PhD Scholarships, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Spain

During 2014, the Fundación “la Caixa” will provide support for four highly qualified graduate students, in order to carry out their experimental work towards obtaining a PhD degree at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO; Spanish National Cancer Research Centre) within an International PhD Programme.

In the context of this “la Caixa”-Severo Ochoa International PhD Programme at the CNIO, we are seeking exceptional and highly motivated PhD students who are interested in receiving ample cross-disciplinary training in state-of-the-art basic and applied cancer research.

WHO CAN APPLY?

• This call is open to applicants of all nationalities.
• Students holding a university degree (BSc, Diploma, Licenciatura, Laurea or equivalent) in biomedical sciences of a minimum of 300 ECTS or holding an official MSc or DEA or equivalent are eligible to apply to the Programme. Students expecting to be awarded with such qualification during the first half of 2014, are also eligible for this Call. This university degree would qualify students to start a PhD thesis in their home country. Non-European university degrees should be equivalent to a European diploma or degree.
• Students must have been awarded their degrees within two years of the relevant submission deadline.
• Applicants must have an excellent academic record and previous research experience during their undergraduate career.
• Candidates must have a solid working knowledge of English.
• Co-authorship of publications in MedLine-listed journals will be positively considered.
• Participation in international mobility programmes (including the CNIO Summer Training Programme) will be positively evaluated.
• Individuals may not have been working at the CNIO, at any time, for more than six months before being hired as part of the “la Caixa”/CNIO International PhD Programme. The earliest date to join the Programme is September 1st.
• The upper age limit for eligibility is 30 years.

Applicants who have doubts about their eligibility should contact CNIO’s Education and Training Programmes (phd@cnio.es) prior to submission of the application.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

• Students who have won a place in our PhD programme will obtain full financial support, including tuition, for a period of 4 years regardless of nationality. During the four years, the graduate students will receive an employment contract. For the first year, the gross annual salary will be 18,546.56 EUR (depending on marital status, children, etc., this salary corresponds to a net income of approximately 1,240 EUR/month). The initial gross annual salary will be increased progressively to 4.08% the second annuity, 7.06% the third and 9.16% the fourth. In addition to the salary, the students will receive a onetime annual allowance of 1,500 EUR for the first and second years and 1,700 EUR for the third and fourth years. That allowance covers miscellaneous expenses, such as university fees, expenses derived from international congress attendance and/or stays in international research centres. This employment contract will be prepared in accordance to Spanish laws and regulations, and employees will be included in the general Spanish Social Security System.
• The fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis and will be renewed annually for up to four years, depending on a positive evaluation by the supervisor.
• All students will receive full health and occupational accident insurance coverage.
• Graduate students will also be entitled to social benefits such as holidays, subsidised meals and aids for studying Spanish or English.
• Doctoral students at CNIO usually obtain their doctoral degrees from a Madrid university. However, international PhD students may also choose to have their doctoral degree awarded by a university of their home country.
• During the duration of the fellowship the students must devote themselves entirely to research at CNIO and may not be beneficiaries of any other fellowship, grant, stipend or regular income.
• This fellowship does not imply any obligation on the part of CNIO to extend employment.
• Expenses associated with the interview: applicants invited to Madrid for interviews will be provided with a round-trip flight ticket and an overnight accommodation. All bookings will be directly handled by the CNIO.
• This programme will only fund one PhD student per group per year.

DEADLINES
The deadline for receipt of completed applications (including reference letters) is February 28th, 2014.

All candidates must be selected by the end of July 2014.

Fellowships must start in September-October 2014. The PhD thesis has to be completed within 4 years, without exceptions.

HOW TO APPLY
Application must be submitted exclusively through the web site. A link to the online application form can be found at http://www.cnio.es/PhD. The application form must be completed in English.

In the online application process you will be asked to enter your personal data, information regarding your education, your scientific interests and names/contact details of two referees. Moreover, you will be asked to upload all required documents, including your CV and academic certificates. We advise you to prepare all texts (motivation letter, list of publications, etc.) in a text processor and paste them into the application form.

• Use the “publications” text box to include all of your publications (if any). Publications should include the complete title and list of authors (as published) in PubMed format.
• Use the “motivation letter” text box to outline your research interests as well as your skills and knowledge. Also state the reasons why you would like to do your PhD at the CNIO.
• Use the “additional information and comments” text box to include any additional information you consider relevant and that you have not provided elsewhere. Also, use this space to make any comment you may have.
• In the application form you will have to give the names and email addresses of two scientists who will write the letter of reference on your behalf. You will have to download the “reference letter” form from the web site and send it to two people who have agreed to act as referees on your behalf. Your two referees must submit their scanned signed letters of recommendation directly to phd@cnio.es. Alternatively, letters may also be faxed to +34-912246980, CNIO’s Education and Training Programmes. It is your responsibility to ensure that all reference letters are received by CNIO before the deadline (February 28th, 2014).
• After you have filled out all the required fields on the online application form you will be asked to upload a file containing your CV. You will also be asked to upload an official transcript of records, i.e. your academic certificates.
• All files are preferred in PDF format; doc and rtf formats are also accepted (size below 1MB).

After having entered all required information you can submit your application by pressing the “Submit” button. After submission you will receive an automatic e-mail confirmation acknowledging receipt. However, remember that your application will not be considered complete and will not be reviewed until all reference letters have been received.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only one application per candidate will be accepted. If more than one application is received from the same candidate, only the last one will be considered as valid.

For more information, or if you have any question about this application, please e-mail phd@cnio.es

REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION
Admission to the programme is on a competitive basis. All applications are evaluated solely on the basis of academic qualifications and scientific potential.

Applications will be screened initially by the CNIO’s Education and Training Programmes to ensure that they are complete and eligible. All eligible applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc Selection Committee, formed by CNIO faculty members, which will evaluate candidates based on the following criteria:

• The candidate’s academic merit and potential for successful research while at the CNIO, as evidenced by their qualifications and grades, and previous research experience.
• The information given by the candidate on the application form, and in particular the motivation letter.
• Recommendation letters.

The Selection Committee will consider all the applications and select a number of candidates to visit the CNIO in Madrid where they will be interviewed by potential supervisors and discuss their research interests. Pre-selected candidates will be asked to choose at least five research groups, in order of preference, from a list of CNIO groups that are accepting applications in the call. This list will be provided to the selected candidates before the interview. Interviews are tentatively scheduled to take place during the second half of May, 2014. Applicants should be prepared to travel to Spain at that time. Failure to participate in the interview process will disqualify the applicant for being considered for a position. Original documents, such as original academic certificates and diplomas, or certified translations, will have to be presented at this time.

Shortlisted candidates will be selected by the Selection Committee on the basis of this personal interview. Candidates may be allocated to a research group different from that selected by the applicant at the discretion of the Selection Committee. The final selection of candidates requires approval by the CNIO Direction.

Applicants will be notified of the Selection Committee’s final decision by e-mail and the list of successful candidates will be published on the CNIO’s web site.

Successful candidates are requested to inform CNIO whether they accept or decline the offer within 1 week after being notified. The offer is considered declined if the applicant does not respond during this time.

RESIDENCE PERMIT/STUDENT VISA
To stay in Spain, foreign students from non-EU countries need a residence permit or a student visa. The CNIO’s Education and Training Programmes will provide administrative support in visa formalities to such students.

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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the above information is current and correct. However, applicants should contact the appropriate administering body before making an application, as details do change frequently.