Call for applications: Blavatnik Cambridge Postdoctoral Fellowships

1. Applicants must be Israeli citizens or permanent residents; individuals with dual citizenship are eligible.
2. Applicants need to be resident in Israel at the time of their application. Applications from residents of East Jerusalem will also be accepted.
3. Applicants must be working in the field of life sciences, physical sciences, or engineering.
4. Candidates must have received their PhD from an Israeli university or other Higher Education Institution.
5. The Fellowship must be the applicant's first postdoctoral fellowship abroad.
6. Candidates must have completed their PhD degree not more than 36 months before the date of application (exclusive of periods spent in compulsory military service or on parental leave).
7. Applicants must hold a PhD degree by the start of the Fellowship; applicants may submit an application before completing their PhD studies, but the fellowship offer will be conditional on the successful attainment of their PhD.
8. Only applications that have been endorsed by the head of department in the applicant's host department in the University of Cambridge will be considered.
9. Candidates may submit only one application at a time.
10. There is no limit to the number of applicants who may apply from the same laboratory, department, or academic institution.

Applications for the October 2023 Fellowships is now closed

Please notice that the deadline for receiving references and statements by host has been extended to 13 January 2023 and should be sent to Ravit.Capauner@britishcouncil.org.il

•  When will the candidates be informed about the committee’s decisions? Candidates will be contacted by the end of January 2023 via email.
• When will the fellowship begin? Traditionally we follow the academic year, and we expect fellowships to begin in October 2023. Exceptions are discussed on a case by case basis.
• Does one need to hold a PhD certificate before starting the fellowship? Yes. This fellowship is available only to candidates who have completed their PhD degree, by the starting time of the fellowship. Applicants may submit an application before being awarded a PhD, however, offers will be made conditional on the completion of their PhD. 
• I’m currently completing my PhD at the University of Cambridge. May I apply for the fellowship? No. It is imperative to be an Israeli resident and to have achieved a PhD from an Israeli institute.
• Does it matter when one submits the application? No priority given. Please make sure all forms are completed by the deadline and all documents are included. 
• Can I accept other fellowships awards alongside the Blavatnik Fellowship grant? The Blavatnik Cambridge Fellowship Programme will not accept any other public award intended as a maintenance allowance of over £20,000 without the approval of the Blavatnik Cambridge Fellowships Funding Committee having first been obtained. The Fellow will be expected to prioritise the Blavatnik Cambridge Fellowship in all engagements and accreditations. 
• Who is expected to provide the additional funds of up to £6,000 and are those funds per year or in total for the fellowship? In addition to the annual stipend of £30,000, the Blavatnik Family Foundation will provide £6,000 per year to cover visa costs, purchase of equipment and participation in scientific events to each fellow. The funds will be transferred directly to the Fellow’s department at Cambridge, which will administer them according to the fellow’s requests. 
• Who is expected to fill in the Host form? The person who will be working directly with the Fellow should complete the form and add a copy of their CV. We would typically expect this to be the Head of Group / Lab but appreciate that this might be another senior academic. In addition, as it is imperative that we get an approval for the initial request, to be hosted at the institute/ lab, from the Head of Department themselves. The Head of department should sign the Host form and the Department’s stamp should be applied.
• Do you provide Parental Leave? The Blavatnik Cambridge Fellowships encourage Fellows to take parental leave where appropriate and, to support this, provisions have been put in place for both paid and unpaid leave.
• Do you support child-care cost? The programme has enabled a childcare fund which aims to assist with some of the costs of pre-school childcare that Fellows will encounter. Provisions have been put in place for active Fellows to claim support from these funds, subject to availability.