Back FEBS Booster Fund 2024

The Booster Fund is designed to help early-career academic researchers who have a substantive position (i.e. Assistant Professor level or equivalent) to develop their own independent research by awarding them a one-off grant of €25,000 (inclusive of any taxes) for 1 year (paid to the Host Institution).

This competition closed at 5.00pm CET on Wednesday 1st May 2024. If you have a user account registered with this competition, please go to the My Account page to view your data.

Competition Details

Eligibility Requirements

  • This grant is to spend on small equipment and consumables and research-based travel in order to develop a novel research project – allowing the recipient to become more independent, i.e. to publish papers or generate data in order to help them to apply for larger grants from funding providers in the future. These grants are aimed at newly independent researchers, including early principal investigators (PIs), who have limited funds available to undertake research at present but show great potential. The university / institution will not take out any overheads or other fees from this award (see Letter of Agreement).
  • Candidates should be scientists who have obtained their PhD degree up to 6 (six) years prior to the submission of the project proposal to FEBS and be in their first independent academic / research post. Some discretion will be made for career break.
  • In order to be eligible to apply for a FEBS Booster Fund (FEBS BF), applicants need to be members of a FEBS Constituent Society and must have shown independence as a group-leader, i.e having established and operated at the host institution in a FEBS country for at least one year prior to the submission of the project proposal to FEBS.
  • Applications must be aimed at developing molecular life sciences.
  • Past holders of a Long-Term Fellowship may apply to a FEBS Booster Fund if the visit with the initial Fellowship was carried out in a Host Institution different from that of the project proposal to FEBS.
  • Preference will be given to applicants who have undertaken their PhD or postdoc in different institutes.
  • Please view the Eligibility Requirements for further details. The FEBS Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee Office is unable to answer queries relating to your eligibility; please follow the instructions and refer to the FAQs for more detailed explanations.
  • Candidates must provide details for two referees who have agreed to submit a letter supporting the application through the website. The referees should be established and renowned scientists, and be well acquainted with your work. One of them must be the head at your current host laboratory / department / institute. Letters should be written on headed paper.
  • The application as well as the signed letter of agreement, a statement from the Host Institution establishing that the applicant is employed in a salaried capacity and the duration of the contract with the Host Institution and two referees' letters of support must be submitted online by 5.00pm CET on Wednesday 1st May 2024.

FEBS Booster Fund Details

  • In each call, no more than one candidate per given host institution will be granted a FEBS Booster Fund.
  • The amount of the FEBS Booster Fund is fixed to 25,000€.
  • Applications must be completed in English.
  • The FEBS Booster Fund should be taken up within six months of its award. Any delay will require the authorisation of the Chairperson of the FEBS Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee.
  • Within six (6) weeks of the anniversary of the Effective Date:

    The Awardee will send a report on the results obtained thanked to the FEBS Booster Fund, including meeting any key performance indicators or milestones which may have been included in the Project Proposal.

    The Host Institution (upon request by Awardee or FEBS) will provide a financial report regarding use and spend of any part of the Award paid by FEBS to Host Institution together with copies of any orders, receipts or invoices for significant costs incurred by Host Institution for Capital Assets and Consumables during the year of the Term.
  • The FEBS Booster Fund should be acknowledged in any work published relating to the project funded and two reprints of each article should be sent electronically to the Chairperson of the FEBS Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee.
  • Please view the FEBS Booster Funds page for further information.

Application Timetable

  • The Call is open once a year. The application process begins on Friday 1st March 2024.
  • The application, the letter of agreement and two letters of support must be submitted through the website by 5.00pm CET on Wednesday 1st May 2024. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  • Decisions will be communicated to the applicants no later than 1st December 2024.
  • The FEBS Booster Fund will start at the earliest on 1st January 2025. The Effective Date will be the later of (i) the date that the letter of agreement is signed by the last signatory (i.e. FEBS) and (ii) a date notified by FEBS to Awardee in the Award Letter. If the Award Letter does not set out an Effective Date, the Agreement will become effective as of the date that it is signed by the last signatory.