ICFO jobs & fellowships

Welcome to ICFOjobs

Our job openings site and
online application interface

Please consult openings for further information on available projects and positions, as well as for elegibility, conditions, required application material and deadlines.

We invite displaced researchers and eligible MSc and PhD students, in particular those affected by the ongoing crisis in the world, to apply to the opening listed below that fits best their case. A statement describing clearly the applicant’s situation and eligibility is to be included in the corresponding presentation letter. Here you can find information about EU support mechanisms for refugee and at-risk researchers.

Dear applicant,

In the event that you have lost the acknowledging e-mail containing the link providing access to your application, you may retrieve your data by completing the form below.

Please, provide the required data and click on the ‘submit’ button. You will receive an e-mail, containing the link to your application.

In case of any troubles, please contact us at jobs@icfo.eu.

Are you interested in a position or a specific opening at ICFO, browsed our FAQs section, but still have a question you would need us to answer? Would you like to know more about a career at ICFO, or the application process? If so, please do not hesitate to contact us by submitting the form below.

Contents

Job openings

Post-doctoral Researchers

Group Opening

Staff Researchers

Project Engineers

PhD-fellows

ICFO offers several pathways for talented and motivated candidates interested in pursuing a PhD within one of our Research Groups.

All PhD students admitted to ICFO receive a fully funded fellowship.

To be considered for institutional PhD fellowships, candidates must apply to the official PhD Fellowship Program Calls.

In addition, candidates may also submit separate applications to Group Openings advertised by specific research groups.

If no fellowship calls or group openings are open at the time of application, students who wish to pursue a PhD at ICFO are encouraged to contact the Group Leader(s) of the research groups they are interested in joining. Candidates should include their CV and a motivation/presentation letter when reaching out.

Students may also join ICFO with their own funding or through external fellowships such as the LaCaixa INPhINIT Incoming and Retaining calls. Interested candidates should apply directly to such programs and are likewise encouraged to contact the prospective the Group Leader(s) in advance.

For general information regarding ICFO fellowships and specific calls, please contact us at https://www.icfo.eu.

Currently we have the following call(s) open:

Group Opening

Undergraduate and Master Students

General Call

ICFO offers a variety of internship opportunities for talented and motivated Bachelor’s and Master’s students interested in undertaking a Final Degree Project, Master’s Thesis, or a Research Stay within one of our Research groups.

Students may join ICFO through our specialized Fellowship Programs when these are available. Alternatively, students can be hosted through funding programs such as Erasmus+, in which case they should apply through their home institution. If no ICFO fellowship programs are open at the time of application, students are encouraged to contact the group leaders directly. Some financial support may be provided by the host group. Please send the following documents when contacting the group leader(s) of your interest:

  • A cover letter explaining your research interests, why you want to join that particular ICFO group, your career goals and any specific requests in terms of period and duration of the internship.
  • Your CV including education, relevant experience, skills, and publications (if any).

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at jobs@icfo.eu.

Admin & Technical Engineers

Tech Transfer & Business Development

Assessor/a Juridic/a - Innovacio i financament competitiu

ICFO cerca un/a Assessor/a Jurídic/a per incorporar-se a l’Equip Legal, amb un enfocament principal en donar suport jurídic a les activitats d’Innovació i Finançament Competitiu, tot contribuint també a altres àrees legals gestionades per l’equip.

Aquest rol treballarà estretament amb l’equip de Coneixement i Transferència de Tecnologia (KTT), l’equip de Finançament Competitiu, l’equip de Control Financer de Projectes, Afers Acadèmics, els grups de recerca i la direcció, donant suport en els aspectes contractuals, de propietat intel·lectual i reguladors de projectes de col·laboració en recerca i innovació.

La persona seleccionada proporcionarà suport en la redacció, revisió i assessorament legal en una àmplia gamma d’acords i qüestions relacionades amb el finançament, contribuint a la solidesa i al compliment normatiu de les activitats de recerca i innovació d’ICFO.

