The Federation Of European Biochemical Societies

Charity Number: 1149638

Stay updated on changes from The Federation Of European Biochemical Societies and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Not publicly disclosed
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program (3 months minimum for Short-Term Fellowships)
  • Grant Range: €3,500 - €100,000
  • Geographic Focus: Europe and neighbouring countries (FEBS area - 39 constituent societies)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.febs.org
  • Email: kingsnorth@febs.org
  • Phone: 01223 369020
  • Online Application System: fellowships.febs.org

Overview

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) was founded in 1964 and is registered as a UK charity (number 1149638) and company limited by guarantee (number 08239097). With over 35,000 members across 39 Constituent Societies in Europe and neighbouring regions, FEBS supports research and education in molecular life sciences. The organization funds its activities primarily through income from its four scientific journals (FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters, FEBS Open Bio, and Molecular Oncology), which it uses to provide fellowships, research awards, travel grants, and support for scientific meetings. FEBS is currently undergoing a strategic review focusing on visibility, collaborations with other organizations, and income diversification. In 2024, FEBS celebrated its 60th anniversary by launching the new Booster Fund scheme.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Excellence Awards: €100,000 over 3 years for research equipment and consumables. For early-career group leaders (PhD within past 8 years) with international experience. Application period: 1 May - 1 July annually.

Booster Fund: €25,000 maximum over 1 year for newly independent researchers (within 6 years of PhD) in their first independent post. For small equipment, consumables, or research-based travel. Application period: 1 March - 2 May annually.

Short-Term Fellowships: €100 per day subsistence allowance plus travel costs (second-class rail or economy flight) for 2-3 month research visits. Rolling applications (submit at least 3 months before start date). For researchers with PhD or published paper in international journal, normally within 6 years post-PhD.

Summer Fellowships: €3,500 lump sum towards travel and living expenses for 6-12 week research stays. For Master's and PhD students. Application deadline: 1 May annually. Best report receives €500 prize.

Ukrainian Short-Term Fellowships: Similar to Short-Term Fellowships, specifically for Ukrainian researchers. No fixed deadline.

PROBio-Africa Fellowships: 1-6 month stays for PhD students and early-career researchers from African countries in FEBS laboratories. Jointly funded by FEBS, IUBMB, and FASBMB. Covers travel and living expenses (not research costs).

PROBio-LatAm Fellowships: 1-6 month stays for PhD students and early-career researchers from Latin America in FEBS laboratories. Jointly funded by FEBS, IUBMB, and PABMB. Covers travel and living expenses.

Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants: Up to €800 per person for PhD students and young postdocs to attend FEBS Advanced Courses. Typically covers registration fee (including accommodation and meals) and may support travel.

FEBS Congress Bursaries: Covers early registration fee plus €400 contribution towards travel/accommodation (up to €650 total) for early-career researchers.

Advanced Courses Funding: For organizers of educational events:

  • FEBS Advanced Lecture Courses: up to €25,000
  • Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses: up to €30,000
  • FEBS Workshops: up to €20,000
  • FEBS Practical Courses: up to €20,000
  • FEBS Combined Practical and Lecture Courses: up to €20,000
  • FEBS Special Meetings: up to €40,000

Priority Areas

  • Scientific collaboration and advanced training in molecular life sciences
  • Supporting early-career researchers and newly independent scientists
  • Promoting integration of scientists from economically disadvantaged countries in the FEBS area
  • Encouraging international experience and cross-border research collaboration
  • Education and training in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and molecular biophysics
  • Supporting researchers in Research4Life countries within the FEBS area
  • Promoting molecular life sciences across Europe and enhancing regional collaboration

What They Don't Fund

  • Fellowship applicants who are not members of FEBS Constituent Societies or resident in the FEBS area (exceptions: PROBio programmes)
  • Salaries or stipends (funding is for equipment, consumables, travel, and subsistence only)
  • Research costs for PROBio fellowships
  • Candidates already in place at the host laboratory (for mobility fellowships)
  • Attendance at courses, symposia, meetings, or congresses (under fellowship schemes)
  • Scientists working in Russia or Belarus (currently suspended from FEBS programmes)
  • Past Excellence Award holders applying for another Excellence Award
  • Researchers with substantial existing research grant funding (Booster Fund)
  • More than one candidate per institution in each Excellence Award round
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The Federation Of European Biochemical Societies?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

FEBS is governed by a Council consisting of one delegate from each of its 39 Constituent Societies, plus members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee members serve as FEBS charity Trustees and company Directors, demonstrating the organization's commitment to volunteer-led scientific governance.

Executive Committee (2025)

  • Chair: Prof. Alain Krol (University of Strasbourg – CNRS, France)
  • Vice Chair: Prof. Mauro Magnani (University Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy)
  • Secretary General: Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa (University of Seville & CSIC, Spain)
  • Treasurer: Prof. Francesco (Frank) Michelangeli (University of Chester, UK)
  • Congress Counsellor: Prof. Piotr Laidler (Jagiellonian University, Poland)

Committee Chairs

  • Advanced Courses Committee: Prof. Mauro Maccarrone (University of L'Aquila, Italy)
  • Careers of Young Scientists Committee: Prof. Irene Diaz-Moreno (University of Seville, Spain)
  • Education and Training Committee: Prof. Ferhan G. Sağın (Ege University, Türkiye)
  • Excellence Awards and Fellowships Committee: Prof. Alain Krol
  • Integration and Networking Committee: Prof. Jerka Dumić (University of Zagreb, Croatia)
  • Publications Committee: Prof. Johannes Buchner (Technical University of Munich, Germany)
  • Science and Society Committee: Prof. Emmanouil Fragkoulis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)
  • Working Group on Women in Science: Prof. Dame Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre, UK)

FEBS governance is based on committees of elected scientists who volunteer their time, ensuring that funding decisions are made by active researchers who understand the needs of the molecular life sciences community.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications for all FEBS programmes must be submitted through the online application system. Specific requirements vary by programme:

Excellence Awards: Online application including general details, research proposal (max 4 A4 pages), and two letters of support (one from a renowned scientist outside the institution, one from the home department/institution head).

