EBCOG-ENTOG Fellowship 2027: €3,000 for Three-Month European Obstetrics and Gynaecology Training
EBCOG offers three €3,000 fellowships for current European obstetrics and gynaecology trainees to complete a three-month placement in an EBCOG-recognized training centre abroad.
EBCOG-ENTOG Fellowship 2027: €3,000 for Three-Month European Obstetrics and Gynaecology Training
The EBCOG-ENTOG Fellowship is a focused mobility award for doctors who are still training in obstetrics and gynaecology in Europe. For the 2027 round, the European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (EBCOG) says applications are open until 30 September 2026. Three individual fellowships are available, each worth €3,000, to support a three-month placement at a recognised training centre in another country.
This is not a degree scholarship and it is not a general travel bursary. It is a short, planned clinical-training placement that must fit the applicant’s training needs, the host centre’s capacity, and the requirements of the applicant’s home department. The most important preparation step comes before the form: applicants must contact the hospital or training centre where they want to go and confirm that the proposed fellowship is feasible. Both the department the trainee is leaving and the department that will host the trainee must endorse the arrangement.
The grant is useful, but it is limited. EBCOG states that the fellow is personally responsible for planning travel and accommodation, and that additional expenses beyond the €3,000 grant are not covered by EBCOG. A realistic budget and a credible host agreement therefore matter as much as a good motivation letter. This guide explains what the 2027 fellowship offers, who can apply, how to build a workable placement, and what to check before submitting the application.
Key details
| Detail | What the official information says |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | EBCOG-ENTOG Fellowship 2027 |
| Provider | European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in collaboration with ENTOG |
| Number of awards | Three individual fellowships |
| Funding | €3,000 per fellow |
| Placement length | Three months |
| Placement setting | A foreign training centre recognised by EBCOG; an eligible nationally accredited centre may also qualify under the stated rules |
| Applicant profile | Current obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in EBCOG member countries |
| Training status | Applicants should not have completed basic training before the fellowship ends |
| Application deadline | 30 September 2026 |
| Submission route | Completed application materials submitted by email to [email protected], following the current instructions |
| Official programme page | EBCOG Fellowships |
The award count and amount are unusually clear: this is a small competition with three awards rather than a large pool of partial grants. The page does not promise that every eligible applicant will receive funding, nor does it say that EBCOG will cover every cost of the visit. Treat the €3,000 as a contribution toward a defined three-month plan, not as a guaranteed all-expenses-paid placement.
What the fellowship supports
EBCOG and the European Network of Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ENTOG) established the fellowship to promote trainee mobility and support the harmonisation of training standards across Europe. A successful fellow spends three months in a foreign training centre that has been recognised by EBCOG, with learning objectives agreed at the beginning of the placement.
The official criteria describe two broad kinds of training purpose. A placement can expose a trainee to core obstetrics and gynaecology training, or it can focus on one of the elective modules in the EBCOG PACT training recommendations. The right choice depends on the applicant’s existing curriculum, the host centre’s expertise, and what the home department will recognise when the trainee returns.
The educational value is therefore more specific than simply seeing how medicine is practised in another country. A good proposal identifies a clinical or training gap, names the host experience that can address it, and explains how the trainee will use the knowledge at home. Examples might include a defined surgical, maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive medicine, oncology, ultrasound, or education objective, but applicants should use only objectives that genuinely match the host centre and the current PACT or local training requirements.
The host centre is expected to appoint a tutor, provide a rota, and explain departmental and national requirements. That means the placement needs an operational plan. An informal promise that a hospital is “happy to have you” is weaker than a named host department, a proposed tutor, a draft timetable, and confirmation that the trainee can lawfully and practically participate in the intended activities.
Who can apply
The core eligibility rule is that applicants must be current obstetrics and gynaecology trainees from an EBCOG member country. The applicant should still be in basic training when the fellowship is completed. This is important because the timing of the three-month visit matters: a doctor who is eligible when applying may not remain eligible if basic training will finish before the placement ends.
The official EBCOG page also requires the placement to take place in a recognised centre abroad. The standard route is an EBCOG-accredited training centre. The page allows a nationally accredited training centre in countries with an EBCOG-recognised national visitation system, so an applicant should not assume that any teaching hospital is acceptable merely because it provides specialist care. Check the current accreditation and visitation information before naming the host.
The fellowship is intended for a move between countries, not a placement in the applicant’s current institution or home country. The proposed host must be able to receive the trainee for the full period, and the applicant’s home department must agree to release them. Applicants should also check whether their own national training authority will count the three months toward their programme. EBCOG specifically advises candidates to make that enquiry.
