Questions most commonly asked by candidates

Is there any nationality restriction to apply for AECC Talent?

Candidates of all nationalities are welcome to apply to this postdoctoral programme as long as they comply with the MSCA mobility rule and Spanish immigration policies.

I have lived in Spain before call deadline, can I still apply?

Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the programme’s call deadline. AECC Talent is willing to support applicants with special needs or displaced by conflicts, therefore a more flexible mobility rule will apply in these cases.

My PhD degree was awarded more than 8 years ago, can I still apply?

At the deadline of the programme’s call, applicants must hold a doctoral degree and have a maximum of 8 years of experience in research, after PhD, following the criteria outlined for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships. AECC TALENT is willing to support applicants with career breaks, thus if applicants hold a doctoral degree for over 8 years, they due to justified reasons (e.g. maternity/paternity leave, long-term sick leave) a more flexible experience rule will apply.

Explanatory note about the calculation of the 8-year postdoctoral experience eligibility requirement

On page 6 the guidelines state:

Experienced Researcher (ER): at the deadline of the programme’s call, applicants must hold a doctoral degree and have a maximum of 8 years of experience in research, after PhD, following the criteria outlined for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships. AECC TALENT is willing to support applicants with career breaks, thus if applicants hold a doctoral degree for over 8 years, they due to justified reasons (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, long-term sick leave) a more flexible experience rule will apply following the guidelines of the European Research Executive Agency. 

The guideline of the REA are linked only to indicate the list of justified reasons that can be considered for the calculation of the 8-year experience but the date for this calculation is the call’s deadline. Therefore, applicants that have received their PhD after 23/11/2015 (and not 13/09/2015) are automatically eligible to apply provided the remaining eligibility criteria are met.  

On page 8 the guidelines state:  

Scanned Doctoral Degree: (no older than 8 years by the time of application deadline on November 23rd, 2023). Applicants that do not meet this requirement due to justified career breaks (e.g., maternity/paternity leave) must state this in the application form and attach the supporting document together with the degree (generating a PDF with both documents). 

Aligned with the first point, if the Doctoral degree was issued more than 8-year prior to call deadline applicants may still be eligible if they comply with the justified reasons. Therefore, in some cases a document older than 8 years old may be valid. 

Example. Doctoral degree 9 years old + maternity leave 18 Months= 7,5 years 

Am I eligible for the family allowance?

This allowance is eligible for those fellows with family obligations during the fellowship duration, i.e.. persons linked to him/her by (i)marriage, or (ii)a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country where the relationship was formalized, or (iii) dependent children who are being maintained by the researcher. Family assistance will be determined on the fellowship start date and it will be reviewed annually.

Can I apply via email?

No, the application process will be centralized in FCAECC’s GMS and applications received via e-mail will not be accepted.

What document do I need to provide to proof my English proficiency?

In the absence of a recognised language certificate, a University Degree or Doctoral certificate issued in a country where English is the first language, or English is the official language of the programme may also be accepted as proof of adequate level of English. Moreover, if applicants have professional experience of having worked or researched in an English speaking country or international institute they can provide proof of this professional experience as evidence of their English knowledge.

Language proficiency may be further assessed in the personal interviews of invited applicants. Native English speakers are exempt from this requirement.

How do I register as an applicant in GMS?

Go to GMS and click on Register to start your registration. Check the GMS User Guide for detailed step-by-step information. For users based outside of Spain, please proceed by choosing Individual Registration

Through GMS applicants, awardees and/or managers will be able to stay in touch with the FCAECC team and:

• Manage an application during the whole process, from submission to the resolution of the call.
• Check the status of an application, consult all notifications and communications securely and confidentially.
• Complete all the procedures associated with the monitoring of an awarded grant. (researchers)

How do I know if I have submitted my application correctly?

Once you complete and submit your application correctly, the message “Submission Successful” will appear on your screen. Moreover, you will be able to check all the GMS communication in the e-mail section of GMS.

If my hosting centre has an Application/Grant Manager, how can I add him/her to the application?

Once the Application has been initiated by the Applicant, he/she will be able to add manager to manage the application on his/her behalf in the Applicant Information tab. To do so the manager must also be registered in the system. Please check with your own research centre whether there are managers available to support you with your application.