The Spinoza fund is accommodated and managed by the Amsterdam University Fund (AUF) of the University of Amsterdam.
Researchers are eligible for application if they received a PhD degree less than five years ago, have a temporary contract with Amsterdam UMC or Research BV, and their application is supported by one of the eight research institutes of Amsterdam UMC:
- Cancer Center Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences
- Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism
- Amsterdam institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development
- Amsterdam Movement Sciences
- Amsterdam Public Health
- Amsterdam Neuroscience
In the Call and Application form, suggestions for spending of the Startstipendium are mentioned, as well as all conditions. Please read them carefully and apply when you meet the criteria. The deadline for applying is Thursday 4th of July 2024 at 23:59h.
Teachers are eligible for application if they are teaching in one of the programmes of the Faculty of Medicine of the UvA (with or without a PhD degree), have at least a temporary contract with Amsterdam UMC, and if their application is supported by both the managing board of the programme they are teaching in and the head of the department the teacher is working for.
The Amsterdam University Fund and Amsterdam UMC take the perspectives of their respective Gender Equality Plans and Diversity & Inclusion policies into consideration during the selection procedure (GEP/D&I Amsterdam UMC – GEP/D&I University of Amsterdam).
The call opens on May 16th 2024 and the deadline for applying is Thursday 4th of July 2024 at 23:59h.
Application process
Your application should be sent in via this website; the separate application buttons for a research proposal and an educational proposal will be added in the course of June.
An eligibility check will be done in July. A selection committee of Amsterdam UMC will assess the proposals in July/August to advise the eight research institutes and Teaching & Learning Centre of the Faculty of Medicine on the quality of the proposals and the fit with faculty or programme aims and strategy. The Boards of the research institutes and TLC will each nominate one candidate, so nine nominations in total, to the Amsterdam University Fund (AUF). The decision on the allocation of the nine grants will be taken by the Board of the AUF in October 2024, after which applicants will be informed. The grants will be awarded around the end of 2024. In any communication about the awarded project should be stated that it has been made possible through a Startstipendium from the Amsterdam University Fund. In return, the Fund will support you to generate impact with your project by way of different forms of communication (website, LinkedIn, interview, etc.).
Conditions for application
Your application needs to meet the following conditions in order to be taken into consideration:
- For researchers, the application must be complete and written in English. For teachers, the application must be complete and written in either English or Dutch;
- The application is submitted including the required additional documents via the button on this webpage;
- The applicant has a temporary contract with Amsterdam UMC (including the Research BV) during which you will execute the proposed project;
- The proposed project is embedded in/affiliated with one of the research institutes of Amsterdam UMC or one of the programmes within the Faculty of Medicine UvA;
The project proposal is submitte befote Thursday 4th of July 2024 at 23:59h.
FAQ
1. Can the funding be used to cover my own salary?
Both material as well as personnel expenses of third parties are eligible for funding. For example, proposals to spend the budget on the use of facilities, buying of equipment, buying or development of software, or hiring of other people who will perform part of the tasks of the applicant (lab technicians, student assistants, teaching assistants, etc.) are eligible. However, it is not allowed to finance one’s own salary; proposed budgets that contain costs for the salary or contract extension of the applicant will be rejected before assessment.
2. I am employed by the Research BV on a permanent contract but with an expiry date, am I eligible?
Employees of the Research BV who have a permanent contract on temporary (project) money whose contract terminates when the funding ends, will be considered eligible. This will be checked by HR after their application.
3. I have obtained my PhD degree more than five years ago, but have had maternity/parental/sickness leave or medical training. Can I still apply?
We adhere to the NWO Extension clause (Extensieregeling) that gives applicants for personal grants additional time on grounds of care responsibilities, medical training, or sick leave. In short:
For parents: Maximum extension for the time limit after obtaining their PhD is 18 months for biological mothers and 6 months for the other parent per child. The maximum overall extension per parent is five years. Please provide proof of the leave period.
In case of training to become a clinical specialist: extension on ground of a completed course or a course which will end before the expiry date of the start of the Startstipendium project can be applied for, see the list of courses on the NWO webpage. The total accumulated time after the PhD devoted to this training may be added to the period set for the grant. Please add evidence (training plan or specialist registration). The maximum extension is five years.
In case of sickness leave: In the case of long-term illness after obtaining the PhD, the formal reduction in working hours is compensated, to be demonstrated by means of an HR overview of the leave registration.
4. I have finished my PhD project, but not defended my thesis yet.
Similar to the NWO guidelines for a VENI application, the candidate for a Startstipendium must have defended their thesis already at the moment of application.
Contact
In case of questions, please contact rs-startstipendiumAUF@amsterdamumc.nl