Fellowships

There are a number of funding opportunities for postdocs at the Vienna BioCenter, including the VIP3 Fellowship Program. Please refer to the postdoc site at Uni Wien for a live ticker of upcoming grants/fellowship deadlines (under Funding).

In addition, a detailed overview of postdoc funding opportunities with institute specific details can be found on the IMP/IMBA/GMI intranets: 

  • IMP
  • IMBA and GMI: please download a local copy and do NOT edit in the portal!

 

The VBC Scientific Training Unit is planning a postdoctoral fellowship writing workshop for 27-28 April 2026. The workshop will be led by Fellowsherpa trainers (who were at VBC in 2024), followed by peer support group meetings over the summer facilitated by the Training and Career Development manager, Carina Baskett. Stay tuned for more information.

 

When applying for postdoc fellowships it is important to: 

  1. Check the eligibility criteria (e.g. relocation, time spent in host laboratory at time of application/deadline).
  2. Inform your institute’s grant office. They can assist you in administrative aspects of the application.

 

Popular early stage postdoc fellowships: 

 

EMBO postdoctoral fellowship

The fellowship includes a salary or stipend, a relocation allowance and support for fellows with children. Awardees can attend an EMBO Laboratory Leadership course and become part of the global network of EMBO Fellows.

Funding period: 

  • Up to 2 years. 

Requirements / eligibility: 

  • Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) at the start of the fellowship, but not necessarily at application submission.
  • Those with a PhD are eligible if it was awarded within two years before the submission date.
  • Applicants must have at least one first (or joint first) author research article accepted or published in an international peer-reviewed journal by submission.
  • Fellowships require international mobility; applications must involve a change of country.

Application deadlines: 

  • Twice a year (around January/July)

 

 

HFSP - Human Frontier Science Program 

The HFSP fellowship program supports proposals for frontier, potentially transformative research in the life sciences. Applications for high-risk projects are particularly encouraged. The projects should be interdisciplinary in nature and should challenge existing paradigms by using novel approaches and techniques. Scientifically, they should address an important problem or a barrier to progress in the field.

Funding period: 

  • Up to 3 years including a yearly budget for travel/consumables. 

Requirements / eligibility: 

  • Candidates may not apply to work in their country of nationality.
  • A change of country is required.
  • Candidates must not have studied or worked in the host country for more than 12 months by the fellowship start date.
  • A doctoral degree need not be completed at the time of application.

Application process and deadlines: 

  • Once a year
  • Letter of intent (spring, around May)
  • Full proposal by invitation (September)

 

 

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

The objective of the postdoctoral fellowships is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. 

Funding period: 

  • Up to 2 years with additional funding for research, training and networking activities.

Requirements / eligibility:

  • Applicants should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications.
  • Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

Application process and deadlines:

  • One call per year (usually early fall). 

 

 

FWF ESPRIT 

The ESPRIT program (Early-Stage Program: Research – Innovation – Training) is intended to improve the skills and support the professional development of researchers from all disciplines early in their research careers by giving them the opportunity to lead an independent research project.

This funding program is aimed at highly qualified postdoc-level researchers of all disciplines in the early stages of their scientific career.

Funding period: 

  • 36 months

Funding amount:

  • Principal investigator’s salary (current senior postdoc rate)
  • Project-specific costs from €45,000 (flat rate) to €75,000 (upon request, if justifiable)

Requirements / eligibility:

  • The applicant must have the academic qualifications needed to lead the proposed research project.
  • Completed doctoral degree awarded no more than 5 years prior to the time of application.
  • A mentor to support the principal investigator’s scientific and professional development.
  • The project is to be carried out at an Austrian research institution with the necessary infrastructure.

Application process and deadlines:

  • Rolling submissions using the online application portal elane.