The UPF is convening UPfellows, a programme of 24 international scholarships aimed at postdoctoral researchers of any nationality to recruit them to its departments and research centres with a three-year contract. This aim of this association is to strengthen their research training and professional skills under the tutorship of a senior researcher.

The first UPfellows call, which is supported by the Marie Curie Actions COFUND programme within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission, aims to recruit up to twelve researchers in various research areas with a proven track record in research and a strong capacity for leadership.

This first call opens on 1 June, and it will remain active until 1 July, while the second call, consisting of a further twelve fellowships, is scheduled for 2014.

The UPF Research Service will administer the grants that will be available to the selected candidates: they will be given a three-year contract with a gross annual salary of 47,300 euros, in addition to Social Security costs, as well as a travel grant of 800 euros per year and a contribution to research costs of 3,000 euros per year. They will also benefit from the agreements signed by the University in the fields of health, travel, sports, leisure, etc. and will have access to the training activities offered in their field of work.

Researchers applying for the grant (all the registration procedures will be carried out online) must comply with mobility and academic background requirements, such as holding a doctorate when presenting their details or being eligible to obtain it before 30 September 2013. Furthermore, they may not have pursued their main work in Spain for more than a total of twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the deadline for submission of the application.

A thorough and transparent selection process

The selection process, supervised by a committee, will be open and transparent: it will be based on the candidates' academic qualifications and the research excellence, and will follow the recommendations of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

In the first phase, candidates who do not meet the requirements of the call will be excluded, and those not excluded that do so will be included in an initial preselection process, based on their personal curriculum vitae, publications, participation in conferences, professional activity, awards, etc., and on the quality, relevance, originality and potential of the proposed research project.

The second level will consist of a further distance assessment by experts, as well as a  personal interview, which will take place after a two-day visit to UPF by the candidates. The selection committee will draw up a final shortlist of candidates chosen, who will be able to consult the selection process using the call website at all times.