SEVERO OCHOA PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS – 2nd CALL 2025

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 CEX 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:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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:

• 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.
• 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 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:

• 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,
• 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.
• 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
• At the late stages of the selection process, short-listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.
• All applicants will be informed of the final selection decision by early February
• 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

• 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.
• 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 '. Articles 10, 11 and 29.
• 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.
• Predoctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities.
• The gross yearly salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and distributed as shown below:

The first year of PhD: 19,574.52 €/year

The second, third and fourth year of PhD: 24,468.15 € /year

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………………………………………………… … 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
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
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
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
Supervisor: Arjan W. Kleij

Co-supervisor: Mónica Pérez-Temprano

Title: Light-driven cobalt catalysis

Strategic research line: Innovative Catalysis

Reference: CEX2024-FPI
Supervisor: José A. Berrocal

Co-supervisor: Pablo Ballester

Title: Mechanoresponsive Polymers with Embedded Macrocycles: Synthesis,

Characterization, and Applications

Strategic research line: Molecular Medicine

CEX S funded by MICIU/AEI/ /