Booster Fund: Online application including general details, research proposal (max 4 A4 pages), and two letters of support as above.

Short-Term Fellowships: Online application submitted at least 3 months before proposed starting date. Fellowship must be taken up within 6 months of award.

Summer Fellowships: Online application before 1 May of the corresponding year.

PROBio Fellowships: Online application during specified call periods.

Decision Timeline

Excellence Awards & Booster Fund: Decisions announced after the application closing date. Specific timeline varies by year.

Short-Term Fellowships: Rolling basis - must apply at least 3 months before intended start date. Fellowship must be taken up within 6 months of award, suggesting decisions are made with sufficient lead time.

Summer Fellowships: Applications close 1 May, with fellowships for the summer period.

Success Rates

FEBS does not publicly disclose success rates for its programmes. In 2024, 10 researchers received Excellence Awards and 8 received Booster Fund grants from the inaugural call.

Reapplication Policy

Excellence Awards: Past and current holders may not apply for another Excellence Award. Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in future rounds.

Booster Fund: Successful applicants are not eligible for any future grant on this scheme. Only one application permitted per round.

Youth Travel Fund: Applicants should not have received a YTF grant for a FEBS Course/Workshop in the current or previous year, nor a Congress Bursary in the current year, nor a grant for the Young Scientists' Forum in the current year.

General: No restrictions mentioned for Short-Term or Summer Fellowships, suggesting unsuccessful applicants may reapply.

Application Success Factors

Key Success Factors

International Experience: For Excellence Awards, candidates must have worked in a different country for at least two years before their current employment. This demonstrates FEBS's strong emphasis on cross-border scientific collaboration.

Career Stage Precision: FEBS programmes are highly targeted by career stage. Excellence Awards require PhD within past 8 years; Booster Fund within 6 years; Short-Term Fellowships normally within 6 years. Ensure you meet the exact criteria.

Institutional Support: For Excellence Awards and Booster Fund, candidates must demonstrate secured funding at the Host Institution for the entire duration of the award period, showing institutional commitment.

Independence: Booster Fund explicitly requires substantive positions (Assistant Professor level or equivalent) with ability to recruit and supervise. Postdocs whose salaries are paid by someone else's grant are not eligible.

FEBS Membership: Most programmes require membership in a FEBS Constituent Society. Ensure your membership is current before applying.

Early Planning: Short-Term Fellowships require 3 months advance notice. Plan research visits well ahead of intended start dates.

Letter Quality: Excellence Awards and Booster Fund require two support letters - one from outside the institution showing scientific standing, one from the home institution demonstrating commitment. Both carry weight.

Institutional Limits: Only one Excellence Award or Booster Fund per institution per round. If multiple candidates from your institution are considering applying, coordinate internally.

Recent Funded Projects

2024 Excellence Award Example: Michael Dorrity (EMBL Heidelberg) received funding for research on environmentally-induced variability in molecules and cells and its influence on developmental robustness.

FEBS Journal “Words of Advice” Series: While not directly about applications, FEBS values clear communication, methodical approaches, and understanding of the field. Their educational content emphasizes understanding job descriptions, tailoring applications, and highlighting relevant experience with transferable skills.

Language and Terminology

FEBS consistently uses terminology around “molecular life sciences,” “biochemistry and molecular biology,” “early-career researchers,” “scientific exchange and cooperation,” “integration,” and “cross-border collaboration.” Applications should reflect this international, collaborative ethos.

Common Application Guidance

  • Demonstrate how the funding will advance research that couldn't be done otherwise
  • Show clear plans for how equipment/consumables will be used (Excellence Awards, Booster Fund)
  • Explain the specific techniques or expertise to be gained (fellowships)
  • Highlight the international/cross-border dimension of the work
  • For fellowships, ensure the host laboratory offers something genuinely unavailable at home institution

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Membership is mandatory: Ensure current membership in a FEBS Constituent Society before applying to most programmes (except PROBio schemes)
  • Career stage timing is critical: FEBS programmes are precisely targeted by career stage - apply when you're genuinely at the right point (within 6-8 years of PhD for major awards)
  • International experience matters: For Excellence Awards, two years working abroad is non-negotiable; all programmes emphasize cross-border collaboration
  • Plan ahead for rolling programmes: Short-Term Fellowships require 3 months notice - don't leave applications to the last minute
  • One shot per institution for major awards: Only one Excellence Award or Booster Fund per institution per round - coordinate internally if multiple candidates exist
  • Applications are fully online: Familiarize yourself with the online system at fellowships.febs.org well before deadlines
  • Institutional support is essential: For major awards, demonstrate secured funding commitment from your institution for the entire award period
  • Focus on what funding enables: FEBS wants to know what research becomes possible with their support - equipment that unlocks new directions, techniques not available locally, collaborations that wouldn't otherwise happen
  • Geographic integration is a priority: FEBS particularly values applications that promote integration of scientists from economically disadvantaged countries in the FEBS area
  • Multiple funding streams available: Consider the full range of FEBS support - fellowships for mobility, travel grants for meetings, course support for training - and strategic use across career progression

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References