The INPhINIT Interview: Twenty Minutes, a Mixed Panel, New Weights
Shortlisted candidates face a remote, English-only interview where “potential” is the largest score. What the panel looks for, and the rules that disqualify people.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
In 2026, 92 Incoming and 90 Retaining candidates were shortlisted for 30 places each, according to the official results sheets (Incoming, Retaining). The interview is where scores are reset with new weights, so a strong file is not enough on its own.
Format
The 2026 rules say interviews are held remotely, though both results sheets describe them as “hybrid mode”; follow what your invitation says. Incoming ran on 20–22 May 2026; Retaining on 11–12 June 2026.
The official FAQ gives approximately twenty minutes.
Conducted entirely in English.
Professors and researchers experienced in peer review. The Retaining sheet describes 6–7 experts per committee.
On the day you must show your original ID card or passport. The rules say candidates who cannot are rejected.
How you are scored
The official selection criteria for the interview stage:
| Criterion | Weight | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate’s potential | 40% | Clarity, consistent discourse, articulating ideas, complex and independent reasoning, originality, entrepreneurship, leadership, teamwork |
| Motivation and statement of purpose | 30% | Originality, approach and impact of your ideas; suitability of host and studies |
| Academic and professional background | 30% | Your record relative to career stage and the opportunities you have had |
Compare that with shortlisting, where grades and CV were 50%. At interview the largest block is how you think and communicate.
What the committee is trying to find out
The official FAQ lists the aims. In plain terms, the panel will:
- dig into what you wrote, especially your academic and personal project;
- ask about things not in your application that seem relevant to your suitability;
- judge your academic and professional potential;
- test your broader curiosity about social, scientific, economic, cultural or artistic questions, even outside your field;
- gauge your maturity, motivation, and ability to state ideas clearly and defend them firmly.
Because the panel is multidisciplinary, expect at least one question from someone far outside your field. That is deliberate.
How to prepare
- 1A two-minute project pitch
Problem, idea, why you, why this host. Practise it for a non-specialist until it needs no jargon.
- 2Stress-test your statement
For each claim, prepare the follow-up: “What if that fails?”, “Who else is doing this?”, “Why not do it elsewhere?”
- 3Know your record
Be ready to explain any weak grade, gap or change of field in one calm sentence.
- 4Have a view on something bigger
A science-policy debate, an ethical question in your field, a book outside it. The FAQ explicitly mentions curiosity beyond your studies.
- 5Mock interview with a mixed panel
Ask people from different disciplines to question you for 20 minutes, in English, on video.
- 6Contact your intended host
The rules encourage shortlisted candidates to reach out to host organisations if they have not already. It also gives you fresher answers on fit.
Interview rules that catch people out
- No extra material. You cannot submit documents, slides or audiovisual files during the interview; those belonged in the online form.
- Cannot attend? Tell the Foundation at least three working days before the first interview day. Failing to do so without illness or force majeure excludes you from future “la Caixa” Postgraduate and INPhINIT calls.
- Do not contact panel members, before or after. That disqualifies you from this and future calls. The list of evaluators is published only after selection ends.
- No feedback on scores beyond the outcome email. Appeals within 3 calendar days are possible, but evaluators’ scientific appraisal cannot be challenged.
After the interview
Results come by email and the list of fellows and reserves is published on the Foundation’s website. In 2026 that was 29 May (Incoming) and 23 June (Retaining). Declined fellowships pass to the reserve list in order, so a reserve place is worth keeping your plans open for. To take up the award you must be admitted to the doctoral programme you applied for and start by 30 November, or by 31 January of the following year with a justified delay.