ERS Clinical Training Fellowships 2026

The proposed training should be specific and demonstrate why the skill or procedure is important to the applicant's professional development and relevant to their home institution.

Who Is This Fellowship For?

The programme is intended for early-career healthcare professionals working in respiratory medicine or closely related areas. ERS guidance states that applicants can be of any age, although the programme particularly targets healthcare professionals at an earlier stage of their careers. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

The fellowship may be relevant to:

• Clinicians working in respiratory medicine.
• Healthcare professionals with an appropriate respiratory clinical background.
• Professionals seeking specialised clinical skills or procedures unavailable at their home institution.
• Clinicians who have identified a suitable European host institution.
• Early-career professionals seeking international clinical experience.
• Healthcare professionals intending to transfer newly acquired knowledge or procedures to their home institution.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must satisfy the ERS eligibility requirements applicable to the Clinical Training Fellowship route for which they are applying.

Key requirements include:

1. Applicants should be healthcare professionals at an appropriate stage of their respiratory medicine career.

2. Applicants should have relevant clinical experience and an appropriate professional background for the proposed training.

3. Applicants must identify a suitable host institution outside their home country.

4. The proposed host institution must be capable of providing the specific clinical training described in the application.

5. The proposed training should involve learning a clinical skill or procedure that is not available, or is insufficiently available, at the applicant's home institution.

6. The training must be directly relevant to respiratory medicine and the applicant's professional development.

7. Applicants should demonstrate how the knowledge or skill gained during the fellowship could benefit their home institution.

8. Applicants must obtain the necessary support from the relevant host and home supervisors.

9. Applicants must provide the supporting documentation required by the ERS application guidance.

10. Applicants must submit the completed application through the official ERS application system before the deadline.

ERS has separate Clinical Training Fellowship routes, including the Standard Clinical Training Fellowship, Clinical Training Fellowship for Scientifically Developing Countries, and the ERS/ERN-LUNG Joint Fellowship. Applicants should therefore check which route applies to their circumstances before submitting an application. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Fellowship Benefits

The fellowship provides an opportunity to:

• Undertake 1–6 months of full-time clinical training at an eligible host institution.
• Learn a respiratory clinical skill or procedure that is not available at the home institution.
• Gain exposure to specialised clinical practice and established approaches to respiratory care.
• Learn from experienced respiratory specialists and healthcare professionals.
• Develop practical competencies relevant to the applicant's professional role.
• Experience a different clinical and healthcare environment.
• Establish professional relationships with clinicians and institutions in another country.
• Exchange clinical knowledge and best practices across institutions.
• Transfer newly acquired knowledge and skills back to the home institution.
• Strengthen professional development in respiratory medicine. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

The fellowship is not intended to fund undergraduate or graduate study, workshops, courses, lectures, meetings, conferences, congresses or simple institutional visits. Its purpose is focused clinical training. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Duration and Training Conditions

The Clinical Training Fellowship lasts between one and six months.

The training is normally undertaken on a full-time basis, requiring the fellow's dedication to the clinical training. ERS guidance also states that the fellowship requires physical presence at the host institution rather than working remotely from the home country. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Successful applicants should also allow sufficient time before the fellowship begins to complete practical arrangements such as travel, visa, accommodation and insurance requirements where applicable.

Selecting a Host Institution

Applicants are responsible for identifying the most suitable host institution and supervisor for their proposed training.

ERS notes that its Web Host Registry can help applicants identify potential institutions, but the registry was originally developed for another ERS fellowship programme and may not perfectly correspond to the requirements of the Clinical Training Fellowship.

Applicants should therefore independently assess whether a potential host institution can provide the specific respiratory training they require. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Before applying, applicants should establish communication with the proposed host and develop a clear training plan.

Application Documents

The current ERS Clinical Training Fellowship information provides specific application guidance and supporting forms, including:

• CTF Application Guidance 2026
• CTF Host Supervisor Acceptance Form 2026
• CTF Home Supervisor Support Form 2026

Applicants should consult the current ERS guidance for the complete list of documents and the specific information required for their fellowship route. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Application Process

1. Review the current ERS Clinical Training Fellowship guidance.

2. Determine which Clinical Training Fellowship route is applicable to you.

3. Identify the respiratory clinical skill or procedure you need to develop.

4. Identify a suitable host institution outside your home country.

5. Contact the potential host institution and appropriate supervisor.

6. Develop a focused training plan explaining what you intend to learn and why the training is needed.

7. Explain how the proposed training will contribute to your professional development and benefit your home institution.

8. Obtain the required host supervisor and home supervisor support.

9. Prepare the remaining documents required by the ERS application guidance.

10. Complete the application through the official ERS system.

11. Review all information and supporting documents carefully.

12. Submit the completed application before the 1 October 2026 deadline.

Important Information

The 2026 call opened on 1 August 2026 and the application deadline is 1 October 2026.

ERS states that decisions for the current call are expected to be communicated in mid-February 2027. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

The Clinical Training Fellowship is specifically intended for clinical skills and procedure training, not independent research projects. Applicants who primarily want to conduct a short research project should consider the ERS Short-Term Research Fellowship instead. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

The ERS fellowship portfolio lists Clinical Training Fellowships as lasting 1–6 months, while its Short-Term Research Fellowships last 1–3 months and have a different purpose. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

Applicants should also note that the programme has different fellowship routes with different mobility and eligibility conditions. The Scientifically Developing Countries route is specifically available to applicants based in scientifically developing countries according to the programme's criteria, while other routes have different eligibility arrangements. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}

Applicants should therefore use the current ERS application guidance applicable to their route rather than relying on a general description of the fellowship.

Application Deadline: 1 October 2026

Decision Notification: Mid-February 2027

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted through the official European Respiratory Society fellowship application system.

Applicants should review the current fellowship guidance, identify an appropriate host institution and supervisor, prepare the required supporting forms and submit the complete application before the deadline.