EPPO is happy to announce the first call for applications to the EPPO Jens-Georg Unger Plant Health Fellowship for international co-operation in plant health on the 23rd of June, the birthday of Jens Unger.


This fellowship starts in the context of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) and is dedicated to Dr. Jens-Georg Unger, a reputed professional in Plant Health who passed away much too early. Jens was known for his energy and enthusiasm in protecting plants and his cooperative attitude to reach a mutual understanding on key elements and visions in European and International plant health work. This fellowship will allow his contribution to international work in plant health and his encouragement of younger colleagues from a wide range of countries to continue by promoting international cooperation in Plant Health.



Jens-Georg Unger



To enable plant health professionals from the EPPO region to gain international working experience in plant health in another country or organisation through a secondment. This fellowship is meant for plant health professionals working in plant health in the early or middle stage of their careers. This fellowship would increase their ability to contribute in the long term to international cooperation for the protection of plant health.



The fellowship will increase the experience and widens the international views of the plant health professional which is valuable for the professional and for the employer. The professional will increase his/her capabilities in terms of contributing from the national perspective to international discussions and be able to better understand and explain the national consequences of international decisions. This will contribute to better integration of the national context into the international context and vice versa.



Any proposal for a fellowship of 2 to 6 months that achieves the purpose is welcome. The Fellowship could be for instance a secondment to a National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), a Plant Health laboratory, a Regional Plant Protection Organization (RPPO) or an international organization like the IPPC Secretariat or an international stakeholder organization. The area of work could be for instance diagnostics, Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), contingency planning or production of inspection manuals, guidance material, protocols or Standards.


The EPPO Secretariat is willing to facilitate contact with a host organization, but the idea and the initiative should come from the applicant.



The applicant should:

  1. have worked already for several years in the area of plant health
  2. have relevant education and experience in the area of plant health
  3. be a citizen of an EPPO country
  4. continue to work in the area of plant health after the fellowship (illustrated by a permanent contract or a statement of the employer)
  5. have sufficient command of the language of the host organisation and be able to report in English
  6. start the fellowship at the latest in June 2022 (some flexibilty will be allowed depending on the developments in the COVID-19 situation)


The proposal should:

  1. describe how the fellowship broadens the applicant’s existing experience in plant health and broadens the applicant’s international experience
  2. Contain the applicant’s vision on the contribution of the fellowship to her/his career and to plant health in general
  3. contain a clear plan including SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) objectives
  4. describe the benefits for the employer and for the hosting organisation.
  5. contain an estimate of additional costs (additional to continuing the work with her/his employer)
  6. be in English and be 1 – 4 pages (excluding annexes)


Additionally, the application should be accompanied by:

  1. a CV of the applicant
  2. evidence of a preliminary agreement by the applicant’s employer
  3. evidence of a preliminary agreement by the host organization


The fellowship works on the basis that:

  1. The Applicant’s employer continues to pay salary during the fellowship
  2. The fellowship will cover costs for travel to and from the host organization (cheapest fare)
  3. The fellowship will contribute to costs of living outside the home country during the fellowship, if costs of living in the host country differ considerably of those in the home country. Otherwise, it could consist of a contribution to the rental of a room during the stay in the host country
  4. The fellowship will be between 2 and 6 months and EPPO contributes a maximum of € 20 000 per fellowship
  5. The applicant submits a report in English after her/his fellowship and should be willing to give an oral report to the EPPO Council, if requested by EPPO. This written report should include a report of the expenses covered by the fellowship and receipts of the main costs


Submission of proposal

The proposal should be submitted to the EPPO Secretariat at the latest on 31 August 2021 



Applying for this fellowship does not give any right to receive funds for a fellowship. An EPPO Committee will select the most suitable proposal and offer that applicant a fellowship. No further correspondence on the decision by the Committee is possible.