Aquesta convocatòria s’emet en el marc de l’Oferta Pública d’Ocupació (OPO 2026) d’ICFO, aprovada pel Patronat d’ICFO el 19 de gener de 2026, i d’acord amb la Llei 14/2011 de la ciència, la tecnologia i la innovació, la Llei 9/2022 del sistema català de ciència, l’Estatut bàsic de l’empleat públic (Reial decret legislatiu 5/2015 – EBEP) i la Llei 19/2014 de transparència, accés a la informació pública i bon govern.

FUNCIONS PRINCIPALS

  • Proporcionar suport legal en matèries relacionades amb la innovació, la transferència de tecnologia, el finançament competitiu, el control financer de projectes i els afers acadèmics, en estreta col·laboració amb els equips interns.
  • Redactar, revisar i assessorar sobre una àmplia gamma d’acords, incloent NDAs, MTAs, acords de col·laboració, contractes de serveis, acords de llicència i contractes de recerca.
  • Donar suport als equips interns implicats en activitats d’innovació i transferència de tecnologia durant les negociacions contractuals amb empreses privades i entitats públiques, proporcionant orientació legal i garantint el compliment normatiu i la mitigació de riscos.
  • Proporcionar suport legal en projectes de finançament competitiu i col·laboracions en R+D, incloent convocatòries nacionals, europees i internacionals, amb especial atenció als Grant Agreements (GA), Consortium Agreements (CA), esmenes i documentació contractual associada.
  • Revisar termes i condicions, criteris d’elegibilitat i requisits legals de noves convocatòries de finançament competitiu per avaluar l’elegibilitat d’ICFO i garantir l’alineació amb les polítiques internes.
  • Assessorar sobre titularitat de la propietat intel·lectual, drets d’accés, explotació i difusió en el context de projectes col·laboratius i finançats competitivament.
  • Donar suport a la redacció i execució d’acords de llicència, acords d’inversió, pactes de socis i altres instruments legals relacionats amb spin-offs d’ICFO i iniciatives tecnològiques.
  • Supervisar les relacions contractuals amb tercers en activitats d’innovació, col·laboració en recerca i transferència de tecnologia.
  • Contribuir a la revisió, actualització i desenvolupament de polítiques internes, plantilles i procediments d’ICFO en matèria d’innovació, propietat intel·lectual i finançament competitiu.
  • Fer seguiment de l’evolució normativa que afecta les organitzacions de recerca i innovació i proposar millores a les pràctiques internes.
  • Coordinar-se amb altres membres de l’Equip Legal per garantir la coherència del marc legal i de compliment normatiu d’ICFO.
  • Proporcionar orientació i formació interna en matèria contractual, de propietat intel·lectual i finançament, quan sigui necessari.
  • Contribuir, quan calgui, a altres àrees legals cobertes per l’equip (governança, compliment normatiu, relacions contractuals, etc.).

Share this opening!

Use the following URL:
https://jobs.icfo.eu/?detail=1091

QUALIFICACIONS I EXPERIÈNCIA REQUERIDES

Qualificacions

  • Grau en Dret i habilitació per exercir l’advocacia a Espanya o en una altra jurisdicció de la UE.
    Experiència requerida
  • Experiència demostrable (mínim 5 anys) en els àmbits descrits, preferiblement en una institució de recerca, universitat, centre tecnològic o despatx d’advocats.
  • Experiència sòlida en redacció i revisió d’acords complexos en entorns internacionals.
  • Coneixement sòlid de la propietat intel·lectual en entorns de R+D col·laborativa.
  • Familiaritat amb programes europeus de finançament (p. ex. Horizon Europe).
  • Excel·lents capacitats analítiques, organitzatives i de resolució de problemes.
  • Bones habilitats de comunicació amb perfils no jurídics.
  • Es valorarà experiència en altres àmbits legals institucionals.

