First 2025 Open Call for Applications: Coordinate a Course or apply for a Research Fellowship in Biotechnology

Following our mission to build biotechnology capacities within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, UNU-BIOLAC aims to help prepare and capacitate professionals. As of April 1st, 2025, UNU-BIOLAC will be accepting applications for the organization of training courses or the conduction of 3-month fellowships in research centres in Latin America and the Caribbean. These academic activities are to be executed during the first semester of 2026. 

Training courses are to be co-funded by UNU-BIOLAC throughout the LAC countries and carried out by highly qualified academics and researchers in the diverse fields of biotechnology. Applications are sought from biotechnology researchers who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering social impact from biotechnology. The role to be played by our academic collaborators is of great importance for the UNU-BIOLAC mission. Our goal is to empower and support qualified professionals in implementing live academic activities all over the region and to incorporate them as allies of UNU-BIOLAC, the United Nations University and the United Nations.

As for fellowships, Applications are sought from LAC graduate students and researchers who pursue the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering social impact in biotechnology. All candidates must have been accepted by the receiving institution and supported by a sending institution or pertinent local authority before proceeding with the application.

This call is open to researchers/academics from Latin America and the Caribbean whose research focus is biotechnology sensu stricto. These must be engaged in active research or pursuit of new research opportunities in, but not limited to, high-throughput and deep sequencing of genomes, metagenomic analysis and the discovery, characterisation and/or expression of new genes and biological functions in homologous or heterologous systems, creation and use of new biomaterials, engineering of genes, genomes, tissues and organs, whole organisms or even complete communities, drug discovery, vaccine development, omics technologies, fight against diseases in plants and animals (including humans), etc.

For 2026, UNU-BIOLAC is encouraging scientists to delve into:

The use of biotechnology as a means to solve problems of a scientific nature.

The generation of biotechnological solutions/products derived from basic or applied science.

The application deadline will be April 30th, 2025. 

For full details and application requirements, see the UNU-BIOLAC Training Courses page or the Fellowships page.