The FEBS Excellence Award supports early-career group leaders in the FEBS area by providing funding for research equipment and consumables over a 3-year period. Before applying, read the Frequently Asked Questions listed below.

For which topics is a FEBS Excellence Award granted?
Only applications aimed at furthering the molecular life sciences are considered.

Can a scientist who is not a member of a FEBS Constituent Society apply for an Excellence Award?
No, only members of a FEBS Constituent Society are eligible to apply. Applications submitted without a letter from the appropriate FEBS Constituent Society confirming that the applicant is a member and indicating the date on which the applicant joined the Society, are automatically discarded.

How does one become a member of a FEBS Constituent Society?
The full list of FEBS Constituent Societies can be found here. To join a FEBS Constituent Society, please contact that Society directly. The Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee has no influence on this matter. Potential applicants should therefore not contact the Committee about this.

What is a FEBS country?
A FEBS country is a country where there is a FEBS Constituent Society. The full list of these Societies can be found here.

Is it possible to apply for a FEBS Excellence Award for a lab in Australia, USA, etc.?
FEBS is a European Federation and the FEBS Excellence Award is exclusively for work to be carried out in countries where there is a FEBS Constituent Society – the full list of these countries can be found here. Countries such as Australia and the USA do not belong to the FEBS area and scientists wishing to work there cannot apply for a FEBS Excellence Award.

Is it possible for a member of a FEBS Constituent Society, not currently working in a FEBS country, to apply for a FEBS Excellence Award in the FEBS area?
No, this is not possible as the applicant must be employed in a salaried capacity by the Host Institution (Host Institution means university or a research centre) in a FEBS country – i.e. must have established and operated at the Host Institution for at least one year prior to the submission of their Project Proposal to FEBS.

Is there any restriction on the nationality of an applicant?
No, there is no restriction on the nationality of applicants.

Is it possible for a national of a given country to seek a FEBS Excellence Award to work in his/her country?
Yes, a national of a given country may seek a FEBS Excellence Award to work in his/her country provided that previous to her/his current employment, the applicant worked in a different country for at least two years.

If the proposed Host Institution is already hosting a FEBS Excellence Award recipient, is it possible to apply for a FEBS Excellence Award?
Yes, a potential candidate may apply for a FEBS Excellence Award even though the proposed Host Institution is already hosting a FEBS Excellence Award. However, FEBS will grant no more than one Award to any Host Institution per call.

Is it possible for a past recipient of a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship to apply for a FEBS Excellence Award, if the latter is to be used for work at the same Host Institution?
No. Past holders of a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship may apply to a FEBS Excellence Award only if the visit with the Long-Term Fellowship was carried out in a Host Institution different from that of the FEBS Excellence Award Project Proposal to FEBS.

Is it possible for a past recipient of a FEBS Short-Term Fellowship to apply for a FEBS Excellence Award, if the latter is to be used for work at the same host laboratory/department/institute?
Yes, this is possible provided that the visit with the Short-Term Fellowship was completed more than 24 months prior to the date of application for a FEBS Excellence Award.

Can the references to publications or the lists of representative papers of the applicant and host laboratory/department/institute be submitted separately to the outline of the proposed investigation (which is to be on no more than ten A4-sized pages of single-spaced text)?
No, the references to publications are to be included in the ten A4-sized pages giving the outline of the proposed investigation. This also applies to both lists of representative papers, from the applicant and of the host laboratory/department/institute. Please note the maximum file size of 1 MB, and the minimum top and bottom margins of 2 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively, and a font size not smaller to the equivalent of 10pt Times New Roman.

Can the outline of the proposed investigation include figures and diagrams?
Yes, the outline of the proposed investigation may include figures and diagrams if these illustrations help describe the project. In this case, the proposal must still consist of ten A4-sized pages of single-spaced text. Please note the maximum file size of 1 MB, and the minimum top and bottom margins of 2 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively, and a font size not smaller to the equivalent of 10pt Times New Roman.

Can papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication be included in the list of publications given in an applicant’s curriculum vitae?
Only published papers or papers deposited in bioRxiv or similar international preprint repositories may be mentioned in the applicant’s list of publications.

May applicants update their application after the closing date for applications?
No, applicants may not update their application after the closing date for applications. However, letters of acceptance for papers submitted to journals for review before the closing date will be taken into consideration.

Can a scientist receiving a grant from other sources be in parallel the recipient of a FEBS Excellence Award?
Yes, a FEBS Excellence Award can be granted to a scientist in addition to another grant from sources other than FEBS irrespective of how significant these funds may be.

Can the FEBS Excellence Award be used to cover the researcher’s salary?
No, the FEBS Excellence Award is to be used exclusively to purchase equipment and/or consumables. It is expected that the researcher’s salary is already secured by the Host Institution or by another research grant. If, however, the scientist’s salary for his/her stay at the Host institution is not secured for the duration of the award, then a FEBS Excellence Award cannot be granted.

Does the Chairperson of the FEBS Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee acknowledge receipt of an application for an Excellence Award when it is received?
After submitting their application, candidates will receive an automated e-mail confirming successful submission.

How many FEBS Excellence Awards are given per call?
The number of FEBS Excellence Awards given per call will depend on the quality of applications and the allocated budget.