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RAMP‑UP is an international doctoral programme training the next generation of researchers in regenerative medicine and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), bridging the full pipeline from scientific discovery to clinical translation and implementation. Delivered jointly by Lund University, Leiden University Medical Center, Hannover Medical School, and the Technical University of Denmark, the programme brings together nearly 30 associated partners across academia, healthcare, industry, and regulatory sectors to advance the therapies of tomorrow
 

Please take the time to read the  RAMP-UP Doctoral Program: Guide for Applicants available on our website before submitting your application.

If you still have questions after reviewing the information, we encourage you to visit the FAQ section on our website.

If your query is not addressed there, you are welcome to contact the RAMP-UP Management Team at: RAMPUP@med.lu.se.

 

Thank you for your interest in the RAMP-UP Doctoral Programme.

 

Important: You will not be able to save and return to this application later. Please gather all required documents and information before you start.

 

RAMP-UP Doctoral Programme Application Form

Call 1, 2026

Section 1: Personal Information 

 

1.
First Name
This question is compulsory
2.
Last Name
This question is compulsory
3.
Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY)
This question is compulsory
4.
Gender
This question is compulsory
5.
Nationality
This question is compulsory
6.
E-mail Address
This question is compulsory
7.
Phone Number (please include country code)
This question is compulsory
8.
Current Country of Residence
This question is compulsory
9.
Current Address
This question is compulsory

Section 2: Eligibility Check*

* see section 2.2 of the  RAMP-UP Doctoral Program: Guide for Applicants for further information on eligibility criteria of the programme. LINK

10.
Do you currently hold, or will you obtain before August 2026, a Master’s degree (or an equivalent qualification) in a relevant field?
This question is compulsory
11.
Have you lived or conducted your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of any of your selected host institutions for more than 12 months within the 36 months prior to the call deadline?
This question is compulsory
12.
Are you already in possession of a doctoral degree?
This question is compulsory

Section 3: RAMP-UP Related Experience 

13.
Briefly describe any knowledge, skills, or experience you have gained through your studies or previous work that relate to the themes of the RAMP‑UP program. This may include areas such as regenerative medicine, advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), interdisciplinary or cross‑sector work, or experience across the ATMP development pipeline (max 400 characters).
Invalid value, it may not contain more than 400 charactersThis question is compulsory

Section 4: Research Interests

14.
Please choose up to four research projects from the RAMP-UP portfolio and rank them by preference, with 1 being your top choice
 1234
P1. Advancing Gene Therapies for Inherited Hematopoietic Disorders
P2. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) derived mesenchymal stroma cell therapy to recover damaged donor lungs for transplantation
P3. Modeling Inhibitory Neuron Dysfunction in Psychiatric Disease for Therapeutic Discovery
P4. Harnessing Cellular Reprogramming to Generate Tumor‑Reactive T Cells
P5. LUNG – REBOOT: Bioengineering a biomaterial-guided ATMP to reconstruct distal lung tissue
P6. Inflammation‑Regulated Gene Therapy for Neurological Disorders
P7. Understanding Transcriptional Regulation for the Generation of Dopamine Neurons: A Perturb‑Seq Approach for Stem Cell Therapy in Parkinson's Disease
P8. Function focus in development of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)‑based therapy
P9. Reconditioning Discarded Donor Lungs with Next‑Generation Engineered iMSCs: A Translational ATMP Platform for Lung Transplantation
P10. Cell‑Selective Gene Delivery to Restore Vascular Smooth Muscle Function in Aging Vessels
P11. Transplantation of gene‑repaired hematopoietic stem cells as novel treatment for myelofibrosis
P12. Brain repair after stroke by new reprogrammed neurons and oligodendrocytes
P13. iPSC-derived and CAR-enhanced natural killer cells as an advanced off-the-shelf technology to treat autoimmune diseases
P14. Novel gene therapy approaches for Diamond-Blackfan Anemia
P15. Designer Macrophages: Modular, Target-Responsive iPSC-Derived Macrophages for Neurodegenerative Disorders
P16. Development of novel CAR-T and CAR-NK cells against cancer
P17. Understanding clonal dynamics in gene therapy trials
P18. Beta-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes: when sweetness fails
P19. Human iThy-organoids restore T cell immunity in thymus-deficient patients
P20. Repair-Independent Gene Integration in Patient-Derived Human HSPCs for Immune Correction of ZIP7 Deficiency
P21. Engineering Lentiviral Vectors for Precise Gene Expression to Improve Safety of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy

Section 5: Motivation Letter and CV Upload (Required)

Please use the provided template for your Motivation Letter and CV. You can download the template here: https://www.stemcellcenter.lu.se/RAMP-UP/phd-applicants/how-apply
15.
Upload the Motivation Letter and CV as a single PDF under the filename:
RampUp_Call1_2026_MotivationLetter_CV_LastName
This question is compulsory

Section 6: Academic Diplomas & Transcripts Upload (Required)

Documents not issued in English should be accompanied by an officially certified English translation.
16.
Upload a single PDF file containing your Bachelor’s and Master’s diplomas and relevant academic transcripts.
This question is compulsory

Section 8: References (Required)

Please provide the contact details for two referees (academic supervisors or mentors). At least one referee must be an academic.

Please share this link to the Referees' Reference Submission Portal with your referees, so they can submit their references directly to us. It is your responsibility to ensure that all references are received by 6 April 2026; applications without completed references by this deadline will be considered ineligible.

17.
Referees
 Full NamePositionInstitutionEmail Address
Referee 1
Referee 2
This question is compulsory

Section 7: English Proficiency (Optional)

18.
Candidates must have a very good command of English. Proof of English proficiency (such as TOEFL or IELTS) is not required at the time of application but may be requested by the host department or node if necessary. You may upload proof of English proficiency at this stage if you have it, though this is optional.

Section 9: Additional Information

19.
Do you identify as a researcher at risk or hold refugee status?
This question is compulsory
20.
Do you have any special needs or require accommodations?
This question is compulsory
21.
Have you used Artificial Intelligence (AI) in completing this application?
This question is compulsory

Section 10: Consent & Privacy Notice (Required)

22.
Mandatory Check box
This question is compulsory

SUPPORTED BY AN EU COFUND ACTION

The RAMP-UP program has received funding from the European Union’s COFUND action, a part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Program within the European Commission MSCA framework. RAMP-UP Grant agreement ID: 101216514