Postdoctoral fellowships

Job Description

13 funded postdoctoral fellowships are available in Belgium and Finland through the Cleantech4Wallonia/Vaasa (C4W) programme, co-funded by the European Union under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA COFUND). Researchers of all nationalities and ages can apply. Applicants must hold a PhD by February 5, 2027, have sufficient English proficiency, and propose research related to cleantech. The MSCA mobility rule applies. Applicants must not have lived or carried out their main activity in their chosen host country for more than 12 months during the three years before the application deadline. This rule is assessed separately for Belgium and Finland. The fellowships last 30 months and are hosted at the University of Mons (UMONS), Belgium, or the University of Vaasa (UVAASA), Finland. The programme will recruit 25 researchers across two calls, with 13 fellowships available in the first call. Research areas include renewable energy, energy storage, hydrogen, recycling, circular economy, green chemistry, biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, environmental technologies, industrial decarbonisation, and responsible digital technologies. The programme provides a monthly gross salary budget of €5,215, including employer and employee contributions. Fellows also receive a €500 monthly mobility allowance and, if eligible, a €350 monthly family allowance. Employment benefits and social security follow Belgian or Finnish regulations. Annual paid leave is 25 days in Belgium or 30 days in Finland. Each fellow receives a full-time employment contract for 30 months and must complete a secondment lasting 3–6 months at an academic or non-academic organisation. Fellows also receive research training, career development, and entrepreneurship support. Applicants must prepare their own research proposal using the mandatory C4W template and identify an eligible principal investigator at UMONS or UVAASA. Contacting potential supervisors before applying is encouraged, but formal supervisor approval is not required. Applications must be submitted online in English. Applicants need to provide proof of PhD completion, residence and employment history for the mobility assessment, a research proposal, project abstract, host research unit, supervisor details, and information about the proposed secondment. Recommendation letters are not required. The selection process includes eligibility screening, independent peer review, and interviews for shortlisted candidates. Interviews consist of a five-minute project presentation followed by 15 minutes of questions. Selected researchers are expected to begin between July and September 2027. Application deadline: February 5, 2027, at 16:00 Brussels time. Official application, templates, and guidelines: https://lnkd.in/dxas7emu Subscribe to the SCHOLARWAY Newsletter 👉 https://lnkd.in/dQpmGdTb