Arturo Falaschi SMART Fellowships – September 2026

Benefits & funding

• Awards last from 3 to 9 months.
• Published monthly stipend rates are USD 1,500 for PhD fellowships and USD 2,000 for postdoctoral fellowships.
• The fellowship covers international economy return travel, health insurance and subsistence for the fellow.
• A USD 500 monthly bench fee may be paid directly to the receiving laboratory if recommended by the ICGEB Fellowships Committee; it is for eligible research consumables, not personal use.
• ICGEB does not fund or provide administrative support for family members.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be nationals of a full ICGEB Member State: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam or Zimbabwe. Signatory and pending-member countries are not eligible.
• Applicants must be actively working at a research institution and be registered for a PhD, have received a PhD within the last 5 years, or be a young scientist holding an MSc or equivalent.
• There is no age limit; ICGEB states a preference for researchers at the beginning of their careers.
• The receiving laboratory must be in a different ICGEB Member State from the applicant’s own country, and the home and receiving laboratories must demonstrate strong collaboration.
• Mobility to laboratories in Italy, India or South Africa is considered only exceptionally when the proposed work is not covered by an ICGEB laboratory in Trieste, New Delhi or Cape Town.
• The award cannot prolong an existing visit, fund a course, workshop or symposium, or bridge other long-term stays.

Application process

1. 1
   Create an account in the ICGEB Service Gateway.
2. 2
   Between 1 July and 14 August 2026, submit the Expression of Interest in one session with applicant, career, project, home-laboratory and receiving-laboratory details.
3. 3
   Ensure the heads of both laboratories complete their automatically requested sections by the Expression of Interest deadline.
4. 4
   If shortlisted, submit the full application from 16 to 30 September 2026 with the applicant’s CV and publication list, the receiving laboratory head’s CV and publication list, and a valid identity document.
5. 5
   Provide two referees through the full-application form and ensure their letters are uploaded through the emailed links. Only one fellowship application is accepted per call.

Program timeline

1. Expression of Interest opens.

   1 July 2026

2. Expression of Interest deadline.

   14 August 2026, 23:59 CET

3. Full application opens for shortlisted applicants.

   16 September 2026

4. Full application deadline.

   30 September 2026, 23:59 CET

5. After 30 September 2026

   Selection may take several weeks; applicants are notified by email.

6. At least 4 months after the full-application deadline

   Applicants should plan the fellowship start with the host laboratory; ICGEB may adjust the proposed date.