EFIC Fellowships

EFIC Fellowships are postponed until further notice. We will publish an update when the international travel situation becomes more clear.

To develop knowledge regarding:

• the principles and elements of multimodal pain diagnosis and management and / or
• the indications and techniques of interventional pain management
• the clinical and basic research aspects of pain and/or
• the methods of undergraduate and/or postgraduate pain education.

The call for applications will be posted on European Pain Federation EFIC®’s web page: www.efic.org and will be sent to all European Pain Federation EFIC® Council Members. A maximum of four applicants per Chapter will be considered annually. The applicant is required to complete the application form, provide a CV and an official letter of recommendation from his/her national Chapter. All documents must be sent to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Office: secretary@efic.org through the national Chapter administration – NOT directly by the applicant. Deadline: The call for applications will be announced via email. All completed applications will be forwarded by the EFIC© Office to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Education Committee for evaluation. The European Pain Federation EFIC® Executive Board will approve the final decisions. The successful applicants will be notified, and will receive an agreement form which has to be completed and returned to the European Pain Federation EFIC® office within four weeks. If the agreement is not returned to the European Pain Federation EFIC® office on time it will be assumed that the applicant will not be accepting the Fellowship offer. Please note: If an applicant is not able to start the Fellowship for any reason it is his/her responsibility to inform his/her Chapter European Pain Federation EFIC® Office at least 30 working days before the actual start of the Fellowship. If no notification is received during this time period, the respective national Chapter will be held responsible for 20% of the cost of the grant mentioned in the Fellowship Agreement. The Fellowships grant cannot be transferred to another Chapter candidate and has to be utilized within the agreed year.

Note, that the maximum length of the Fellowship may be reduced by the host institutions if the applicant is not fluent in the host’s language.

The Fellowship must take place in Pain Centers selected by European Pain Federation EFIC®, which have suitable educational programs. A list of European Pain Federation EFIC®-approved Pain Centers can be found on the European Pain Federation EFIC® website. An applicant should select one or more centers, and initially discuss with them the possibility of attending, and potential dates. The Fellowship may be shared between two centers.

Are you interested in organizing an European Pain Federation EFIC® Fellowship in your Pain Centre / Clinic?

The following criteria should apply for any new Fellowship placement:

1. Structure – Quality
   • Director of the pain clinic should have the (sub)speciality “pain treatment” or a comparable qualification
   • The team at the Pain Centre must be interdisciplinary
   • At least team member must be a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist
   • Physiotherapists or sport-therapists should work or co-operate with the Pain Centre
   • Team conferences should be held on a regular basis
   • Extensive multidisciplinary approach
2. Process – Quality
   • Use of standardized assessment tools for pain patients
   • Standardized follow up appointments
   • Implemented quality control measures
3. The Pain Centre should offer non-pharmacological, pharmacological and invasive treatment strategies. A multimodal therapeutic approach should be the main focus of the Pain Centre.
4. Each European Pain Federation Councillor can present a complete proposal of a pain clinic with the above included information to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Office (secretary@efic.org), who will forward the proposal to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Executive Board for approval.  Approved Pain centres that comply to all the above mentioned rules and criteria,  and host a Fellowship will be awarded €2.000 by European Pain Federation EFIC®. Further information can be requested from the European Pain Federation EFIC® Office (secretary@efic.org).

Note: When you apply for an European Pain Federation EFIC® fellowship for an Eastern European country you automatically give European Pain Federation EFIC® the right to use your email address to send announcements of European Pain Federation EFIC® news, educational initiatives, congresses, symposia, European Journal of Pain, etc.

All issues relating to insurance, work permits, visa application, authorization for involvement in patient care, etc. are the responsibility of the agreement between the applicant and the Fellowship hosting institution. European Pain Federation EFIC® Grant Each approved fellowship will consist of a maximum of €7,000 grant (for a maximum duration of 10 weeks). The grant covers travel expenses (APEX, economy class), accommodation and food. If the duration of the fellowship is less than 10 weeks, a per diem of €100 per day for the period spent in the¨pain clinics will be paid. A copy of the travel invoice must be sent to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Office. Fifty percent of the grant will be paid to the fellow upon finalization of the agreement between European Pain Federation EFIC® and the fellow. On completion of the fellowship each candidate is obliged to submit a report to the European Pain Federation EFIC® Office (ideally with pictures). The remainder of the grant will be paid on receipt of the fellowship report, written by the fellow and countersigned by the Director of the pain clinic. The fellow must keep track of all expenses incurred during his stay, and declare the income received and expenses in his tax declaration in its own country.