Idiomes

  • Anglès fluid (obligatori).
  • Català o castellà fluid. El coneixement de l’altra llengua serà valorat.

Altres competències

  • Capacitat de treball autònom i en equip.
  • Mentalitat proactiva i orientada al servei.
  • Interès per la recerca i la innovació.

QUÈ OFERIM

  • Model de treball híbrid: Gaudeix de la flexibilitat d’un model de treball híbrid que afavoreix un bon equilibri entre la vida personal i professional.
  • Jornada laboral estàndard: Beneficia’t d’una jornada de 37,5 hores setmanals, que permet disposar de temps per a interessos personals.
  • Calendari laboral atractiu: Gaudeix d’un calendari amb dies de vacances i festius generosos.
  • Desenvolupament professional: Accedeix a una àmplia oferta de programes de formació i cursos d’idiomes per potenciar les teves competències i el teu creixement professional.
  • Retribució flexible: Participa en programes de retribució flexible, adaptant els beneficis a les teves necessitats.
  • Suport al desplaçament: Utilitza el servei gratuït diari d’autobús llançadora entre Barcelona i ICFO, facilitant els teus desplaçaments.
  • Entorn inclusiu: Forma part d’un entorn de treball divers i inclusiu, reconegut pel seu compromís amb la igualtat i premiat per les seves iniciatives en diversitat i inclusió.

CONDICIONS

Aquesta és una posició a temps complet.

El contracte ofert serà indefinit, vinculat a l’Oferta Pública d’Ocupació (OPO) d’ICFO aprovada i regit pel marc laboral aplicable del sector públic.

S’aplicarà un període de prova de 6 mesos, d’acord amb la normativa laboral interna d’ICFO i el marc laboral del sector públic aplicable.

S’oferirà un salari d’acord amb les taules salarials aprovades pel Patronat d’ICFO, en funció del nivell de la posició i de l’experiència del/la candidat/a.

Per presentar la teva candidatura, si us plau, envia:

  • el teu currículum
  • una carta de motivació descrivint la teva experiència
  • les dades de contacte de dues referències professionals

El procés de selecció s’ajustarà als principis d’obertura, transparència i mèrit (OTM-R) i constarà de les fases següents:


    1. Verificació dels requisits de les candidatures rebudes.
    2. Avaluació dels mèrits (formació, experiència i coneixement de la normativa).
    3. Prova escrita, per avaluar coneixements tècnics vinculats al lloc de treball.
    4. Entrevista personal amb les persones finalistes.

El Comitè de Selecció estarà format per un mínim de tres membres, garantirà l’equilibri de gènere i actuarà amb imparcialitat.

Cada fase del procés serà degudament documentada, i les persones candidates seran informades del resultat en un termini màxim de 15 dies hàbils després de la finalització de les entrevistes.

PROTECCIÓ DE DADES

D’acord amb el Reglament (UE) 2016/679 (GDPR) i la Llei Orgànica 3/2018, de Protecció de Dades Personals i garantia dels drets digitals, s’informa les persones candidates que les seves dades personals seran tractades exclusivament per a finalitats de selecció de personal.

  • Responsable del tractament: Fundació ICFO – Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Av. Carl Friedrich Gauss, 3, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona).
  • Delegat/da de Protecció de Dades (DPD): dpo@icfo.eu
  • Base jurídica: Execució d’una missió d’interès públic.
  • Drets: accés, rectificació, supressió, limitació i oposició.
  • Autoritat de control: Autoritat Catalana de Protecció de Dades (APDCAT) – https://apdcat.gencat.cat

Els expedients de selecció es conservaran d’acord amb el calendari de conservació d’arxius del sector públic català (DOGC 2117).

