ICIQ Summer Fellowship 2026 in Spain: Closed Historical Reference

ICIQ Summer Fellowship 2026: closed historical reference

The ICIQ Summer Fellowship Programme 2026 was a paid undergraduate research opportunity at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia in Tarragona, Spain. Its application deadline was March 22, 2026, so this is no longer an open opportunity. The current official department page says “No matching jobs” and does not announce a subsequent call. Treat this page as an archive of the 2026 programme, not as an invitation to apply now.

The official page remains useful because it records the structure and conditions of the 2026 round. ICIQ described placements of up to three months in one of its research groups, with stays taking place between June and September. Fellows were to be mentored by an ICIQ PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, take part in the institute’s seminars and conferences, and finish with a short report and presentation about their work.

At a glance

The “up to” wording matters. The programme was not presented as a guaranteed ten-person cohort or as a flat €2,700 payment for every participant. ICIQ stated that it could offer up to nine fellowships, that a stay could last for fewer than three months, and that the stipend would then be proportional to time spent at the institute. The maximum monthly figure was €900, calculated from €30 per day.

What the 2026 programme offered

This fellowship was designed to give undergraduates a close view of research in a chemistry-focused institute. A successful fellow would join one of ICIQ’s research groups and work with scientists while receiving supervision from a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher. That arrangement is particularly relevant for students who want to learn how a research group actually operates: how a question becomes a project, how measurements or calculations are recorded, and how results are discussed when the first answer is incomplete.

The official description also included access to ICIQ seminars and conferences. These activities were part of the research environment rather than a separate classroom course. They could help a student understand the vocabulary of current work, compare experimental and computational approaches, and see how researchers present evidence to colleagues.

At the end of the stay, Summer Fellows were required to present a short report and presentation covering the work and results obtained. That requirement means the placement was not only about being present in a laboratory. A fellow needed to keep track of methods, observations, analysis, and limitations well enough to explain the project clearly at the end.

The 2026 page listed projects connected to materials for energy, computational catalysis, micromotors, transition-metal catalysis, molecular catalysts, sensors for bacterial biofilms, and related chemistry research. The exact project list belongs to the closed 2026 call; it should not be treated as a promise that the same supervisors or projects will appear in a future round.

Eligibility for the closed call

The programme was for undergraduate students with a background in Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline or area. ICIQ stated that applicants from different studies would not be considered. That makes subject fit important: a student should be able to explain a credible connection between their studies and the chemistry research carried out at ICIQ, rather than relying on a general interest in studying abroad.

ICIQ said that applicants were preferably in their third year or final year, or had completed at least 50% of their undergraduate credits by the time they accepted the fellowship. “Preferably” describes the programme’s preferred stage; it does not turn the page into a general graduate research opening. The official requirements explicitly state that graduate students were not eligible for this call.

The programme welcomed national and international undergraduate students. International eligibility did not remove immigration or insurance responsibilities. ICIQ warned that some nationalities might require a student visa and that an awarded fellow would need to have the visa ready before the stay began. Students from outside the European Union were required to obtain their own medical insurance for the duration of their stay. EU nationals were required to obtain a European Health Insurance Card before coming to ICIQ.

Those points are practical eligibility checks, not minor administrative details. A student could meet the academic criteria and still need to resolve visa and health-insurance requirements before accepting a placement. Because the 2026 call is closed, anyone considering a future ICIQ opportunity should reread the new announcement rather than assume that these conditions, dates, or project options will be unchanged.

Stipend and placement conditions

The 2026 conditions specified a research stay from June 1 to September 14, with a maximum stay of up to three months. Fellows received €30 per day, capped at €900 per month, for the period of their in-person stay at ICIQ. A student who stayed for less than three months would receive an amount proportional to the time spent at the institute; the published conditions therefore do not support describing every award as a guaranteed €2,700 lump sum.

The page also addressed remote work. If a fellow and supervisor agreed that part of the fellowship would be completed remotely, ICIQ stated that no stipend would be paid for that remote period. The financial description should therefore be read as support for time physically spent at ICIQ, not as an unconditional allowance covering every day of the programme or every cost of relocating to Tarragona.

