INCOMED

VHIR INCOMING FELLOWSHIPS BIOMEDICINE (INCOMED)
POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAMME

CALL TEXT

1. Aim

THE INCOMED programme aims to attract highly talented scientists seeking advanced research training and career development in all areas of biomedicine and clinical medicine at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).

The 4-year programme will offer a total of 10 postdoctoral fellowships. Five fellowships will be offered in call 2012.

2. Eligibility criteria

- Candidates must hold a PhD Degree at the moment of application of the fellowship

- Candidates must be non-residents undertaking trans-national mobility. The researcher must not have lived, worked or studied in the country of the host organization for more than 12 months in the past three years immediately prior to the call deadline.

- Candidates must have at least one publication as first author (either accepted, in press or published) at the time of the deadline

- Candidates must engage in an interdisciplinary research project

3. Duration

The fellowship is awarded for a period of two years. Candidates will have a maximum of three months to start the fellowship from December 2012. This period maybe extended if it is needed to finalize unfinished research work in their previous organization.

4. Funding

Fellows will receive an annual stipend of €45,000 for living allowance, and a fixed amount to cover expenses linked to the relocation of the fellow’s family in the host country (€6,000 per year). An additional amount of €8,400 per year will be granted for laboratory-based research for each fellow.

5. Training and benefits

Fellows taking part in the INCOMED Programme will benefit from an Advanced Scientific Training and Career Development activities:

The Advanced Scientific Training programme includes: individual research training, scientific and technology courses, and scientific and financial management of the research project.

The Career Development Activities will include the membership in the VHIR postdoctoral committee, presentation of results at VHIR and international scientific conferences, and participation in laboratory and journal clubs.

6. Research fields

- Identification of biomarkers in inflammatory diseases mediated by immune complexes from genomic data

- Molecular Oncology

- Advanced therapies for heart repair

- Molecular mechanisms involved in brain tumours

- Neuroprotection: Animal Models of Brain Ischemia

- Apoptosis in nervous system

- Molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury

- Renal damage and regeneration

- Myocardial protection against ischemic injury. From cells to patients

- Work-related diseases, asthma and fibrosis

- HER2-driven metastasis in breast cancer

7. How to apply

Applicants should complete and submit the online form available at http://www.vhir.org. The application deadline is the September 3rd 2012.

Applicants will be required to attach the following documents:

Curriculum Vitae specifying academic records, education and experience.

Statement of Research Interests, including a short proposal of a prospective research project to be carried out at VHIR.

At least two letters of reference.

One motivation letter

The inclusion of all requested information must arrive before the deadline. Incomplete applications and applications arriving after the deadline will not be included in the selection process. The proposal will be declared ineligible and will be withdrawn from further examination if one or more of the eligibility criteria are not met.

Deadline: 3rd September 2012

8. Selection process

The selection process is based on the candidate’s academic qualifications and research excellence following the recommendations of the “European Charter for Researchers” and “Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers, as described below:

a) Curriculum criteria: Scientific and technical contribution of the candidates in their research area (20 points), teaching, supervision, reference letters (15 points), and scientific and technical capacity to develop the research project (15 points).

b) Evaluation of projects: Eligible proposals will be evaluated by 3 external reviewers selected according to the research area of the project. Projects will be evaluated in terms of their scientific quality (15 points), originality (15 points), interdisciplinary (10 points) and the impact on the career development of the fellow (10 points).

Applicants reaching a minimum of 80 points over 100 points will be asked for oral interviews.

c) Oral interviews: Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview to present and discuss their research proposal. Candidates will be scored during the personal interviewed according to the following criteria and score ranges:

Project presentation and basic scientific knowledge: 30 points

Interdisciplinary of the project: 30 points

Impact of the project on the career development of the fellow: 10 points

Independence and confidence of the applicant: 10 points

Motivation: 10 points

Presentation skills: 10 points

d) Selection of INCOMED fellows: Top candidates will be selected for funding. The following candidates will enter a reserve list. A final ranking list of the successful candidates and reserve list will be posted on the INCOMED website with the application reference. All candidates will be informed about the outcome of the oral interview specifying the strengths and weaknesses of their applications.

e) Acceptance and signature of fellowships: An acceptance letter will be sent to the successful candidates. All fellows signing the agreement will have to comply with the following guidelines that manage the good practices at VHIR:

The research staff under training who will participate in the project will have a mentor.

The researcher will present the results of the research undertaken in an annual public seminar

The researcher will acknowledge in all type of dissemination activities (scientific papers, posters at conferences) the fellowship received from the COFUND programme

The ownership of patents obtained thorough research activities derived from the project belongs to VHIR accordingly to internal regulation and Spanish laws

The researcher will enjoy all benefits and duties as employee VHIR

9. Follow up and Reports

Fellows will submit a progress report to the Postdoc Committee after the first year, prior to the start of the second year of the fellowship. A final report will be submitted at the end of the fellowship.

10. Contact

For any additional information contact:

VHIR Incoming Fellowships Biomedicine (INCOMED)

Laura Casado

Selection Committee Officer

Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca

Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129

Barcelona 08035

Spain

ugp@vhir.org