EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship by field of study

The EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship is not a general research grant — it is a life-sciences fellowship, and that single fact decides who should apply. Read “by field of study”, the EMBO call splits into three groups: fields squarely inside the scope, fields at the interface that are eligible when the biological question is central, and fields that fall outside no matter how strong the applicant is. This page maps all three, then walks through the eligibility details that genuinely differ from one life-science field to another.

Field: Life sciences (molecular biology and related disciplines)
Benefits: Fellowship stipend covering an employment contract, a travel and relocation allowance, visa fees, mandatory national healthcare costs, support for fellows with children, and access to an EMBO Laboratory Leadership course
Duration: Up to two years
Eligibility: Recent PhD holders (a first-author refereed preprint counts as equivalent to a first-author publication for eligibility); international mobility to a host lab outside the applicant’s country of training is required
Deadline: Friday, July 10, 2026, 14:00 CEST (hard deadline; applications accepted throughout the year for future rounds)
How to apply: Register and submit a complete application, including two references and a receiving institute acceptance, via the EMBO online application portal

This is a prestigious opportunity for early-career researchers looking to build an international research career at a leading lab in Europe or beyond. Apply via the official EMBO website: EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Always verify deadlines and details on the official funder website before applying.

Fields inside EMBO’s scope

Molecular and cell biology — the historical core of EMBO.
Biochemistry and structural biology, including biophysics aimed at biological systems.
Genetics and genomics, developmental biology and stem-cell research.
Neuroscience at the molecular, cellular and systems levels.
Microbiology and immunology, including host–pathogen research.
Plant biology — an explicitly supported and growing area.
Evolutionary and computational biology, where the question is biological and the methods serve it.

Fields at the edge — and outside

Interface projects are welcome when the life-science question leads: a physics-trained applicant modelling protein folding with a biology host lab is in scope; a purely clinical trial, an ecology project with no molecular or cellular component, or mathematics and chemistry projects with no biological system at the centre are outside EMBO’s remit. If your work sits on this border, the test EMBO applies is simple: is the thing you want to understand a living system? If yes, frame the proposal around that question and choose a host lab inside the life sciences.

Eligibility checks that differ by field

The fellowship’s core rules apply to everyone: a recent PhD, international mobility to a host lab outside your country of training, and a first-author refereed preprint or publication — and that publication record must sit inside the life sciences. A first-author paper in a physics journal does not unlock an EMBO application unless your proposed project and track record connect to biology. Your host must be a life-science laboratory, and the two references should be able to judge your work as a life scientist.

Choosing a host lab by field

Field shapes the shortlist of realistic hosts. Structural biologists need hosts with cryo-EM or crystallography platforms; plant biologists are concentrated in a smaller set of EMBC-country institutes; computational biologists often choose groups embedded in experimental labs so the fellowship produces biological results, not only software. Use the field filter twice: once for scientific fit, and once for the facilities your specific project cannot run without.

Want the general version? This page covers the EMBO fellowship from the field-of-study angle. For the complete overview — benefits, the general eligibility rules and the standard application route — see EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 — the full programme guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship only for molecular biology?

No, but it is only for the life sciences. Molecular and cell biology are the core; biochemistry, genetics, neuroscience, microbiology, plant biology, structural, evolutionary and computational biology are all in scope when the project studies a living system.

I am a bioinformatician. Am I eligible?

Yes, if the research question is biological and your host is a life-science laboratory. Purely methodological computing with no biological question falls outside the scope.

Can a clinician-scientist apply?

Yes for a basic life-science project in an eligible host lab. Purely clinical research and trials are outside EMBO’s remit.

Does my field change the stipend?

No. The stipend band depends on the host country’s cost of living, not on your discipline.