Instruct-ERIC provides access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology to support research in structural biology. Our aim is to encourage and facilitate the integrative use of technologies and methodologies that are available at Instruct Centres. The internship program aims to train European structural and cell biologists in a wide range of technologies, not just one specialism. These researchers will be able to integrate different technologies to open up new areas of research.
The Instruct-ERIC Internship Programme funds research visits of three to six months duration to Instruct Centres for pre-doctoral researchers and early-stage postdoctoral fellows. Internships need to be transnational and the Internship Programme covers up to €6000 (with a maximum contribution of €1000 per month) for travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of the intern.
These internships facilitate valuable collaborations with Instruct research groups applying techniques that are not available in the applicant's laboratory and the longer duration of awards allows interns to gain in depth experience in the host laboratory. Applications should specifically focus on the benefit to the applicant's research.
To be eligible, the applicant will have to:
- Provide letters of support from both host and home organisations' on their headed paper (please request template letters from support@instruct-eric.org)
- Complete the applicant profile and application form in the ARIA system.
- Be an early career researcher (pre-doctoral or early-stage post-doctoral fellow) from one of the Instruct Members countries or organisations at the submission deadline.
- Apply to an Instruct Centre/facility in a different country.
- Return to their home laboratory for at least six consecutive months after internship completion.
Deadline for proposal submission is 18 April 2025
Applicants must register on the Instruct-ERIC website where the applicant profile, proposal submission forms and further information is available or contact us directly at support@instruct-eric.org.
Call Submission Guidelines
Instruct-ERIC provides access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology to support research in structural biology. Our aim is to encourage and facilitate the integrative use of technologies and methodologies that are available at our 23 Instruct facilities around Europe and in Israel. The Instruct-ERIC Internship Programme supports research visits of pre-doctoral and early postdoctoral fellows of three to six months duration to Instruct Centres. The Internship Programme aims to train European structural and cell biologists in a wide range of technologies, enabling young researchers to integrate different technologies to open up new areas of research.
Internships facilitate valuable scientific exchanges with Instruct research groups applying techniques that are not available in the applicant’s laboratory and the long duration of awards allows interns to gain in depth experience in the host laboratory.
In preparing your application, please consider the points below:
- The home laboratory (applicant’s usual workplace) must be within an Instruct-ERIC Member country or organisation at the submission deadline.
- Internships are awarded for scientists spending a research period in an Instruct-ERIC Facility.
- Internships are awarded for exchanges between laboratories in different Instruct-ERIC Members.
- The application requires the agreement of both the Instruct host Facility and the applicant’s home institution.
- Applicants should be pre-doctoral scientists (PhD students) or early-stage postdoctoral fellows at the submission deadline.
- Internships should take place within one year of the award and start not later than six months of the award.
- On completion of the internship applicants must return to their home laboratory for at least six consecutive months.
- Applications should focus on the benefit to the applicant’s research.
- Applications should be presented as a research project utilising at least one Instruct-ERIC technology not available in their home laboratory.
- The applicants ARIA profile is part of the proposal evaluation and must be complete prior to submission.
- Internships cover travel plus subsistence of the intern only and not of employees.
- Instruct-ERIC does not consider applications for internships to prolong visits begun under other auspices, or as bridging internships between, or prior to, long term stays funded by other organisations.
- Applications for internships to attend courses, workshops or symposia will not be considered.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The Application and Review Process
The application process is handled via the online application system and written in English.
The home support letter must be attached to the online application.
The receiving Instruct-ERIC Facility should carefully consider their ability to support the intern applicant and the proposed work.
The receiving Instruct-ERIC Centre/facility acceptance letter must be attached to the online application.
Applications will be refereed by at least two experts in the area of the research project within the Training Committee. Proposals are moderated by the Instruct Hub and reviewers from the Training Committee excluding the Centre hosting the internship and the intern's home country.
The Training Committee is asked to judge the quality of the candidate and the research project with the major criterion being the projected benefit to the applicant’s research project of accessing Instruct expertise and technologies towards the research outcome.
The internship call will be open submission throughout 2025 – there will be three evaluation deadlines, with decisions made on all submissions within one month of each deadline:
18. April 2025
30. June 2025
30. September 2025
Duration of support
Internships are intended for visits of minimum three and maximum six months. Internships should take place within one year of the award and start not later than six months of the award.
Travel costs, accommodation and subsistence expenditures
The internships cover travel and subsistence expenditures of the intern but not of any dependents. According to the length of the internship the support for travel costs, accommodation and subsistence will be capped to €3000 to €6000 (with a maximum contribution of €1000 per month). The hosting facility might support the applicant in sourcing accommodation.
Host facility support
For successful applicants Instruct contributes to the host facility’s costs through a regular Instruct access project associated to the internship. The support is proportional to the internship length with one access visit for three- and four-month internships and two access visits for five- and six-month internships. Contribution rates for the access visit(s) follow the normal rates for Instruct-funded access
End of Internship report
Within 2 months after completion of the internship the intern must submit an internship report through the online submission system ARIA.
The end of internship report should detail the research objectives, results and further work to be undertaken. Diagrams, charts or figures may be included in the report.
Acknowledgment
There should be acknowledgement of Instruct-ERIC for all publications of research resulting from the internship using the following text:
"This work benefited from access to the [Name of Institute or facility], an Instruct-ERIC Centre. Financial support was provided by the Instruct-ERIC internship APPID xxxxx”