Tax may reduce the amount received. ICIQ noted that, for scholarship beneficiaries considered non-residents, the general withholding under the cited Spanish tax rule would be 24%, or 19% for taxpayers resident in a European Union or European Economic Area member state. The official page also identifies separate medical-insurance obligations for non-EU and EU nationals. Students planning a comparable future placement should budget for housing, travel, food, local transport, insurance, visa costs where applicable, and any tax treatment that applies to them.

Application steps: what to do now

There is no current application to submit through the official department page. The page identifies the Summer Fellowship Programme, reports that there are no matching jobs, and retains the 2026 information with its March 22 deadline. The 2026 deadline has passed. Do not send a new application against that old date, and do not treat the archived research projects as active vacancies.

For the closed 2026 round, the sensible preparation sequence would have been:

1. Confirm undergraduate status and subject fit, including whether the student was in a relevant discipline and had reached the preferred stage of study.
2. Review the research projects and identify a small number of projects that matched the student’s preparation. The 2026 page listed project descriptions, supervisors, and expected tasks, so a serious application would need to connect prior coursework or research experience to a specific project rather than make a generic request.
3. Check the practical conditions before accepting anything: the June-to-September placement window, the maximum three-month duration, in-person stipend rules, possible visa requirements, and insurance obligations.
4. Follow the application instructions attached to the live call. The current page does not expose an open 2026 application form, so this archive should not be used to infer a document checklist or submission process for a future round.
5. Use the official department page for any new announcement. The page lists [email protected] as the programme contact, but the existence of that contact address is not an announcement that applications are open.

If ICIQ publishes a new call, the new notice should control the deadline, study requirements, research projects, required documents, and method of submission. Until then, the correct status is closed and unannounced, not ongoing.

How to use this archive responsibly

This entry can still help an undergraduate decide whether the programme would have been a good fit. The strongest match would be a student in chemistry or a closely related field who wants supervised research experience and can manage a temporary stay in Tarragona. A student should be comfortable with the possibility that the work may be experimental, computational, or a combination of both, depending on the research group. The 2026 projects ranged from data analysis and computational modelling to synthesis, materials characterization, electrochemistry, microscopy, and biological-sensor work.

The project descriptions also show why broad claims such as “any science student can apply” would be misleading. ICIQ named a defined group of academic backgrounds and said that applicants with different studies would not be considered. A student from applied mathematics or data science might have a plausible connection to a computational materials project, but that connection would need to be demonstrated. A student from biology might fit a project involving biofilms or biochemical methods, but the relevant chemistry connection would still matter. The official requirement is the boundary; this page should not widen it.

Likewise, the stipend should be considered support rather than proof that the placement is fully funded. The published conditions specify the daily rate, monthly maximum, proportional payment for shorter stays, and the absence of payment during agreed remote periods. They do not say that ICIQ pays airfare, housing, visa fees, or all living expenses. A future applicant should wait for the new call’s exact financial terms before making a relocation plan.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply now?

No. The 2026 call closed on March 22, 2026, and the current official department page says there are no matching jobs. No next cycle is announced there.

Was the stipend €2,700?

The 2026 programme specified €30 per day, up to €900 per month, for in-person time at ICIQ. A full three-month stay could reach €2,700 before any applicable withholding, but the page says shorter stays are paid proportionally and remote periods are unpaid.

Who was eligible?

The call addressed national and international undergraduate students with a background in Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline or area. ICIQ preferred students in their third or final year, or students who had completed at least half of their undergraduate credits by acceptance. Graduate students were not eligible for the 2026 call.

What happened during the placement?

Fellows worked with ICIQ research groups under the mentorship and supervision of a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher. They could attend ICIQ seminars and conferences and had to finish with a short report and presentation on their work and results.

Does this page announce the next round?

No. It is the official programme department page, but its current status is “No matching jobs.” It retains the 2026 description and deadline without announcing a successor call.

Where should I check for a future call?

Use the official ICIQ Summer Fellowship Programme page. If a new call appears, read that notice in full and use its dates, eligibility rules, project list, and application instructions. The 2026 details on this page are historical and should not be copied into a future application without checking them.