Open Calls

The call “ME/CFS Call 2026 - Fellowships" call opened for submissions on 14^th October 2025. This call is open for early career ME/CFS researchers to conduct a six month research stay at a research organisation in Vienna or abroad. The ME/CFS Fellowship programme aims to strengthen the ME/CFS community by supporting excellent young scientists and promoting the exchange of expertise. 

This call is co-financed by the WE&ME Foundation and WWTF. A total of € 200.000 has been dedicated to this call. The maximum funding per Fellowships is € 40,000. 

• Deadline for proposals: 3rd February 2026 - 2pm
• The funding decision is expected in March 2026

Further information can be found in the Call Specifications and Submission Guidelines.

Early career ME/CFS researchers and potential hosts who interested in this call are encouraged to register and connect on the networking platform: https://www.b2match.com/e/me-cfs-fellowship

Please do not hesitate to contact the call managers for more details:

• Benjamin Missbach | benjamin.missbach@wwtf.at | Tel.: +43 1 402 31 43 19
• Grace Liu | grace.liu@wwtf.at | Tel.: +43 1 402 31 43 12

The 17^th Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators call 2026 “Environmental Systems Research” can fund up to three group leader positions, with up to € 1.8 million per research group over a period of six to eight years. The Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators (VRG) programme is designed to attract outstanding early-career researchers from abroad to Vienna who seek to advance their research career by establishing an independent research group. 

Scope of the call:

• This call is open to all topics and areas in Environmental Systems Research, and researchers from all disciplines (e.g., natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, health sciences, climate research ...) are welcome.
• The future Vienna Research Group is expected to develop a distinctive research profile that tackles fundamental and interdisciplinary questions in environmental research using cutting-edge methodologies.
• Their research should aim to significantly expand current knowledge and have the direct potential to contribute to meaningful societal advancements. Research that extends beyond academia and aims to build strong collaborations with non-academic partners is strongly encouraged.

Who can apply:

• The call is aimed at Vienna-based universities and research institutions that intend to hire an excellent young researcher from abroad to establish and lead an independent research group. Active recruitment procedures are mandatory.
• Applications are prepared in tandem: the proposed VRG leader (candidate) applies together with the proponent, who represents a research institution in Vienna. The proponent is an established scientist based at a university or non-profit non-university research institution in Vienna.
• Candidates are up to eight years after PhD (care duties may extend this period up to four years).
• Candidates must be recruited from institutions outside of Austria (for the detailed criteria, please check the Call Specifications.
• WWTF especially encourages Vienna-based research institutions to propose female group leaders.
• WWTF takes unconventional research careers into consideration.

How to apply:

• Submission of proposals via the WWTF Funding Portal
• All details regarding the call, eligbility criteria, scope, evaluation criteria etc., are specified in the  VRG26 Call Specifications.
• The Submission Guideline specifies how to submit a proposal via the WWTF Funding Portal.
• An online information session for the application procedure will take place on 29 January, 14:00-16:00 CET via Zoom. 

Important dates:

• Submission deadline: 10 March 2026, 14:00 CET
• Hearing Dates: September 2026, the exact date will be announced later on. Participation in the hearings is mandatory to be considered for funding.
• Please check this page regularly for updates.

Please contact the call managers for more information or further inquiries:

Petra Steinkogler

Grace Liu

• VRG26 Info Sheet

• LS25 Call Flyer
• LS25 Information Session