In DOC-FAM, a total of 2 Calls will open during the duration of the doctoral programme. The first Call opens 1st October 2017, with deadline 30th November 2017; while the second Call will open 1st October 2018 with deadline 30th November 2018.

Unfortunately, only one application will be accepted per person in each Call. You can access and edit your application anytime before the deadline, but once submitted your application will be final.

Of course! the only thing you must take into account is that you will have to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the Call you are applying to, and some of these criteria are taken into account at the closing date for applications.

Yes, there is an option when you open a new application to import a previous one, therefore you do not have to upload and create a new application from scratch.

All the neccesary information to apply to one of the DOC-FAM positions is available on this website. Potential candidates should pay especial attention to the eligibility criteria. We recommend to read carefully the "Guide for Applicants" documents before starting any application.

No. The only accepted format is through the online application system. Any applications received by email or any other means will not be accepted.

No. Unfortunately eligible candidates mut demonstrate an upper-intermediate English level that may take the form of at least one of the following recognised international qualifications (or above): CEFR B2, Cambridge English First (FCE), PTE Level 3, IELTS 5-6.5 or TOEFL > 72).

No. You can access and modify your application anytime during the opening of the Call; however, once the application is submitted you will not be able to modify it anymore.

Yes. However you have to make sure that you fulfill the conditions to be considered as an early-stage researcher (ESR). If you have already been awarded a doctoral degree or have more than 4-years of full-time research experience at the call deadline you are not eligible to apply for a position (for a full definition of full-time research experience, read the guide for applicants).

No. All the supporting documents as part of your application (CV, Motivation Letter, Academic Records, Proof of English Level) must be uploaded as .pdf files. The maximum extension accepted for each file is 4Mb.

Yes, there are templates available for those supporting documents that you must include in your application, in particular your Curriculum Vitae and the Motivation Letter. The Academic Records and Proof of English Level can be uploaded in any format as long as they are .pdf files with a maximum size of 4Mb.

Yes. The system does allow you to submit your application even if the proof of english level is missing. This is because some applicants are exempt from including this document in the application. However, if you are not exempt from including this document you will be considered ineligible later on during the elegibility check.

No. The only accepted way of submitting your application is by including all the required supporting documents in it. Failure to do so, either by sending them via email or by any other means, will results in your application being considered ineligible.

No. Only official certificates and transcript records will be accepted to validate your application. If you have completed a degree or master that entitles you to embark in a PhD (as stated in the eligibility criteria) but you have not received the final printed certificate, the transcript of records (if they contain enough information to prove that you have completed the education) or an official letter from your University is sufficient.

You may be contacted several times during the application process. After submission of your application, you will receive an automatic email indicating the correct submission. A few days later, you will be contacted again with the decision on your eligibility status. Candidates going through to the evaluation of merits will receive an email with their inclusion or not in the short-list and therefore an invitation to the interview stage. Those candidates whose merits have been evaluated but they have not been awarded with a fellowship will be contacted again with their Evaluation Summary Report (ESR).

As stated in the "Guide for Applicants", the interview will be used to get additional information and insights on the academic record of the candidates, their motivations and suitability to the programme, and the impact that the programme may have on their future career prospects. The interview will also be used to validate the accreditation of English level.

In principle all the interviews to the short-listed candidates will be carried out remotely. If by any chance, the Scientific Committee considers that it is necessary to make an interview on-site, they will contact the candidate(s) in advance.

No. Only the documents submitted during the application process will be taken into account.

No. The names of the members of the Scientific Committee evaluating the different candidates are kept confidential through all stages of the programme. In order to avoid any potential (positive or negative) conflict of interest with the applicants, the highest and lowest scores from the evaluation are discarded; and the remaining are used to calculate the final mark.

Fellows ranked in the first eleven positions each Call will be recommended for funding and therefore offered a position at the doctoral programme based on their choice of research projects. Positions will be offered according to the final ranking; if the research choice selected by one fellow is already taken by another one ranked higher, the will be given the opportunity to select one of the other choices until the number of positions offered in the Call are covered.

Yes. Once they select the final research project, successful candidates will be asked to sign an acceptance letter within a period of 1 month in order to secure their fellowship. Once the acceptance letter is received by the Management Team, they will be contacted by email with an invitation to start negotiating the terms with the organisation where they will carry out their fellowship.

Yes. If you have been included in the reserve list you can still be offered a position if one of the selected fellows reject the fellowship for personal reasons or he/she does not manage to make a successful agreement with the recruiting organisation because of force majeure. These positions will be offered by rigorous ranking order.

DOC-FAM Management Team has implemented a dedicated Helpdesk Service to support applicants during all stages of the programme (Application, Recruitment, Implementation). Prospective applicants can contact us by email or telephone seeking for advice related to the programme (see Helpdesk section).