ICIQ SEVERO OCHOA PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR RESEARCHERS  2025 

(ICIQ-FPI-SO 2025_2nd call)

The ICIQ Severo Ochoa Predoctoral Fellowships for Researchers Training 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.

The PhD trainees will have the opportunity to receive comprehensive training to
successfully prepare for their 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 programme 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 their 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
   programme (BSc and MSc). Candidates must have completed their Master
   degree by the time the fellowship starts to be eligible for the program (please
   refer to section III. Eligibility Criteria for further information on the eligibility
   requirements). 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

NOTE: Although applicants can select up to two Thesis projects, the first option
will be prioritized for the selection process.

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 November 3, 2025 and closes at midnight (Spain time)
on January 11, 2026.

III. Eligibility criteria
The fellowships are addressed to graduate students from any nationality who fulfil the
following eligibility criteria:

1. Candidates must have a Master or an equivalent degree in the areas of
   Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy, or related disciplines,
   completed by October 2025, that allows them to be admitted in a Spanish PhD
   Program by the time the fellowship starts.
2. 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 positions@iciq.es 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:

1. The evaluation and selection process carried out under this call will observe the
   principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA),
   signed in San Francisco, California, on December 16, 2012
   (https://sfdora.org/read).
2. 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.
3. The selection will be based on the evaluation criteria described in Section IV. The threshold to be admitted to the program will be 65 points
4. At the late stages of the selection process, short-listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.
5. All applicants will be informed of the final selection decision by early February
6. 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 nondiscrimination policy based on age, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, sexual
orientation, language and disability.

VI. Fellowship Conditions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Predoctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject
   to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities.
5. The gross yearly salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments
   and distributed as shown below:

                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., parttime 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…………………………………………………………3 November 2025
Call deadline………………………………………………… ….......11 January 2026
Evaluation and selection process………………………..…………….January 2026
Final resolution…………..………………………………….... From 9 February 2026

Annex: Available positions

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-7
Supervisor: Prof. J. R. Galán-Mascarós
Co-supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Title: Magnetically-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Selective Oxidation of Organic
Molecules
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-8
Supervisor: Prof. Antoni Llobet
Co-supervisor: Prof. Beatriz Prieto-Simón
Title: Nanotechnology for Energy Applications
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-9
Supervisor: Prof. Jordi Burés
Co-supervisor: Prof. Ruben Martin
Title: Unravelling the mechanistic intricacies of catalytic chain-walking reactions
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-10
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
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-11
Supervisor: Prof. Núria López
Co-supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Title: Understanding and Predicting Magnetically-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Selective
Oxidation of Organic Molecules
Strategic research line: Renewable Energy Vectors

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-12
Supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa Gómez
Co-supervisor: Prof. Beatriz Prieto-Simón
Title: NIR-Driven Micromotors for Biofilm Eradication and Electrochemical Monitoring
Strategic research line: Molecular Medicine

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-13
Supervisor: Arjan W. Kleij
Co-supervisor: Mónica Pérez-Temprano
Title: Light-driven cobalt catalysis
Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024-FPI-2025-14
Supervisor: José A. Berrocal
Co-supervisor: Pablo Ballester
Title: Mechanoresponsive Polymers with Embedded Macrocycles: Synthesis,
Characterization, and Applications
Strategic research line: Molecular Medicine

                    CEX2024-001469-S funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033