• The aim of the award organised by the Seville Institute of Materials Science (ICMS), a joint centre run by the CSIC and the University of Seville, is to encourage the training of future scientists
• There are a total of seven awards aimed at university students who have completed their undergraduate or master’s thesis during the 23/24–24/25 academic years
• Those interested must submit their application along with the required documentation by 10 November 2025
• The ICMS is holding an open day for university students to raise awareness of the opportunities and benefits of starting a research career at the centre

The Seville Institute of Materials Science (ICMS), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Seville, has launched the ‘Future Researchers Awards’, comprising a total of seven awards of up to 3,000 euros for the best students in the field of materials science who have completed their Master’s or undergraduate dissertation in the last two academic years.

The aim of these awards is to train future scientists from the earliest stages, which is why the prize includes a placement at the ICMS. This initiative forms part of the Talent Attraction and Training strategy included in the ICMS’s excellence plan, which is currently being implemented as part of the Development of Excellence Strategies under the MaX-CSIC Project (DEEP-MaX).

Students from any university may therefore submit their proposals by 10 November 2025 for the two categories of awards on offer. Specifically, the ICMS has designed a first category comprising five prizes of 800 euros for students who have defended their final-year dissertation during the 2023/2024 or 2024/2025 academic years, and which includes a 200-hour placement.

In addition, the research centre has offered a further two prizes of 3,000 euros for students who have defended their Master’s Thesis during the same period; their placements will last 400 hours. In both cases, the placements will take place during the 2025/2026 academic year, at a time agreed between the supervisors and students; failure to comply with the work plan for the placement will result in the award having to be repaid.

The successful candidates will select the project to be carried out during their placement from among the proposals to be published on the ICMS website, to be undertaken within one of the ICMS’s research groups, in application areas such as nanotechnology, energy, the environment and the design of functional materials.

Furthermore, the competition rules state that degree programmes must be related to the ICMS’s research areas, such as bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Engineering or Chemical Engineering, as well as master’s degrees in the fields of Materials Science, Chemistry or Physics. However, the rules also state that these qualifications are provided as a guide and the assessment panel may consider others; it is therefore recommended that applicants attach their course syllabus.

As the call for applications is aimed at university students with outstanding academic achievement, a minimum average mark of 7.0 on a scale of 1–10 (or any other scale) is required for the undergraduate degree, with the average mark weighted according to the specific degree programme. In this regard, students should bear in mind that the award is incompatible with a full-time contract or paid activity during the placement, the duration of which may be agreed with the supervisors.

Accordingly, the ICMS has organised an open day entitled ‘Science in action: start researching at the ICMS’ on 17 October at 10.30 am, aimed at university students. The aim of the event is to introduce students to the research centre and its areas of work, whilst also enabling them to learn about the details of a career in research from ICMS scientists.

Required documentation and assessment

Students wishing to apply for either of the awards (they may apply for both by submitting a single application) must do so by sending an email to , stating the applicant’s full name in the subject line, followed by the text ‘Future Researchers Awards’.

The email must include a single PDF file containing the completed application form, a photocopy of the applicant’s national identity card or passport, an up-to-date academic transcript confirming that the student meets the requirements set out in this call for applications, and a brief CV highlighting the candidate’s relevant academic and research achievements (scholarships, awards, published articles, outreach activities, lectures given, etc.).

Similarly, the same document must include a summary of the Final Year Project and a figure summarising the submitted project graphically, as well as a letter of motivation from the candidate explaining how their profile aligns with ICMS research and what their expectations are for the placement. All documentation must be submitted using the templates provided on the ICMSE website, where the terms and conditions of the call for applications can also be consulted.

Alternative for undergraduate students

The ICMS has included in this scheme an alternative for undergraduate students who have not yet defended their final-year dissertation or master’s thesis: the option to become an ICMS research assistant. Applications for this role can be submitted at any time of the year and are open to students who wish to work on the various research areas at the ICMS and who are keen to gain experience in the experimental work involved in any of the projects proposed by the ICMS’s various research groups, which can be viewed on the ICMS website. To apply, interested students must complete and submit the form available on the ICMS website, together with their academic transcript or certificate, to .