Coimbra Group Scholarship Programme 2026 for Early-Career Researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa: Historical Reference

The Coimbra Group Scholarship Programme for early-career researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa is a short-term academic mobility programme. The 2026 edition offered research visits of one to three months at participating Coimbra Group universities in Europe. It was designed for researchers who wanted to continue work connected to their home institution while developing a research relationship with a European host.

This page is now a historical reference. The Coimbra Group’s current scholarship page says that applications for 2026 are closed and that the next call is expected to be published in early February 2027. It does not yet provide the next call’s application deadline. Do not treat the 2026 deadline below as an open-call date, and do not send a 2026 application after the registration form has closed.

2026 programme at a glance

The official 2026 call listed these participating host universities: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, University of Barcelona, University of Bergen, University of Coimbra, University of Cologne, University of Granada, University of Graz, University of Groningen, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Heidelberg University, İstanbul University, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, University of Padova, University of Pavia, University of Poitiers, University of Salamanca, University of Siena, and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. The host list and conditions belong to the 2026 edition; they should not be assumed to carry over unchanged to the next call.

What the 2026 scholarship supported

The programme was built around a focused research visit, not a full degree programme. A successful applicant would work at a participating European university for a defined period and continue research related to their work at their home institution. The purpose was both academic and institutional: the visit could provide access to a specialist, research group, library, laboratory, archive, data set, or method that was difficult to reach from home, while also creating a basis for future collaboration between the two institutions.

The official call described visits lasting one to three months maximum. The exact length was controlled by the selected university. Applicants therefore needed a plan that could be completed in a short stay. A proposal that required years of fieldwork or a full doctoral programme would not fit the structure. A bounded plan to analyse material, draft a paper, develop a research proposal, work with a host group, or establish a joint research activity was more appropriate.

Female candidates were encouraged to apply and were to be prioritised under the 2026 programme. That priority did not remove the other eligibility requirements or guarantee selection. It was one part of a competitive process in which the host university assessed the application after the Coimbra Group Office checked the basic requirements.

Funding and benefits

There was no single 2026 scholarship amount for every applicant. Participating universities set their own financial and practical conditions, and the official regional information page showed substantial differences between hosts. Applicants had to compare those entries before choosing a university.

Examples from the 2026 host information illustrate the range:

• The University of Barcelona listed €1,500 per month for accommodation and living expenses, while stating that it did not fund travel.
• The University of Bergen listed €1,800 per month and reimbursement for a return economy flight up to €1,200.
• The University of Coimbra listed €750 per month plus up to €1,100 in travel support.
• The University of Granada listed €800 per month and reimbursement of travel expenses up to €800, with eligibility restricted to the countries shown in its host entry.
• The University of Graz listed €1,000 per month plus €1,200 for travel and a two-month visit, but did not provide visitor insurance.
• Heidelberg University listed €1,200 per month for a one- to three-month stay.
• Friedrich Schiller University Jena listed €1,800 per month for a two- to three-month postdoctoral-level visit and said it would assist with finding accommodation.
• The University of Padova listed a lump sum of €2,100 for one month, €3,100 for two months, or €4,000 for three months, covering expenses related to the stay.
• The University of Pavia listed an economy return flight, health insurance, a room in a university residence, meals through a canteen card, and pocket money of €150 per week.
• The University of Siena listed €1,000 per month, free meals at university canteens, and free accommodation in university residences.

These examples are not a promise of a standard award and are not a basis for predicting the next round. They show why an applicant should read the selected university’s current offer, including travel, insurance, accommodation, meals, permitted fields, and country restrictions. The Coimbra Group call also made clear that practical details about payments, certificates, visa procedures, and the mobility period were to be discussed directly with the host university.

Eligibility for the 2026 edition

The 2026 call required applicants to meet all of the following conditions:

• Be born on or after 1 January 1981.
• Be a national and current resident of a Sub-Saharan African country. Candidates already living or studying in Europe were not considered.
• Be an academic staff member of a university or equivalent higher education institution in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Preferably hold doctoral, postdoctoral, or equivalent academic status.
• Obtain an acceptance letter or email from a supervisor at the selected host university confirming willingness to supervise the work programme during the research stay.
• Apply through the Coimbra Group electronic application process.
• Submit only one application to one university.
• Submit all application information in English.

