Evaluation phases and criteria

The selection process consists of three consecutive phases:

PHASE 1 - ELEGIBILITY:

All applications are reviewed to check the accomplishment of the eligibility criteria published in the rules for participation.

PHASE 2 – PRE-SELECTION:

Each eligible application is assessed remotely for at lest two evaluators with relevant experience in the same discipline. The criteria governing the evaluation in this phase are as follows:

1. Academic record and curriculum (50 %): the academic record and/or professional résumé are evaluated in relation to the candidate's career stage.

2. Motivation and statement of purpose (30 %): the originality, innovation and potential impact of the proposed statement are evaluated, as well as the choice of the host institution and/or the line of research.

3. Reference letters (20 %): reference letters are evaluated taking into account the specificity of their content with regard to the candidate and also the profile of the referee.

PHASE 3 – PERSONAL INTERVIEWS:

Preselected candidates are invited to a personal interview before a multidisciplinary committee, which evaluates them according to the criteria listed below:

1. Candidate's potential (40 %): experts pay attention to soft skills, such as clear consistent discourse and articulation of ideas, ability to present complex reasoning, team working; and capabilities such as independent reasoning, originality, entrepreneurship and leadership.

2. Motivation and impact (30 %): innovation, viability and impact of the project for the candidate and for the society in the broad sense are assessed.

3. Academic and professional background (30 %): the academic and professional background of the candidate is evaluated in relation to the stage of the career they are and the studies to pursue.

The Fellowships programme collaborates with a large number of experts from different disciplines, who participate yearly in the evaluation of applications. Rigour and transparency in the selection processes are crucial to guarantee the excellence of the fellowships programmes offered. For this reason, it is essential to have a database of experts that is dynamic and constantly being updated with new profiles, both in the academia and in the industry.

If you are interested in being in our database and collaborating as an expert evaluator in future calls, you can contact us by sending an e-mail to fellowships.evaluators@fundaciolacaixa.org together with your CV in PDF format or the link to the website where it can be seen.