The VHIO International PhD Programme Fellowships at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain, offer a route into cancer research through doctoral employment and structured scientific training.
If your research interests span cancer genomics, drug discovery or immunotherapy, you can already prepare two parts of your application that take time to get right: evidence that your degree qualifies you for doctoral study in Spain and references from scientists who know your work.
VHIO PhD at a glance
1 What did the previous VHIO fellowships cover?
VHIO’s 2026 fellows received a full-time employment contract, renewed annually after a positive evaluation for up to four years. The package included a salary, health and occupational insurance, Spanish Social Security and additional funding for PhD tuition, conferences, training and related academic activities. The call gave no exact salary figure. The 2027 salary, application fee and award count remain unverified.
Fellows worked at VHIO and enrolled separately at a degree-awarding university, typically the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona or Pompeu Fabra University. The previous terms barred another fellowship or regular income during the contract. Training included scientific and technical courses, seminars, transferable skills and career development, with annual thesis committee reviews and at least one international meeting before the defence.
These were the advertised 2026 labs. Use them to explore research fit while VHIO’s 2027 roster remains unverified.
| Lab lead | Research focus |
|---|---|
| Alena Gros | T-cell therapies, receptors and tumour antigens |
| Fran Martínez-Jiménez | Computational immuno-oncology, cancer genomics, AI and metastasis |
| Jose Antonio Seoane | Epigenetics, exposomics, multi-omics and machine learning |
| Albert Antolín | AI-assisted small-molecule design, cheminformatics and cell painting |
| Laura Soucek | MYC inhibition, combination therapies and patient-derived models |
| Francesc Bosch and Marta Crespo | Lymphoma, leukaemia, disease modelling and immunotherapy |
| Pere Barba | Next-generation CAR-T therapies and T-cell malignancies |
2 Who could apply in the previous round?
VHIO accepted all nationalities. The 2026 call required a university degree plus a master’s in biomedical or medical sciences totalling at least 300 ECTS in the European system, or an equivalent qualification granting access to a PhD in Spain. Applicants needed an excellent academic record, prior research experience, a strong commitment to research and a high working level of English. The call text specified no IELTS or TOEFL score.
The previous call excluded applicants invited to an earlier VHIO PhD call interview, anyone doing or having completed a master’s at VHIO and candidates who had worked there for more than three months before the deadline.
3 How to prepare for the VHIO application
- Use the VHIO doctoral fellowship directory to find the 2027 instructions and live application portal when available.
- Gather transcripts and draft your application in English. The previous form asked for education, coursework, honours and awards, research experience and scientific interests. Transcripts in languages other than Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian or English needed a translation into one of those five languages.
- Line up two scientists outside VHIO who can discuss your academic record and research. One should be your current or most recent employer or supervisor under the previous rules. I would ask them early because they submit confidential letters through the portal themselves.
- When the new portal opens, register and select from that cycle’s labs. The 2026 call text allowed one online application with up to two lab choices. VHIO screened eligibility, shortlisted applicants for oral interviews in Barcelona and notified candidates by email. The call also provided for a reserve list and a review procedure for possible errors in eligibility screening or evaluation.
For eligibility questions, contact VHIO Academy at [email protected].
4 Avoid an incomplete reference file
The 2026 call text requested both letters by the deadline, while one answer in its official FAQ said at least one was needed for eligibility. Plan for both to arrive and follow the new call’s rule when published. The previous portal also barred edits after submission, so check referee email addresses and lab choices before finalising.
5 VHIO applicant questions
Can I apply while finishing my master’s?
The previous call allowed applicants who would earn the qualifying degree by its specified date. If a transcript was pending, the FAQ allowed official proof of enrolment or a letter confirming that the transcript was being issued. The 2027 degree-completion cutoff is unverified.
Do I need a supervisor’s approval before applying?
The previous call allowed you to indicate your preferred labs in the application without contacting supervisors beforehand.
How quickly did successful applicants have to respond?
The previous call gave successful candidates two weeks from notification to accept or decline. VHIO could consider a later start if the candidate provided a justification.
6 VHIO International PhD Fellowships 2027 deadline
The last date to apply for the VHIO International PhD Programme Fellowships for the 2027 intake is December 15, 2026.