Referència: 1091

25th of April, 2026

Identify your interests

As your career goals and research interests are an integral part of the selection procedure itself, apart from the ICFOjobs site, we encourage you to browse ICFO’s corporate website to learn more about ICFO’s research activities and to identify the projects and/or areas that best match your background. We also recommend that you visit Careers @ ICFO. A clear indication of your interests and goals in your presentation letter will help us in reviewing your candidacy.

Did you identify an opening meeting your interest and career goals? Then, we are looking forward to your application!

Should there be no opening matching your interest or background, please contact us at jobs@icfo.eu or directly contact with the relevant ICFO Group Leaders or Unit Heads to explore potential future possibilities in their fields.

The application process

If you have identified an opening matching your interests, please read carefully the information about requirements, conditions and necessary application material and start the application process. Candidatures should be submitted online via ICFOjobs, our online application interface, in a 2-step procedure:

  1. Registration:
    The button ‘Apply to this opening’ takes you to the online application form, gathering your personal data for identification purposes. Once submitted, you will receive a link by e-mail, which you must follow in order to continue the application process.
  2. Application:
    In this second step of the process you will be asked to provide further details and the necessary application material, as well as, in some of the openings, to indicate potential referees. All enclosed documentation must be in PDF format or plain text.

Once the application form is complete and the relevant material has been uploaded, submit your candidature by clicking on the ‘apply’ button. Candidates will receive an automatic reply acknowledging submission including a reference number for further enquiries or updates (within deadline).

By submitting an application, you grant ICFO permission to use the provided data for the recruiting process. (See Data Protection Policy.)

The review process

Applications will first be reviewed to assure that they meet the requirements and conditions as indicated in the job opening. Candidatures will then be evaluated by the corresponding Selection Committee according to the selection criteria of each opening. ICFO is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are selected exclusively on merit and potential on the basis of submitted application material. No restrictions related to disabilities, citizenship or gender apply to ICFO positions. ICFO abides by the principles of openness, efficiency, transparency, supportiveness, and international comparability as stated in the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

ICFO will notify candidates who are selected to pass to the next stage in the review process. Candidates who do not pass the first step of the review process will be notified of the outcome of their application at this time.

When requested, reference letters play an important role in supporting the candidate in the review process. Unless the call applied for indicate specific requirements in that sense, referees will be automatically contacted by ICFO requesting them to complete a standardized evaluation form and submit a letter of support for the candidates. Candidates should by no means submit a reference letter in support of their own candidature on behalf of their referees. The members of the selection committee will have access to reference letters.

On-site or online interviews (aiming at discussing the candidate’s suitability, project contents, hiring conditions and legal matters, etc.) with the Selection committee may be scheduled.

Notification of results

All candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application. Possible results are:

  1. Rejection:
    The Selection Committee reaches the conclusion that the background of other candidate(s) appears to be more suitable for the position.
  2. Waiting list:
    Candidate(s) may be placed on a waiting list based on the shortlist proposed by the Selection Committee. Candidate(s) on this list may receive an offer in the event that the top-candidate does not accept the position. Waiting list candidates will receive a final decision as soon as the top-candidate confirms acceptance.
  3. Acceptance / offer:
    ICFO extends an official offer, asking the selected candidate for formal confirmation of acceptance.

The selection process is completed as soon as the candidate confirms acceptance of the offered position and a tentative starting date has been agreed.

After acceptance @ ICFO

Staff of the ICFO Human Resources and Education Unit will assist new ICFO members with the following procedures:

  • Support with administrative and legal matters related to arriving and settling in, including immigration formalities (Visa application process, etc.) and personal assistance in relocation.
  • Particularly for PhD-students: Information and advice on the necessary academic documentation to be gathered and submitted for enrollment in the PhD in Photonics program, including information about how to legalize previous studies (e.g. BSc, MSc, etc.) whenever necessary, as well as registration to the doctorate program and academic planning.

