ACTIVE
AuSpire Postdoctoral Fellowships – 3rd Call
RMIT Europe
🇪🇸Spain
The Australia-Spain Network for Innovation and Research Excellence (AuSpire) is an ambitious, interdisciplinary program co-funded by the European Union that links Spanish and Australian research communities through Postdoctoral Fellowships. Centred on the concept of Planetary Wellbeing, AuSpire aims to address global challenges by fostering research with meaningful, positive impacts on the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems.
1. Program Overview
- Duration: 36 months (3 years) full-time employment
- Location: Spain (with up to 12 months international/intersectoral secondment in Australia or Spain)
- Level: Postdoctoral (PhD holders or successful unconditional thesis defense before deadline)
- Target Group: Highly motivated researchers of any age, nationality, culture, gender, and sexual orientation
- Language: English proficiency required
2. About the Program
AuSpire is a postdoctoral training program co-funded by the European Union as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Coordinated by RMIT Europe (the Spain-based European hub of RMIT University), the program matches talented international researchers with renowned companies, research centres, and universities in Spain to advance their research careers within a unique international and multidisciplinary network.
3. Financial Support
- 💰 Attractive Salary: Full-time contract with social security benefits, with salaries above the average for postdoctoral researchers in Spain.
- ✈️ Employment Relocation Stipend: €4,000 to cover travel, visa, and insurance costs upon taking up employment (distributed monthly as a top-up).
- 🌍 Secondment Relocation Stipend: €9,000 to cover compulsory project-related travel and accommodation costs for international secondments.
- 👶 Family Allowance: €314 monthly allowance offered to candidates who meet family obligation criteria (marriage, equivalent status, or dependent children).
- 📚 Networking Travel Stipend: €3,000 to cover flights and accommodation for participating in compulsory AuSpire training and networking events in Spain over the 3 years.
4. Eligibility Criteria
- Doctoral Degree: Must possess a doctoral degree at the call deadline. Candidates who have successfully and unconditionally defended their thesis before the deadline but have not yet been awarded the formal degree are eligible (provisional certificate required).
- MSCA Mobility Rule: Applicants can be of any nationality but must NOT have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the call deadline (i.e., since 7 September 2023).
- Exclusive Dedication: Must work full-time and exclusively for the action; cannot benefit from another MSCA grant simultaneously.
- Employment Restriction: Must not be already permanently employed by the chosen Employing Entity at the time of the call deadline.
- Sanctions Compliance: Applicants must not be affected by international restrictive measures or United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions regimes.
5. Program Structure
- Multi-Position Option: Each candidate is allowed to apply for up to 3 different positions.
- Individual Packages: For each selected position, a distinct research project proposal, motivation essay, and ethics self-assessment form must be developed and uploaded.
- Dual Co-Supervision: Features integrated international and/or intersectoral co-supervision and secondments with counterpart organisations across Spain and Australia.
6. Available Research Positions & Topics
The final recruitment call features five open postdoctoral positions in Spain across the following specific disciplines:
- Bioinformatics
- Biology
- Metabolic Diseases
- Neurobiology
- Immunometabolism
- Microbiome and Gut–Brain Axis
- Underwater Laser Communications
- Optical Systems Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Drinking Water Quality Production
- Population and Comparative Genomics
7. Application Process & Deadlines
📅 Application Deadline: 7 September 2026 at 11:59 PM CET
Step-by-Step Application:
- Review Position Details: Read the full Position Description and Planetary Wellbeing alignments on the official website.
- Prepare Documentation: Complete the application forms and arrange for academic translations where necessary.
- Secure Referees: Submit referee details early to ensure letters are received on time.
- Submit via Portal: Access the online application platform at SlideRoom and complete submission before the closing time.
8. Required Documents
All items must be uploaded in PDF format via the portal. Missing files will render the application ineligible:
- Completed Online Application Form
- Scanned copy of a valid photo ID (passport or national ID card in Latin characters)
- Curriculum Vitae (in English), detailing educational/work timelines and scientific dissemination experience
- Research Project Proposal (one for each position applied for, up to 3 max)
- Motivation Essay in English (one for each position applied for)
- Ethics Self-Assessment Form (completed with the help of potential supervisors if needed)
- Official PhD Academic Transcripts and their certified English/Spanish translation
- Contact information for at least 2 Referees (who must submit recommendations via SlideRoom before the deadline)
9. Selection Timeline
- 1 July 2026: Call for Applications Opens
- 7 September 2026 (11:59 PM CET): Application Deadline
- September 2026: Eligibility Checks and First Ranking Evaluation
- 13–23 October 2026: Oral Interviews for Shortlisted Candidates
- End of October 2026: Final Ranking and Official Allocation of Positions
- January 2027: Commencement of Postdoctoral Fellowships
10. Program Benefits
- 🎓 Prestigious Status: Opportunity to become an official Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow and join the Marie Curie Alumni Association network.
- ⚖️ Equal Opportunity Framework: Strong commitment to diversity and eliminating discrimination; female candidates and diverse backgrounds are highly encouraged.
- 🔬 Elite Networking: Exposure to top-tier international research environments across European and Australian ecosystems.
- 💼 Industry Integration: Direct collaboration options with leading commercial, industrial, and administrative entities.