ICGEB ARTURO FALASCHI SMART FELLOWSHIPS – SEPTEMBER 2026

Application Deadline: 14 August 2026, 23:59 CET – Fellowship Expression Of Interest; 30 September 2026, 23:59 CET – Fellowship Full Application

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

The ICGEB SMART Fellowship Programme promotes the Scientific Mobility for Advanced Research Training of researchers between ICGEB Member States as a way of enhancing skill development, acquisition of specific hands-on training in new technologies, and increasing cooperation in science and technology and should provide clear evidence of strong collaboration between the two laboratories.

ELIGIBILITY:

Subject area: Applications are welcome in any area of the Life Sciences.

The call is open to nationals of ICGEB Member States and provides fellowships to scientists in the early stage of their career wishing to spend between 3 and 9 months at a research institution in an ICGEB Member State other than their own. SMART Fellowships are intended to promote collaboration among researchers in ICGEB Member Countries. Mobility support to laboratories located in Italy, India and South Africa can be considered under exceptional circumstances and only if the research activity proposed is not covered by one of the ICGEB laboratories in Trieste, New Delhi or Cape Town. If the latter case applies, please refer to the ICGEB Arturo Falaschi Short-term fellowships programme.

There is no age limit. However, preference is given to young scientists at the beginning of their research career. Applicants should be either registered for a PhD or have obtained their PhD degree within the last 5 years and be actively working in a research Institution.

Young scientists holding an MSc or equivalent can apply. SMART Fellowships support mobility between laboratories located in Member States. Awards are not intended to prolong visits begun under other auspices, to support participation in courses, workshops or symposia or as bridging fellowships between, or prior to, long term stays funded by ICGEB or other organisations.

Documents to be uploaded:

Please note that you will be requested to upload the following documents (pdf files):
Your full CV;
The full CV of the Head of the Receiving Laboratory (complete with list of publications);
A valid identification document (passport or identity card). Recommended passport validity should be 12 months at least.

BENEFIT:

Awards are for a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 9 months. The fellowship covers international economy return travel, health insurance, plus subsistence of the fellow only. The stipend for PhD fellowships is USD 1,500 (one thousand five hundred) per month, while the stipend for Postdoctoral fellowships is USD 2,000 (two thousand). Additionally, a USD 500 monthly bench fee can be paid directly to the receiving laboratory based on the recommendation of the ICGEB Fellowships Committee. The fellowship stipend will be paid by bank transfer directly to the fellow’s bank account. Upon joining the receiving laboratory, ICGEB will transfer the bench fee allocation to the receiving laboratory, which will be responsible for the management of the funds and the certification of expenditures to ICGEB. The receiving laboratory is expected to ensure that adequate provisions are in place for the specific research project and to make the bench fee allocation available to the ICGEB SMART Fellow immediately, free from any administrative overhead costs. ICGEB makes no financial provision, nor can it provide administrative support for family members of participants in the programme.

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THE 2026 EARTH PARTNER PRIZE

Application Deadline: 7 October 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

The 2026 Earth Partner Prize is taking place in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Re:wild. Applicants can apply with any medium, including, but not limited to, photography projects, docu-style and experimental film, performance art, spoken word, musical compositions, dance, fashion design, new media, app development, and social media projects.

If you’re submitting a writing project (poetry, essay, zine), they recommend finding creative ways of displaying the writing in a visually appealing format.

ELIGIBILITY:

They invite artists of all nationalities, races, genders, and faiths, aged 14 to 30, to submit work that comments on the ecological crisis.

Application is absolutely free.

The Earth Partner Prize encourages applicants from all corners of the world to apply and endeavours to represent as diverse a range of work as possible.

The decision to set the age limit between 14 and 30 years of age was meant to specifically provide a platform for youth engagement, much like other student-focused competitions. This specific initiative was created to ask the question: how do younger generations feel about inheriting this world?

Of course, climate change is felt by everyone, irrespective of their age. They are aware that people of all generations have valuable insights and experiences to offer in this ongoing global conversation. As a platform operating in the creative industry, they are also aware of the struggles faced by artists and freelancers of all ages.

At Earth Partner, there are other ways to get involved. They host frequent Earth Partner Spotlights, an Instagram-based series that gives artists the opportunity to be featured on Art Partner. They also organise a monthly Microactions series. Please get in touch at earthpartner@artpartner.com to know more.

AI-assisted work is accepted, insofar as it’s used as an artistic tool and not a generative replacement. You must disclose any use of AI tools (even partial) in your project description and include a brief reflection on why these tools were necessary for your project.

On the platform, you will be asked to upload up to 10 images or videos. They recommend sending more than one image to give them a good idea of the breadth of your project. They also strongly recommend sending them the highest possible-quality images.

You will also be asked to provide a project description, a short bio, and to respond to the following question: Give them a written reflection on your experience as a young person in a time of ecological crisis. Tell them your hopes and fears, what you expect of policy-makers, what personal actions you take, and what is the role of your art in this time.

Video submissions: due to platform limitations, individual videos must be a maximum of 5 minutes. If you have a longer video, you can separate it into videos of five minutes each (keeping in mind that the platform accepts a maximum of 10 images and videos per project).

BENEFIT:

Eight finalists will be awarded cash prizes of $10, 000, $5,000 or $2,000. An additional 20 creatives will receive honourable mentions by a globally recognized panel of judges.

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