,079.85 € for the 4th year In addition,
€6,860 is provided over the four-year period to cover mobility
expenses and doctoral programme enrolment fees. The salary includes
full social security coverage, including health and accident
insurance, pension contributions, and unemployment benefits.
Working conditions include: A 4-year contract (candidates who have
previously held a predoctoral contract for more than 6 months are
not eligible). 23 working days of paid annual leave. 9 personal
leave days per year. Work–life balance measures, including
maternity and paternity leave (16 weeks) and breastfeeding leave.
Adaptable working hours. DURATION 4 years CANDIDATES PROFILE AND
ELEGIBILITY CRITERIA Candidates must have obtained a Bachelor’s and
Master’s degree, or hold an official qualification from a European
Higher Education Area institution with a minimum of 300 ECTS,
including at least 60 ECTS at Master’s level. Candidates expecting
to obtain these qualifications by October 2026 are also eligible to
apply. Candidates must be within 2 years of completion of their




Master’s degree or 5 years of completion of their Bachelor’s degree
at the application deadline (31 March 2026). Candidates must have a
minimum average Bachelor’s degree grade of 7/10 (Spanish grading
system or equivalent). Candidates must demonstrate a strong
commitment to scientific research and an excellent academic record.
Candidates must have a good working knowledge of English.
Candidates must not hold a doctoral degree at the time of
application. Candidates must not have held a PhD contract exceeding
12 months by October 2026. Candidates must not have held any
fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and
Universities for the development of a PhD thesis at the application
deadline (31 March 2026). SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS Applications must
be formalised by the applicant in his/her own name and interest
prior 31/03/2026 (closing date). DOCUMENTATION TO SUBMIT Personal
data and CV. The name of this document must be:
“1.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_CV_Surname” Cover letter, including motivation for
applying. The name of this document must be:
“2.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_CoverLetter_Surname” A scan of your Certified
Academic Record, showing grades obtained (degree and masters). If
these are not in Catalan, Spanish or English, applicants should
attach a translation in one of these languages. In the case of
international studies, the grade of the academic record must be
calculated by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and
Accreditation (ANECA). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ask
ANECA for the aforementioned equivalence. More information can be
found here . The name of this document must be:




“3.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_Academic_Surname” Explanatory PDF document
certifying that the candidate is eligible to apply for a doctoral
programme when the number of ECTS does not appear in the Certified
Academic Record. This explanatory document may be an official
description of the country’s educational system issued by the
university or published on its website, or the admissions
requirements to the university’s doctoral programme. The name of
this document must be: “4.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_ECTS_Surname” PDF documents
including research experience.The name of this document must be:
“5.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_Research_Surname” PDF document including current
working situation. The name of this document must be:
“6.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_Working_Surname” PDF document including
Publications, Presentations in conferences, Awards/fellowships. The
name of this document must be: “7.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_Merits_Surname” 2
letters of recommendation from lecturers or researchers with whom
you have studied or worked and who can judge your potential as a
PhD student. Only letters with official letterhead and signature
will be accepted. Reference letters cannot be provided by the
future supervisors of the fellow. Please be sure to inform your
referees that their letters must be uploaded in the online
application tool before the deadline (March 31st, 2026). The name
of theses documents must be:
“8.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_RecommendationLetter_Surname” PDF document
indicating the three PhD research projects in which the candidate
is most interested. The name of this document must be:
“9.IBEC-VHIR_PhD_Projects_Surname”. We want to encourage you to
apply to this call. If you have any further questions about
IBEC-VHIR International PhD Programme fellowships, or if there are
particular issues you would like to discuss regarding your
application, please contact [email protected] or
[email protected]

📌 IBEC-VHIR PhD Programme 2026 (Cataluña)
🏢 VHIR
📍 Cataluña