Visiting Scholars Awards

The CQA Visiting Scholars Awards program aims to attract visiting faculty or researchers to engage in research collaboration, teaching, outreach and/or community engagement activities within the CQA community. Visiting faculty are encouraged to offer lectures & seminars within the academic & training programs of the participating QCA institutes at the undergraduate, master or PhD level. 

The length of the stay may be from 2-weeks to up to 6 months. 

Applications should include a brief description of the proposed activities, including collaborative research planned, teaching, outreach and/or public engagement, and must be supported by a host group at a participating university or research institution.  

Host institutions may be universities or public research centers participating in the CQA. A list of participating institutions can be found here:  

https://cataloniaquantum.eu/about/. 

The applicant and/or the host group may apply to the CQA Technical Office by email via cqa@icfo.eu or via webform.

The selection of the fellows will be based on merit according to the candidates’ academic qualifications, research excellence, international reputation, and the value added to the host institution and CQA community through the proposed activities.  

Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee appointed by the CQA Coordination Board, with a rolling evaluation at end of each month until all grants are filled. 

Fellowships may cover direct travel costs to and from Barcelona, accommodation, and a per-diem up to a maximum specified by relevant institutional policies at the host institute. 

The award may be supplemented by additional funding from the host institution and/or other funding sources (e.g., Fulbright Scholarship), provided this is compatible with the regulations covering the other funding source. 

For stays of up to 15 days, the CQA Visiting Scholars Award will cover: 

• Travel costs for the visiting researcher to and from Barcelona at the start and end of the stay 

• Accommodation for the duration for the stay up to a maximum of €175 per day 

• An honorarium of €150 gross/per hour for teaching activities 

• A stipend of €38 gross / per day to cover per diem expenses 

For stays of between 16 days and 6 months, the CQA Visiting Scholars Award will cover: 

• Travel costs for the visiting researcher to and from Barcelona at the start and end of the stay 

• Accommodation for the duration for the stay up to a maximum of €1500 per month 

• An honorarium of €150 per hour for teaching activities 

• A stipend of €38 per day to cover per diem expenses 

The length of the stay will be calculated based on the total number of days from the day of arrival at the host institute to the day of departure, both inclusive. 

Teaching activities include lectures and seminars given in formal academic programs at the undergraduate, master’s or PhD level at a participating CQA institution, as included in the application and agreed with the host institute. 

The fellowship funds cannot be used to cover overhead expenses either at the host institution or at the visiting researcher’s home institution / employer. 

The host institution is responsible for formalizing the stay through a corresponding agreement with the visiting researcher and/or their employer to cover the period of the stay according to institutional regulations in place at the host institution.  

Following approval of the fellowship, funding will be transferred to the corresponding host institution for the purpose of hosting the research stay, which will be formalized according to standard procedures in place. 

Unused funds will be returned if the full stay cannot be completed. 

Visiting researchers are responsible for ensuring they have an appropriate visa and insurance for their stay. The CQA will not provide immigration or relocation support. Applicants may, however, request advice from their chosen host institute. 

Candidates may contact the CQA at any time by email on cqa@icfo.eu. 

In accordance with the provisions of the Spanish Law 3/2018, of December 5, on the Protection of Personal Data and the guarantee of digital rights (LOPDGDD) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we hereby inform you that personal data you provided as part of the selection process in the programs carried out by the Catalonia Quantum Academy (CQA) in which you are participating, or may participate in the future, will be processed by ICFO, which manages the CQA aiming at accomplishing the selection process. Said information will be handled with due confidentiality and solely for the purpose mentioned and may be provided to those entities or persons associated to CQA in the context of the selection process, and only as far as strictly necessary for the management of the process. For any inquiries, you can refer to the CQA Privacy Policy and reach out via email to the address dataprotection@icfo.eu.