APEX: A Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Fellowship in Microbiome Science at APC Microbiome Ireland

APC Microbiome Ireland has just launched a new postdoctoral fellowship programme to bring 20 international researchers to Ireland. APEX (APC Postdoctoral Excellence), which is co-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme, is an innovative, intersectoral and trans-disciplinary training, career development and mobility programme, which focuses on the research area of the microbiota and its role in human health and disease.

The aim of APEX is to develop the next generation of international scientific leaders who will gain hands-on experience, and develop cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through individual research projects with a mandatory secondment to a non-academic research partner during their two years of fellowship.

Fellowships will be offered in the four thematic APC research areas of ‘Microbes to Molecules’, ‘Diet and Microbes at the Extremes of Life’, ‘Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis’ and ‘Host-Microbe Dialogue’.

The fellowships are targeted at experienced researchers where the researcher must be in possession of a doctoral degree OR have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience in academia or industry. International mobility is a core element of the APEX programme. Applicants must be incoming fellows to Ireland and fulfil the H2020 mobility requirements.

APC Microbiome Ireland, founded in 2003 and coordinated by University College Cork (UCC), investigates the role of gut microbiota in human health and disease. APC’s mission is to ‘Link Irish science with industry and society through excellence in research, education and outreach in gastrointestinal health’.

What is funded

There are two calls under the APEX programme. The first call is now open with an extended submission deadline of 23rd April 2018, and a second call will open January 2019, with a closing date of April 9th 2019. There will be 10 fellowships awarded in each call. The call guidelines are available at http://apc.ucc.ie/apex/

Duration

2 years

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria

To be considered eligible, applicants must fulfill the following criteria:

• Applicants must be Experienced Researchers.

An experienced researcher must at the application deadline (1st call: extended deadline of 23rd April, 2018), be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience in academia or industry.

• Mobility Requirements: International mobility is a core element of the APEX programme. Applicants must be incoming fellows to Ireland and fulfill the mobility requirements:

Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, study) in the Republic of Ireland for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the Call deadline.