Other practical conditions can be decisive. A host country may require language ability, registration, recognition of a medical degree, occupational-health checks, or permission to work rather than observe. The EBCOG page gives the example that GMC recognition is essential for working in the United Kingdom. The fellowship grant does not remove these requirements. They belong in the feasibility check with the host hospital, national regulator, and home training programme.
Choose and confirm a host centre
Do not start with the application form. Start with the host arrangement. EBCOG says candidates are expected to personally contact the hospital where they wish to complete the fellowship and ensure its feasibility before applying. This protects the applicant from building a proposal around a centre that cannot offer a tutor, a rota, a place in the relevant service, or the approvals needed for an overseas trainee.
Choose a centre for a clear educational reason. The strongest choice is not necessarily the most famous hospital. It is the place where the applicant can observe or participate in a defined area that is relevant to the home curriculum and genuinely available during the proposed three-month period. Review the centre’s clinical services, training structure, language requirements, and any limits on visiting doctors. Ask who will supervise the placement and what the trainee will be able to do.
The home and host department heads must endorse the arrangement. The official application list calls for a letter from the head of the department the trainee will leave and a letter of endorsement or intention from the head of the proposed host department. These letters should be more than generic character references. They should confirm that the departments know the dates, understand the proposed objectives, and support the trainee’s participation.
Ask the host about the practical questions before requesting the final letter. Can the centre accept the trainee for the entire three months? Will the fellow be an observer, a supervised participant, or assigned another status? Is English sufficient, or is another language required? What documents are needed for hospital access, insurance, occupational health, vaccination, or professional registration? The answer may change the proposal or the budget, so it is better to discover the issue before the deadline.
Required application materials
The EBCOG information page lists five main components:
- The application form.
- A curriculum vitae of no more than two pages.
- A motivation letter of no more than one page.
- An endorsement letter from the head of the applicant’s current or departing department.
- An endorsement or letter of intention from the head of the proposed host department.
The page says completed applications should be submitted through the current route to [email protected] by the published deadline. Applicants should use the current form and any current guidelines supplied through the ENTOG Fellowship page, because attachments and instructions can change between annual rounds.
The short document limits make editing important. A two-page CV should put current training status, relevant rotations, clinical skills, courses, teaching, research, and prior international activity in an order that helps the reader understand the proposed placement. Do not spend most of the space on unrelated early employment. Include dates and make the current stage of training easy to verify.
The one-page motivation letter should answer three questions. What specific training objective will the fellowship address? Why is the chosen host centre the right place to address it? What will change in the applicant’s home work or training after the three-month placement? A list of ambitions is not enough. Tie each objective to a host resource, an achievable activity, and a clear return-home benefit.
The department letters should match the same plan. If the applicant’s letter says the placement will focus on a particular service, but the host letter describes a different service or no defined dates, the application becomes harder to assess. Ask both departments to use consistent names for the programme, dates, tutor, and learning objectives.
Budget and planning for the three-month visit
The €3,000 award is a meaningful contribution, but EBCOG expressly says that additional expenses are not covered. The fellow is personally responsible for travel arrangements and accommodation. Build a simple budget before applying and identify the shortfall, if any. Include return travel, local transport, accommodation for three months, food, insurance, visa or permit costs, professional registration, occupational health requirements, and any documents or examinations requested by the host.
Do not assume the host hospital will pay a salary. EBCOG notes that some, but not all, hospitals may be able to negotiate one and advises applicants to enquire before applying. A possible salary is not the same as confirmed funding. If the host has offered pay, obtain the terms in writing and check whether the arrangement affects visa status, tax, registration, or eligibility.
The budget should also show that the visit can be completed within the award year. The fellowship must be completed in the same calendar year in which it is awarded. Because awards are usually made in early spring, an applicant should be ready to propose dates that fit the centre, the home training programme, and the relevant administrative lead time. The official page does not guarantee a particular award announcement date, so allow time for selection, host confirmation, travel documents, and institutional approval.
How to make the proposal convincing
EBCOG does not publish a detailed numerical scoring rubric on the fellowship page. Applicants should therefore concentrate on the evidence that makes feasibility and development value easy to see.
First, define a narrow objective. “Improve my surgical skills” is too broad for three months. A stronger objective identifies a service or module, the experience sought, the supervision available, and the way progress will be recorded. Keep the objective within the permissions of an overseas trainee; do not promise independent practice where the host has only offered observation.