The regional call warned that some host universities could restrict eligibility to particular Sub-Saharan African countries. The host entries also differed by field. For example, some institutions accepted all disciplines, while others named particular research areas or excluded areas such as medicine. The general regional criteria were therefore only the first check. A candidate also had to satisfy the remarks and conditions of the specific host university.

The phrase “early-career” should not be read as a single universal job title. The official call referred to academic staff and preferably doctoral, postdoctoral, or equivalent status. Several host entries used terms such as junior researcher or postdoctoral researcher, and some imposed stricter requirements. An applicant needed to compare their career stage, research field, nationality, and institutional connection with the chosen host’s own entry.

The acceptance letter was the central requirement

Applicants were responsible for finding their own supervisor. The Coimbra Group Office explicitly said that it could not provide assistance with locating a host. The sensible starting point was the research or department pages of the participating universities. A potential supervisor should receive a concise introduction, a curriculum vitae, a tentative research plan, the intended visit length, and a clear explanation of why the proposed work matched that person’s research.

The supervisor’s letter or email had to do more than express general interest. It needed to confirm that the supervisor accepted the candidate to carry out the proposed research under their supervision and was willing to supervise the work during the research stay. The applicant had to upload that proof of acceptance with the electronic application. Applications without it were not considered.

Host-specific wording mattered. Some universities called the document a pre-acceptance letter or invitation letter. Some asked the applicant to contact a professor before applying. Others asked for a research plan or additional material in the initial contact. A candidate should follow the selected host’s instructions and keep a copy of the final acceptance message in a form that clearly identifies the supervisor, host institution, proposed work, and supervision commitment.

Application steps used for the 2026 call

The 2026 process followed a defined sequence:

1. Review the official Coimbra Group regional call and the detailed conditions for every participating university.
2. Check the general rules: nationality and residence, academic employment, age, language, and the one-university limit.
3. Select one host whose research fields, country rules, facilities, funding, and visit length match the project.
4. Identify a suitable academic supervisor at that university and contact them independently.
5. Send a focused research plan and supporting background so the supervisor can assess the proposed visit.
6. Obtain the required acceptance letter or email, making sure it explicitly confirms supervision during the research stay.
7. Enter the supervisor’s name and contact details in the Coimbra Group electronic form.
8. Upload the acceptance letter or email with the application and complete all information in English.
9. Submit one complete application before the published deadline and keep the confirmation email.

The 2026 online deadline was Sunday, 10 May 2026 at midnight Brussels time. The call warned that incomplete applications would be rejected and that multiple applications from the same candidate would not be valid. It also said that applicants were not required to submit other documents at that stage, although a host university could request additional documentation later. Candidates who did not receive the expected validation acknowledgement were told to contact the Coimbra Group Office promptly; that instruction applied to the closed 2026 process, not to a new round.

How to prepare for the next call

Because the next call is expected in early February 2027 but has no published application deadline yet, prospective applicants should prepare without treating any date as confirmed. First, identify the research question that genuinely requires a short stay. Then map that question to potential host groups and read the current pages of the universities most likely to participate. Do not assume the 2026 host list, amounts, country restrictions, or language rules will be repeated.

Prepare a short academic profile and a research plan that explains the work in practical terms. State what will be done during the visit, what access or supervision is needed, what can be completed within one to three months, and what the home institution will gain afterward. A realistic output might be a draft article, a shared research proposal, a dataset analysis, a methods exchange, or a defined collaboration plan. The strongest case is usually the one that connects the applicant’s existing work, the host’s expertise, and a deliverable that can continue after the visit.

Also budget for what the host award may not cover. The 2026 entries differed on travel, insurance, accommodation, meals, and visitor support. Visa requirements and leave from the home institution were the applicant’s responsibility. The official call required grant holders to comply with the host country’s legal requirements and to ensure that their home institution would approve the leave needed for the research visit.

Historical status and official source

The 2026 opportunity should now be used to understand the programme’s structure and to prepare for a later call, not as an active application listing. The closed deadline was 10 May 2026. The Coimbra Group’s scholarship page currently says that the next call is expected in early February 2027, but it does not publish the new application deadline. Wait for the new official call before relying on eligibility rules, participating universities, amounts, or application instructions.

For the authoritative status and future announcement, use the Coimbra Group scholarship page. The detailed 2026 regional information remains useful for understanding the previous cycle, but the host-specific financial terms and conditions should be rechecked when the next call is published.