CRG International PhD Programme 2027 Offers Four Years of Paid Research in Barcelona

CRG International PhD Programme 2027 is accepting applications for doctoral research in Barcelona. The deadline is 22 November 2026. Selected researchers receive salaried annual contracts covering four years, health and occupational insurance, and Spanish social security coverage. The call does not specify a salary amount.

A strong application needs a clear connection between your experience and the work of a particular laboratory. Use the guide below to assess that connection and organise your preparation before submitting.

Open the official CRG application

Who can apply?

All nationalities are eligible. Applicants need biomedical bachelor’s and master’s qualifications totalling at least 300 ECTS, or an equivalent qualification permitting PhD entry in Spain, by September 2027. Strong academic results, research experience and English are required. Candidates previously invited to CRG interviews, current CRG master’s students and candidates with more than three months’ CRG employment are excluded.

Before drafting, compare your qualifications with the complete official rules. Where your country uses a different degree structure, avoid deciding equivalence from the number of years alone. Collect the documents that explain your qualification and ask the programme team about a genuine uncertainty. A clear answer at this stage can save you substantial work later.

Choose laboratories for a clear research reason

The application permits up to two laboratory choices. Start with the current call’s lab descriptions, then read a small selection of recent research from the groups that interest you.

For each possible choice, write three private notes: the scientific question you want to investigate, a method or subject you already understand, and something you would need to learn. This gives you a useful test of fit. If the only connection you can identify is that the institution is well known, spend more time exploring the research before making your choice.

Different groups can appeal to you for different reasons. Explain each choice on its own terms rather than copying the same paragraph and changing the laboratory name. Be realistic about your current skills. Interest in a technique is worth mentioning, but it should not be presented as practical experience if you have never used it.

Make your research experience easy to assess

Choose examples that show how you think and work. For a dissertation, internship or research project, describe the question, your specific responsibility, the approach you used and what you learned. Where a team produced a result, identify your contribution accurately.

A useful example might explain how you checked an unexpected result, improved a piece of analysis or recognised a limitation in an experiment. Keep confidential information out of the application. You can discuss the reasoning behind your work without sharing unpublished data that you are not authorised to disclose.

Avoid filling the application with unexplained technical terms. Someone outside your exact specialism should still be able to follow the purpose of the project. Read your answer aloud and remove claims that sound stronger than the evidence you can provide.

Prepare documents and references early

CRG requires an online application and two references, with all required material received by the deadline. The application portal requires registration or login.

Ask referees whether they can support your application before entering their details. Give them a concise summary of your research interests and remind them of work they directly supervised. Check email addresses carefully and leave enough time to resolve a missing invitation or upload problem.

Create a folder containing the documents requested in the current form. Open every file after saving it to check that it is readable, complete and correctly oriented. Keep your dates, degree names and research descriptions consistent across the form, CV and supporting documents. Follow the official translation and file-format instructions rather than assuming that an informal version will be accepted.

CRG International PhD Programme 2027: funding and practical planning

Before accepting an offer, request the written financial and employment details. Check gross versus take-home pay, payment timing, any university charges and the costs you may need to meet before moving. Compare an actual offer with a realistic personal budget rather than relying on the word “paid” alone.

Housing deposits, local transport and the timing of a first payment can affect how much money you need initially. Avoid making non-refundable commitments before you have the offer and the relevant instructions. These are planning suggestions, not additional CRG eligibility conditions.

Final submission checklist

1. Recheck the current call and your qualification route.
2. Explain the research connection for each chosen laboratory.
3. Remove unsupported claims and check document consistency.
4. Confirm that references and required files are complete.
5. Submit early enough to address a technical problem and retain the acknowledgement.

Compare the separate Mastercard Foundation–ASU scholarship guide if a master’s pathway better matches your qualifications.

Official sources

• CRG’s current call, laboratories and eligibility rules
• Official recruitment portal

Checked on 9 November 2026. Application-preparation suggestions are editorial guidance. Opportunities Feed is an independent publisher; CRG determines eligibility, selection and employment arrangements.