Postdoctoral Researchers at MERCI

MERCI Momentum for European Research Career at ICIQ

MERCI is a postdoctoral tenure-track innovative co-funded programme (Choose Europe) that aims to recruit four highly talented and autonomous postdoctoral researchers. These researchers will be integrated within the European R&D&I system, reaching the R3 level during their employment at ICIQ. This level is required for them to be established as Group Leader at the centre or at related research centres and universities, with the possibility to keep connected to ICIQ as Associated Researcher .

By joining ICIQ through MERCI, researchers will follow a clear career development path, including:

• Close mentoring by an internationally renowned Group Leader.
• Progress monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
• Personalised Career Development Plan (CDP) and research career support.

Fellows will also be able to explore interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility through secondments. ICIQ has active participation in international networks and platforms, as well as working collaborations, and more than 20 research and industry actors have already shown interest in hosting secondments.

The programme offers four five-year positions, each mentored by an internationally renowned Group Leader at ICIQ. Each position is divided into two phases (Phase 1: 3 years and Phase 2: 2 years) and includes both an intermediate and a final evaluation by ICIQ s SAB (Scientific Advisory Board).

Postdoctoral candidates will be given freedom to choose their mentor and propose an independent research project within the three main research areas of the centre, aligned in a complementary way with the group s framework research lines.

ENVIRONMENT A vibrant and international research atmosphere with 19 research groups.

DEVELOPMENT A personalised Career Development Plan following the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers.

TRAINING A tailored Training Programme and Networking opportunities in an international environment.

EQUIPMENT Access to excellent scientific equipment, facilities and secondments in international institutions.

Eligibility Criteria

According to the MERCI programme, applicants should comply with the following eligibility criteria:

• Mobility rule: Researchers of any nationality are eligible to apply, however applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
• Doctoral degree: Researchers must be in possession of a doctoral degree at the call deadline.
• Employment status: Researchers should not be permanently employed by ICIQ at the call deadline.
• Experience: Researchers must have between 2 and 10 years of postdoctoral experience at the call deadline.

Read more about interruption periods

In the event of an interruption of the research activity between the date of obtaining the doctoral degree and the call deadline, the period in which the doctoral degree must have been obtained may be extended beyond 10 years for the following causes:

• i) Illness or accident: sick leave of 90 days or more; an extension may be given for the duly justified number of months.
• ii) Maternity: an extension of 18 months can be given for each child born after the PhD defence date; if the candidate can justify longer maternity leave, the eligibility period will be extended to cover the documented leave taken until the call deadline.
• iii) Paternity/parental leave: extension for the documented number of leave months for each child born after the PhD defence date.
• iv) Compulsory National service: an extension may be applied for the demonstrated number of months of service.
• v) Seeking asylum or major disasters: extension by the documented duration of the candidate s inability to work due to these situations.
• vi) Unemployment or other career periods outside research: extension by the documented duration of the candidate s inability to perform research activities due to these situations.

All cases must be duly demonstrated by means of an official supporting document.

Working Conditions

• Contract: Full-time employment contract of 36 months (Phase 1) and 24 additional months (Phase 2). Fellows will be affiliated to the Spanish Social Security General Regime, which includes standard health and accident insurance, maternity and paternity leaves, pension and unemployment benefits.

• Salary:

• Phase 1: average gross salary (including living, mobility allowances) of 60,000 /year, funded by the EU.

• Phase 2: average gross salary (including living, mobility allowances) of 50,000 /year, funded by ICIQ.

• Family allowance: Included, when applicable, ** 100/month** as supplementary remuneration for family support. Any changes in family situation during the project will result in a corresponding salary adjustment from the date of status change.

• Research support: A budget of ** 400/month** for research expenses (consumables, reagents and materials, etc.) and additional support for the salary of a co-supervised PhD student between the fellow and the mentor.

• Welcome stipend: A unique starting allowance of ** 1,800** to be included in the salary at the beginning to settle down in Tarragona.

