19/07 Junior Leader Fellowships Programme- "La Caixa Foundation"

The Junior Leader “la Caixa” postdoctoral fellowship programme is intended to recruit excellent researchers of any nationality who wish to continue their research career in Spanish or Portuguese territory. Promoted by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, this programme aims to foster high-quality and innovative research in Spain and support the best scientific talent by offering them an attractive and competitive environment in which to carry out excellent research.

The Junior Leader programme has two different modalities:

• Junior Leader “la Caixa” – Incoming: 22 postdoctoral fellowships for researchers of all nationalities, who are offered a 3-year employment contract to carry out a research project at centres accredited with the Severo Ochoa or María de Maeztu distinctions, Carlos III Health Research Institutes and centres assessed as excellent and exceptional by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal. For Spanish institutions, candidates must have resided in Spain for less than 12 months in the last three years, while for Portuguese institutions, candidates must have resided in Portugal for less than 12 months in the last three years.
• Junior Leader “la Caixa” – Retaining: 11 postdoctoral fellowships for researchers of all nationalities to carry out their research activity at any university or research centre in Spain or Portugal. For Spanish institutions, candidates must have resided in Spain for more than 12 months in the last three years, while for Portuguese institutions, candidates must have resided in Portugal for more than 12 months in the last three years.

Through a complementary excellence training programme, these fellowships aim to consolidate research skills and foster an independent scientific career as a future professional option.