ICFO’s applicant database

The applicant database and all applications received through ICFOjobs, are managed by the staff of ICFO’s Human Resources and Education Unit. All information is handled with due confidentiality and solely for the purpose mentioned, and will be made available to the members of the Selection Committee in so far as they are necessary for the management of the process.

As indicated through the application process, other relevant information is also gathered for statistical purposes or in order to verify the eligibility requirements indicated in the corresponding call.

Do I have to submit my application exclusively online or may I also submit a hard copy?

ICFO only accepts applications submitted online via the ICFOjobs interface. As an exception, and only in case of force-majeure problems with electronic submission, candidates may submit their application in hard copy within the deadline.

Is it possible to apply for more than one opening? May I apply even if I have been considered for an ICFO opening in the past (i.e., re-application)?

Yes.

Do I receive a confirmation acknowledging reception of my application?

Yes.

Is it possible to update my personal data or application material? Likewise, will I be able to delete my application (and therefore all personal data)?

In the first step of application, through the online application form, you will have to provide your personal data including your contact e-mail. Once submitted, you will receive an acknowledging e-mail, containing a link which you have to follow in order to continue with the procedure (submission of application material, etc.). Via the link you receive by e-mail, you will also be able to update your data and application material (within the established deadlines) or even to withdraw your application.

In case of questions - whom shall I contact for help in submitting my application?

Please contact the recruiting staff of ICFO’s Human Resources at jobs@icfo.eu.

Particularly for PhD- and Postdoctoral openings: Is it possible to apply even if I have not yet finished the minimum academic qualification required?

Yes, unless the call explicitly indicates otherwise, but please indicate this clearly in your presentation letter. In general, candidates should hold an internationally-recognized degree or evidence of its completion before the prospective starting date.

Applications need to be supported by reference letters. How should these be submitted?

For exact details on how to proceed with reference letters, please check the specific opening you are applying for. In general, you will be requested to indicate name, institution, contact data, and relationship in the last part of the online application form. Depending on the opening, referees will be automatically contacted by ICFO requesting them to complete a standardized evaluation form and submit a letter of support for the candidates. Candidates should by no means submit a reference letter in support of their own candidature on behalf of their referees.

Submission of academic transcripts and degrees?

The required documentation to be submitted for application is indicated in the ‘application process’ of each opening. In general, ICFO will ask that you provide a copy of your most recent academic degree certificate. Additionally, and particularly for fellowships and internship positions, ICFO will also need you to submit scanned copies of your academic transcripts (current and previous studies). The academic transcripts contain the list of courses, including the credits and marks obtained. Provisional degree certificates are generally accepted by ICFO.

The application form requires the indication of my GPA – what shall I indicate?

GPA stands for Grade Point Average. Apart from other criteria, selection for ICFO positions, above all for fellowships and internships, is measured in terms of the academic performance. In this regard, ICFO needs an indication of the average of your final overall grade obtained in your studies (stated in your transcripts), the minimum grade required to pass in your university and the maximum grade that can be achieved or the overall qualification obtained in your PhD-studies (for applicants with a PhD-degree).

Retrieve your application

Contact

You can write an email to Human Resources and Education at ICFO.

Appendix

No vacancies matching your profile?

In the event that there are no published vacancies matching your academic or professional background, you may contact us at jobs@icfo.eu.

Data Protection Statement

ICFO endeavours to safeguard and protect the privacy and confidentiality of your personal data pursuant to applicable laws (GDPR) and implementing regulations.

To help achieve this goal ICFO has drafted a Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use and otherwise handle “Personal Information” we receive from you when you use ICFO websites and explains the circumstances in which we may transfer this to others.

The full policy can be found in ICFO's main website.

Our Data Privacy Policy must be read together with any other legal notices or terms and conditions also available on our Website (Terms of use and Cookies Policy).

If you have any questions in relation to this Data Privacy Policy, or if you would like to contact us to exercise your rights as stated in our Privacy Policy, you should check ICFO's website.