Application

Applications are still open for DR4 and DR8.

TRACES | TRAining the next generation iCE researcherS

Eligibility criteria

Eligible Doctoral Researcher (DR) candidates

must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
can be of any nationality but must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organization for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention (1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol), compulsory national service, and/or short stays such as holidays are not considered.
must meet the entry requirements for PhD enrollment in both the Host and in Joint Institution. They must hold a 2nd Level Master Degree (120 ECTS + 180 ECTS in a bachelor degree) or a Single Cycle Degree (minimum 300 ECTS), or a comparable university degree (Second Cycle qualification) in a discipline relevant to the Individual Research Project (IRP) which they are applying for.
are required to be proficient in the English language. English proficiency of short-listed applicants shall be assessed during the selection interview.
must be available to enroll full-time in the PhD program at the Host institution in August/September 2023; eventual suspensions for family or personal reasons shall be discussed with the granting authority.
must be available to move between the two collaborating universities according to a mobility plan defined at recruitment time and to complete secondments (temporary transfer to another TRACES partner) during the term of his/her employment.
must actively participate in the events organized by the network, such as training/network events, outreach activities targeting different audiences, and the Design & Certify exercise.
accept the obligation to work exclusively for the action
are aware of and adhere to the principles set out in the Commission Recommendation on the European Charter for Researchers.
understand and accept that their application may be subject to security and background checks. TRACES is a collaborative program between different European beneficiaries and international partners. In this regard, TRACES partner countries may have restrictive measures in place following the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions regimes. Applicants who are nationals or residents of countries, against which restrictive measures are in place, may be subject to additional security checks and procedures, and eventually restrictive measures.

How to apply

Candidates may apply for more than one fellowship (maximum 5), but only a single application has to be produced, in which the Candidate must provide the list of fellowships for which they are applying. The list must be completed in order of preference.

List of Mandatory Documents to be provided:

Application Form: personal and contact information, and the list of IRPs, in order of preference, for which the candidate is applying (Online Application Form)
Letter of motivation (approx. 1 page): the candidate needs to describe his/her current scientific interest, the specific interest in a (or more) particular project, and any relevant skills, experience, or knowledge that fit the role.
Detailed CV (Curriculum Vitae/ Resume), including the publication list (if any). Please note that the CV should indicate the starting and ending period of education, work, and research experiences.
Copies of degree and academic transcripts (with grades and rankings), for both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Academic records not written in English should be accompanied by a translation into English (it can be either an official translation or self-translation). If the candidate has not been awarded the qualifying degree yet, he/she should provide a document proving the expected date of award.
Summary of Master’s thesis (approx. 1 page)
Names, email addresses, affiliation and roles of three referees: references letters can be uploaded as optional documents
Scanned copy of a valid national ID, passport, or equivalent

List of optional additional documents the candidate may submit:

English Proficiency Certificate (C1): You may upload a scanned copy of your English Proficiency Certificate (C1), according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
Publications in the form of papers in peer-review journals or conference proceedings. Manuscripts not accepted for publication yet and these should not be submitted. For open-access publications, a single text document with the link to the publication(s) should be preferred.
Referees’ Reference Letters: you may upload three reference letters from the referees suggested

All the above-mentioned documents must be sent through the Online Form.

This is a compulsory procedure, any other means/format for applying will not be accepted.

All data provided by the applicants are processed solely for the TRACES call for applicants.

Online Application Form