• Training and networking: ** 350/month** to cover specific training courses, attendance at conferences worldwide, secondment costs and dissemination costs.

Career Development

MERCI supports a structured progression towards becoming an independent researcher, combining advanced research training, transferable skills and personalised career guidance. Fellows will be supported and encouraged to apply to additional funding to build their research groups and grow their scientific independence.

Research training programme

• Publications and conferences: Fellows define a publication strategy with their mentor Group Leader and have support to attend conferences and manage related travel. See past and upcoming ICIQ events and seminars .
• Technical facilities: ICIQ Scientific Core Facilities provide access to key equipment, training and technical support for research activities.
• Seminars and events: Fellows can attend seminars and contribute to the organisation of conferences, symposia and scientific events, including the ICIQ Summer School and the Spain Netherlands Organic Chemistry Symposium (SNOCS) .
• Secondments: Research stays at associated partner institutions allow fellows to access complementary expertise and facilities and build international collaborations.
• Supervision and outreach: Fellows may participate in supervision, teaching, peer review and outreach activities, including public events and workshops highlighted in ICIQ s outreach events .
• Open science and digital skills: Training also covers open science, data management, programming and digital tools, aligning with ICIQ s digitalisation and open data initiatives .

Transferable skills training

• Time and task management: Courses on planning, project management and high-performance teamwork help fellows organise research and responsibilities effectively.
• Leadership and supervision: Training for supervision, communication, decision-making and team leadership prepares fellows for future Group Leader roles.
• Grant writing: ICIQ offers guidance on funding opportunities and support for competitive grant applications, including European and national calls.
• Well-being: Researchers can take part in activities and courses that support motivation, balance and well-being.
• IP, industry and entrepreneurship: Training is available in intellectual property, industrial collaboration and entrepreneurship, supported by ICIQ s Knowledge & Technology Transfer (KTT) and industrial partnerships .
• Language courses: Free Catalan, Spanish and English courses are available to all ICIQ personnel, supporting integration and communication.

Mentoring, monitoring & CDP

• Close mentoring: Each fellow works closely with an internationally recognised mentor Group Leader while maintaining independence in the development of their project.
• Progress monitoring: Progress is followed through regular meetings and annual evaluation by the mentor Group Leader and intermediate and final evaluation by the Scientific Advisory Board.
• Personalised Career Development Plan: Each fellow defines a Career Development Plan with the Group Leader and HR staff to identify goals, skills and concrete actions.

Specific courses, conferences and secondments will be detailed in each fellow s Career Development Plan and scheduled mainly during the first years of the programme.

Secondments

Associated partners contribute to MERCI by hosting secondments of the fellows and/or providing specific training actions. The fellows will be able to choose their secondment according to their research proposal needs and select from the hosting organisations already listed at this stage. Additional collaborators might also be contacted as required.

A primary list of partner institutions available for secondments and/or short visits can be found on the MERCI website.

Selection Process

Only one application per candidate may be submitted. Applications must include:

• Application details
• CV and research summary (max. 5 pages) following the template
• Research proposal (max. 6 pages) following the template
• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)
• Copy of the PhD title
• Supporting documents to prove at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience
• Ethical self-assessment questionnaire
• Preferred hosting group (mentor) by priority (max. 2 preferences)
• Information of at least two reference contacts
• Statement to comply with the mobility rule
• Agreement to personal data treatment

Guide for applicants

Check our guide for applicants for more information.

Only completed applications will be considered for evaluation. Once the application documents are submitted, candidates will receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt.

For more information on the MERCI programme, including how to apply and access the guidelines and templates needed to prepare an application, please visit the MERCI website.

MERCI - Momentum for European Research Career at ICIQ - ICIQ

This Project has received funding from the European Union (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101313516).

This project has received funding from the Spanish State Research Agency/Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence Programme 2024 (CEX2024-001469-S, MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033).