The INPhINIT Statement of Purpose: Writing for Two Panels

The statement of purpose is the only part of an INPhINIT file you write from scratch, and it is scored twice. Under the official criteria on the call pages, “motivation and statement of purpose” is worth 30% at shortlisting and 30% again at interview. The rest of the file — grades, CV, references — is mostly fixed by the time you apply.

What the evaluators are told to look for

The published criterion reads, in short: the excellence of the ideas in the statement, judged on originality, innovative approach and potential impact, plus the suitability of the host institution and of the studies or research you plan. That gives you four things to prove:

Check the 2027 application form for the exact prompt and length limit. The 2026 rules do not print a word count; the online form sets it.

Write for two audiences

At shortlisting, two or three remote evaluators from your discipline read the file. At interview, a multidisciplinary committee reads it again. The same text must convince a specialist that your idea is sound and a physicist, historian or clinician that it is interesting. Define the one technical term you cannot avoid. Cut the rest.

A structure that works

1. 1
   The problem (about 15%)

   Open with the question, not your childhood. One concrete gap in knowledge or technology.

2. 2
   Your idea and approach (about 35%)

   What you would try, why it might work, and what you would do if it did not. Name methods, not buzzwords.

3. 3
   Evidence you can do it (about 20%)

   Two or three specific experiences: a thesis result, a technique you mastered, a problem you solved. Link each to the plan.

4. 4
   Why this host (about 20%)

   The group, its facilities, its recent work, the doctoral programme. For Incoming, what the accredited centre gives you that others do not.

5. 5
   Impact and where it leads (about 10%)

   Scientific and wider impact; the career you are building. Keep it credible.

The host paragraph is where most files are weak

“World-class institute with excellent facilities” fits every centre on the list and scores nothing. Strong host paragraphs name a specific recent paper or project from the group, the equipment or dataset you need and where it is, and what the group lacks that you bring. If you have spoken to a potential supervisor, say what you discussed — without overstating an agreement that does not exist. Remember the rules treat your host choice as provisional, so this is about showing judgement, not locking yourself in.

If you are applying to Retaining

Retaining applicants already live in Spain or Portugal and must change university after their bachelor’s. Use that. Explain why the move to a new institution makes sense for the project, rather than leaving the evaluator to wonder. Retaining covers all disciplines; humanities and social science applicants should make the “approach” section as concrete as a lab scientist would — sources, archives, corpora, methods.

Common mistakes

• A CV in prose. Your CV is scored separately at 50%. Do not spend the statement repeating it.
• No research question. Motivation without a problem reads as enthusiasm, not a plan.
• Over-specialised language that the interview committee cannot follow.
• Claims you cannot prove. The rules allow the Foundation to ask for originals of anything in your file.
• AI-polished text you cannot defend. The interview probes the statement directly; the rules make you responsible for content however it was produced.

It comes back at interview

The interview committee re-scores motivation and statement at 30%, and the official FAQ says it will “delve into” the information in your application, especially your academic and personal project. Write nothing you would not happily explain for five minutes. Next: the interview.