Application deadline EXTENDED: 15th July 9th September 2026, 23:59 CET
The call for applications and nominations for this year’s Psi-k Early-Career Investigator Awards is now open: the Psi-k Volker Heine Early-Career Investigator (VHECI) Award, which celebrates individual scientific achievements by early-career investigators in our field, and the Psi-k Collaborating Early-Career Investigators (CECI) Award, which celebrates exemplary scientific achievements obtained thanks to work in collaboration between early-career investigators.
We encourage applications from, and nominations of, early-career researchers of all backgrounds and are committed to ensuring that diverse and non linear career paths are fully recognised.
Who should apply / nominate?
Applicants may be of any nationality and can be working anywhere in the world for both awards.
Researchers who have not yet completed a PhD can also apply for both awards.
Applications for the awards may be made by the early-career investigators themselves. Any member of the Psi-k community may also nominate eligible candidates or teams.
We encourage all members of Psi-k to consider applying or nominating others for these awards - this is a great opportunity to highlight the richness of the science done in our community, and the diversity of the people who do it. We particularly encourage applications and nominations from individuals and teams who have experienced non linear career paths and from groups that are under represented in science. We note that, historically, under-represented groups in our community have been even more under-represented in the applications for Psi-k Early Investigator Awards; for example, in the last round fewer than 10% of the applicants were women. We urge every individual in the community to reflect on this and we look forward to receiving a truly representative set of applications.
Equity and eligibility
We recognise that excellent research careers are often non-linear. For both awards the eligibility period can be extended for properly documented circumstances, including parental leave (maternity and paternity), long term illness, disability, national service, clinical training, major disasters, seeking asylum, and violence.
We broadly adopt the approach of the European Research Council Work Programme 2026. Some examples include:
Maternity: 18 months per child, or the documented longer maternity leave taken.
Paternity: extension by the documented length of paternity leave taken.
Long term illness or national service: extension by the documented amount of leave.
Disability: extension corresponding to reduced working time and/or degree of disability.
Clinical training: extension by documented clinical training (up to 4 years).
Major disasters, seeking asylum, or violence: extension by the documented time of inability to work.
Further details are provided in the links below for each award. If you are unsure about your eligibility or how extensions apply to you, please contact us; all queries will be handled confidentially.
Panels will consider uninterrupted trajectories and trajectories with eligibility period extensions on an equal footing.
Further details and how to apply