VHIO PhD Fellowships 2027 are open for cancer research in Barcelona, with seven funded places and a deadline of 15 December 2026 at 23:59 local time. The Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology offers salaried annual contracts, renewable after positive evaluation for up to four years, plus health and occupational insurance.
The official call also confirms funding for tuition, conferences and scientific or academic training activities. No salary figure is published. Successful applicants are expected to begin between September and December 2027.
Read the official VHIO call and apply
VHIO PhD fellowships 2027: who can apply?
The programme welcomes all nationalities. Applicants need biomedical or medical university and master’s qualifications totalling at least 300 ECTS, or an equivalent degree allowing PhD entry in Spain, by September 2027. Strong academic results, research experience and English are required.
The official PDF excludes candidates previously invited to VHIO PhD interviews, anyone currently undertaking or who has completed a master’s at VHIO, and those who have worked there for more than three months before the deadline.
Review these conditions before preparing a detailed application. If your qualification follows a different national structure, collect information showing the level and content of your studies. Ask the programme team about a real eligibility uncertainty rather than treating the title of your degree as proof of equivalence.
Choose a research direction before choosing a lab
Applicants may select up to two laboratories. The current call includes experimental and computational cancer research, with group descriptions explaining the scientific themes.
Start by deciding what kind of question interests you and what kind of work you want to do each day. Compare the research descriptions with your own training. A project involving experimental methods may require different preparation from one centred on statistical analysis or computational models.
For each possible laboratory, read recent public research and make a small set of notes. Identify the problem being investigated, the main approach and one limitation or unanswered question. Use this exercise to understand the work, not to manufacture a claim that you already have a complete research solution.
Think about both contribution and development. Which skills could you bring at the start, and which would you need to learn? A convincing explanation can include an honest skills gap if you also show relevant foundations and a realistic interest in learning.
Show how you approach research problems
Choose a few examples that reveal your judgement. Explain how you designed a test, checked an analysis, documented a method or responded when a result did not support your expectation. Give enough context for a reader to understand your role.
If you worked with data, explain how you checked quality and kept the analysis reproducible. If you worked experimentally, describe the reasoning behind a method or control. You do not need to list every technique you have encountered. Focus on work you can discuss accurately and in detail.
Keep patient information, restricted data and unpublished material out of your application unless you have permission to share it. Describe a project’s purpose and your contribution without exposing confidential records. Separate work you performed from work completed by colleagues.
Prepare documents and references
Applications are submitted online in English through the call’s linked SlideRoom system. Two confidential references must arrive by the deadline. The form asks about education, research experience, scientific interests and supporting academic information.
Contact referees early enough to confirm that they can provide a useful letter. Give them a concise account of your intended research direction and remind them of work they directly observed. Check their email addresses carefully, and follow the system’s instructions for requesting and tracking letters.
Create a checklist from the live application before writing lengthy answers. Prepare academic records in the required languages or with an accepted translation. Check that uploaded documents are readable and consistent with the dates and qualifications in your CV.
Keep a separate copy of your draft responses. Review each answer beside the question it addresses, and remove material that belongs elsewhere. When a word or character limit applies, leave enough room to make the main point clearly rather than trying to fit your entire research history into one field.
Understand the doctoral and employment arrangements
Before accepting an offer, read the contract and funding conditions together. Check payment timing, renewal requirements, university enrolment arrangements and how academic expenses are approved. Ask about details that would affect your ability to participate, especially if you would be relocating.
Prepare a realistic initial budget rather than estimating take-home pay from the phrase “competitive salary”. Consider housing deposits and the timing of your first payment. Avoid non-refundable commitments until the offer and practical arrangements are confirmed.
Before submitting
- Confirm your degree route and check every exclusion.
- Give a clear research reason for each laboratory choice.
- Use specific examples that accurately reflect your contribution.
- Check academic documents and reference completion.
- Submit through the official route and retain confirmation.
Compare the separate CRG international PhD programme for another Barcelona research pathway.
Official sources
- Current VHIO programme and application link
- Official 2027 call, eligibility and appointment conditions
Checked on 9 November 2026. Preparation tips are editorial guidance. Opportunities Feed is an independent publisher; VHIO determines eligibility, selection and appointment conditions.
