The program for Szent-Györgyi Postdoctoral fellows is a six-year scheme, during which a researcher spends 3-4 years at a domestic research laboratory and 2-3 years at a foreign one. The scholarship amount at this level is HUF 250,000/month (on top of her/his salary). The Mentor and Postdoc can decide together which parts of the cycle she/he will spend abroad. A foreign facility may be selected if it has been accepted as a foreign research laboratory by the Board of Trustees. The only laboratories that may be considered are those which publish in prestigeous multidisciplinary science journals. In Hungary, a Postdoctoral fellow must win her/his own research grant during the cycle. The main aim for the Postdoctoral fellow is to become independent within the six years and to gain experience abroad which can be used domestically later – ideally at the same level (as a Szent-Györgyi Senior researcher) or at the cutting edge of a particular specialized field (as a Szent-Györgyi Master researcher).

Getting in and dropping out

Szent-Györgyi PhD Students are admitted into the program in the first round. It is possible to enter the program during one’s studies if place is available and the candidate meets the above criteria. The Postdoc fellow must attend as a lecturer at least one international conference a year, and both Mentor and Fellow must submit a report at year’s end. It is during this period that the International mentor joins the training, and thus the report must then be written by all three. The International mentor will also receive recognition from the Foundation (and/or from the University of Szeged, the City, and/or the Hungarian Science Academy) based on a method to be developed at a later date. At the end of each year the Board of Trustees will decide whether a particular Postdoc will continue to receive the grant the following year. A Postdoc who drops out of the program may be replaced by another Student, provided she/he can meet the standards.

Within six years the candidate must publish at least three articles with an IF of over 8, of which she/he is the first author in at least one. If the candidate fails to satisfy the criteria she/ he may request an extension with a detailed justification on which the Board of Trustees will make a determination. The deadline for completion may be extended by a period of no more than three years but no scholarship will be disbursed during that period. Postdocs who meet the criteria will get a certificate at the end of their PhD training. The three most successful candidates receive gold, silver, and bronze certificates (and the sums of HUF 3,000,000, HUF 1,500,000, and HUF 750,000).