Talent4Iberia

Talent4Iberia — How To Apply

Career development of international talents of the energy research fields in the Iberian Peninsula

Talent4Iberia programme will offer 10 positions for postdoctoral researchers of any nationality in 1 International Call in order to develop individual and freely selected research projects at one of the three recruiting organizations in Extremadura during a 36-months period. During the fellowship, the postdoctoral researchers will receive career-enhancing training, courses in research techniques, transferable skills, and access to international scientific networks. The program also promotes knowledge transfer and mobility between the public and private sectors.

All information and instructions for submitting applications, are provided in the
GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS

This document is a step-by-step guide for the whole application process, with detailed information on requirements and how to complete and submit the online application, a full description of the selection process, and providing practical information.

When to Apply
  • Call Opening Date :
    July 6th, 2024
  • Call Deadline :
    August 6th, 2024

The deadline for submitting applications and the documentation that must accompany them will be one month, counting from the day following the date of publication of the call in the DOE

Postdoctoral researchers interested in obtaining a contract with one of the recruiting Host Institutions must comply with the following eligibility criteria for admission to the selection process:

  1. Holding a PhD :
    Be in possession of a doctorate degree at the time of submitting the application. The date of obtaining the degree is understood as the date of the defense and approval of the doctoral thesis.
  2. Mobility Rule :
    Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline.
  3. The candidate researchers may not be part of the workforce of the selected recruiting Host Institutions.
  4. The research proposal must be within the area of green technologies, in one of the following lines determined for Talent4Iberia programme. Otherwise, the application will be rejected.
    1. Line 1
      Electrical energy storage
    2. Line 2
      Hydrogen and power-to-X
    3. Line 3
      Thermal energy storage

Fellows will receive a range of benefits, including access to maternity/paternity full pay (16 weeks for each parent), pension rights, sick leave, as well as public healthcare coverage and medical assistance.

The research costs awarded to the fellows will include a living allowance covering salaries, social security contributions, taxes and other costs, a mobility allowance for relocation, and a family allowance for dependent children.

Full Time Contract
36 months
Family Allowance
1,666 €/year
In case the recruited fellow has family obligations.
Living Allowance
38,000 €/year
Base monthly salary including employer’s social contributions, taxes and/or other costs foreseen by Spanish law.
Mobility Allowance
max. 3,500 €
Covers travel and subsistence during secondments or short stays during the fellowship (one or several secondments at the international organisations participating in the Talent4Iberia programme, up to a maximum of 12 months).
Travel Allowance
max. 50,000 €
Covers travel and subsistence during secondments or short stays during the fellowship (one or several secondments at the international organisations participating in the Talent4Iberia programme, up to a maximum of 12 months).
Research Costs
max. 9,000 €
To finance the R&D&I activities contemplated in the fellow’s research proposal (includes expenses for small scientific equipment, consumables, travel and subsistence allowances, publication costs and other expenses necessary for its development).

  • PHASE 1
    Presentation of applications and Eligibility Check

    The selection procedure will be open, transparent, merit-based, international and peer-reviewed.

    The Eligibility Check of the submitted applications will be made by the Programme Manager to verify within one month from the end of the submission period, that they are complete and comply with the requirements, before being validated by the Application Assessment Committee, followed by a 10-days period to submit missing documents and 10 days for redress. If any misstatement is found, the application will be withdrawn.

    Incomplete and ineligible applications will also be discarded at this stage. Non-eligible applicants will be notified of the results of the eligibility check within the 1st month after the call deadline. Eligible applicants will receive confirmation that they have passed the eligibility check and will be invited to the next step.



  • PHASE 2
    External scientific-technical evaluation

    The admitted and eligible research project proposals along with the applicants’ CVs will be sent to an external evaluation Agency (Spanish State Research Agency – AEI) for scientific-technical evaluation through a panel of evaluators made up of at least three independent evaluators, including an international expert, specialized in the research lines of the Talent4Iberia program.

    These evaluators will score and rank applications according to the Talent4Iberia Evaluation Criteria:

    C1. Scientific-technical trayectory Points Weight Score
    Scientific-technical contributions 0-5 25% 0-25
    Mobility and internationalization 0-10 50% 0-50
    Leadership 0-5 25% 0-25
    Score 20
    Max. total score in phase 1 100
    Threshold (70%) 70
    C2. Research project proposal Points Weight Score
    Quality and originality of the research proposal 0-40 50% 0-50
    Relevance of the proposed objectives in the corresponding scientific-technical context 0-15 20% 0-20
    Results transfer plan 0-15 20% 0-20
    Feasibility of the research proposal 0-10 10% 0-10
    Score 80
    Max. total score in phase 2 100
    Threshold (70%) 70

    Evaluation results and proposals ranking will be announced at the end of the selection process (Nov./Dec. 2024) followed by a 10-days redress period.

    The final score obtained to qualify must be equal to or greater than 70 points. This final score will be the average of the scores awarded by the experts in their assessment. Applications below this score will be rejected.



  • PHASE 3
    Interviews with the candidates

    Interviews will be held with the 10 selected candidates and up to the first 3 substitutes on the reserve list. The Programming Committee of Talent4Iberia will prepare an official invitation to conduct the online interviews with the selected postdoctoral research staff. Its objective is to verify the motivation, maturity and communication capacity of the candidate research staff, without altering their final score obtained.



  • PHASE 4
    Publication of the short list

    The maximum period for resolution and notification will be 6 months, counting from the day following the end of the application submission period.

    The granting resolution will be published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE) and will contain the standardized models for acceptance and renunciation of the grant.

    The granting resolution for the substitutes will be notified to the SECTI Host organisation and the selected postdoctoral research staff, individually and by electronic means.



  • PHASE 5
    Fellows’ appointment
    Appointments

    The fellows will have a maximum period of two months to sign the contract, counting from the publication of the granting resolution in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE), approx. end 2024/start 2025. And they will join the recipient Host organisation within said period, except for extraordinary, unforeseeable circumstances.

    So, it is expected that successful candidates will start the fellowship in April 2025 taking into consideration any periods required to get permission to work in Spain.

    Reserve List

    If an appointed researcher refuses the offer, the position will be offered to the first candidate on the reserve list, and so on. Vacancies not filled in the 1st call for proposals will be included in an exceptional 2nd call, and all contracts are estimated to initiate in April-May 2025 the latest.

    Support

    Talent4Iberia will offer personalized assistance to all appointed candidates in order to get their work permits, visa and other required documents.