2023•02•13

UNU-BIOLAC is accepting applications for our Fellowship Member Programme. Following our mission to build Biotechnology capacities within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, we aim to prepare and qualify professionals through short-term research fellowships. All activities are co-organised with UNU-BIOLAC throughout the LAC countries and carried out in collaboration with an international network of highly qualified academics and researchers in the diverse fields of biotechnology.

Applications are sought from young researchers who pursue the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering social impact in biotechnology.

Expectations

Each UNU-BIOLAC fellowship member is expected to perform specialised research at a laboratory throughout the LAC region for no more than three months.

All fellows must deliver a final technical report, including their main findings and fulfil all other requests to accomplish their membership. Among others, a written statement regarding their expectations to achieve during the visit, record a testimonial video about the experience, upload content on social media reflecting the experimental work they are carrying out through the research stay, and expand their collaborative and professional network.

To perform their research fellowship, each funded fellow will receive a single stipend of USD 4000 for travel and living expenses. Hosting institutions could also apply for funds as bench fees of USD 500 per visit month.

Research fields

This call is open to young professionals and graduate students at a university or a research institution. These must be engaged in active research or in pursuit of new research opportunities in high-throughput and deep sequencing of genomes, metagenomic analysis and whole-genome gene expression to discover new genes and biological functions.

These fundamental technological approaches provide new insights into the four priority areas identified in the context of global climate change as challenging the sustainability of traditional cropping systems and the control of animal and human health by affecting the (re)emergence of diseases and their etiological agents and vectors.

Therefore, for 2023 UNU-BIOLAC is seeking to empower young scientists to use Big Data as a knowledge-enabling strategy that traverses across the following priority areas:

1. Biotechnological approaches and solutions for emerging and neglected human, animal and plant diseases.
2. Genome editing, omics technologies, and similar approaches for biotechnological research.
3. Drug discovery and vaccine development.
4. Sustainable biotechnological processes and cost-effective bioengineered products or technologies.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact human society globally, biotechnology researchers work on the clock to provide cutting-edge information that can be useful. Thus, as an organisation engaged with the development of Latin America and the Caribbean region, we decided to encourage research proposals to study the nature of SARS-CoV-2 as an emerging human disease.

In these moments of uncertainty and challenges, UNU-BIOLAC wants to promote a contribution from the Latin American and the Caribbean countries to the resolution of the pandemic outbreak, fostering collaboration among active researchers to understand this emerging biological threat.

Impact

UNU-BIOLAC fellow membership is committed to biotechnology for social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Therefore, by being part of the membership program, selected fellows are expected to promote the impact of their research to a broad audience, engage in policy debate, and foster international and interdisciplinary biotechnological research.

Application process

All applicants should download the following forms (The indicated for each case) and mandatory documentation.

All required documentation with the corresponding form should be sent to applications.biolac@unu.edu

The email must have the following format:

*Subject: Fellowship Member Application 2023: “Name of the applicant.”

Email content:

• *Name of the applicant.
• *Investigation Subject.
• *Proposed dates for the Fellowship.

Mandatory attachments: 

• Work Plan for Fellow Candidate. 
• Fellowship Application Form: Acceptance of Conditions of Grant by Director of Applicant’s Institution. 
• Cover Letter.
• Vendor Form Fellow
• Vendor Form Institution
• Recommendation letter from Local Supervisor

Besides prepare and attach the following documents:

• Personal Resumé.
• Mentor and Supervisor Resumés.
• Acceptance letter.

Please note that an application MUST be oriented towards the UNU-BIOLAC priority areas. Any application not meeting this requirement will need an explanation letter. Relevant subject matters for the region will have special considerations.

In the case of being favoured with the fellowship approval, you must provide a good health certificate to be sent to the insurance.

Deadline

31^st March 2023

Disclaimer

UNU-BIOLAC is an equal-opportunity institution. No applicant for our academic or research activities shall be discriminated against in any term or condition because of gender, race, colour, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, or sexual orientation.