Second, show why the host is necessary. Name the centre’s relevant service, training structure, or recognised expertise and explain why that experience is not readily available through the applicant’s current programme. Avoid ranking language and unsupported claims. A practical description of the match is more useful than calling a hospital world-leading without evidence.
Third, explain the return-home effect. The fellowship exists within a European training network, so the proposal should make clear how learning will travel back to the applicant’s department. This could involve a teaching session, a revised local protocol, a curriculum comparison, a quality-improvement project, or structured sharing with colleagues, but only promise activities the applicant can actually deliver.
Finally, make the endorsements specific. A host department that confirms dates, supervision, learning objectives, and feasibility gives the selection group a stronger basis for confidence than a letter that only says the applicant is welcome. The same applies to the home department: it should confirm support for the absence and the expected value of the placement.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most serious mistake is applying before contacting the host. Without a confirmed or credibly supported host arrangement, the application may fail the basic feasibility test. Contact the hospital early and retain written confirmation.
Another mistake is treating the grant as full funding. The award is €3,000, while travel, accommodation, and other expenses can exceed that amount. A proposal that ignores the gap does not become stronger by claiming that the visit will be inexpensive. Prepare the budget and identify other confirmed resources if they are needed.
Applicants also sometimes overlook training recognition. Ask the home programme whether the three months abroad will count toward national training, and ask the host what status the trainee will have. A fellowship can be educationally attractive while still being impossible to recognise or authorise.
Do not submit a generic CV and motivation letter. The programme is small, and three awards mean the selection group needs to distinguish between applicants with different plans. Tailor the documents to the exact host and objective, respect the two-page and one-page limits, and make sure the two department letters support the same arrangement.
Finally, check administrative requirements early. Language barriers, medical-degree recognition, liability insurance, vaccination checks, and occupational-health requirements can take time. EBCOG specifically warns that these procedures may be lengthy. A candidate who checks them in August or September is in a better position than one who waits until after selection.
Timeline and next steps
The current 2027 application deadline is 30 September 2026. Before that date, an applicant should confirm their eligibility, identify an appropriate foreign recognised centre, contact the host hospital, agree the proposed dates and learning objectives, and request the two departmental letters. Then prepare the CV and motivation letter, complete the current form, check the attachment requirements, and send the completed package to the published ENTOG email address.
The programme is normally announced in the autumn before the fellowship year, with awards made in early spring. The placement must be completed in the same year as the award. This means a 2027 fellowship should be planned as a 2027 visit, but the exact dates depend on the host and the final award process. Keep copies of every submission and ask the host what further documents will be needed if selected.
After the fellowship, each trainee must send EBCOG a final report summarising activities and financial expenditure. Fellows are also asked to share their experiences on the ENTOG and EBCOG websites within two months of completing the placement. Build that reporting obligation into the plan from the beginning: keep a record of activities, learning objectives, costs, and the knowledge shared with the home department.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a full scholarship?
No. It is a €3,000 fellowship grant for a three-month placement. EBCOG says that the fellow is responsible for travel and accommodation and that additional expenses beyond the grant are not covered by EBCOG.
Can a specialist who has finished training apply?
The published criteria are for current obstetrics and gynaecology trainees, and applicants should not have completed basic training before the fellowship ends. A fully completed specialist training status therefore does not fit the stated eligibility.
Must the host hospital be in another country?
Yes, the fellowship is described as a placement in a foreign training centre abroad. The centre must be recognised under the EBCOG rules or, where applicable, by a nationally accredited system recognised by EBCOG.
Can the €3,000 be used for any personal purpose?
It is intended to support the defined three-month fellowship. The official page does not describe it as unrestricted income, and the fellow must submit a final report covering activities and financial expenditure.
Is a host agreement required before applying?
Applicants are expected to contact the proposed hospital and confirm feasibility before applying. The listed materials include an endorsement or letter of intention from the host department, as well as an endorsement from the home department.
Where should the completed application be sent?
The current EBCOG fellowship information says completed applications should be submitted by email to [email protected]. Check the current EBCOG Fellowship page and ENTOG application page for the live form and any round-specific instructions before sending documents.
Official links
- EBCOG Fellowships: eligibility, funding, deadline, and application instructions
- ENTOG EBCOG Fellowships page and application materials
- EBCOG PACT training recommendations
- EBCOG recognised training and visitation information
The official EBCOG page is the authority for the 2027 deadline, award amount, eligibility, and submission instructions. Recheck it before applying, especially if the application form or host-centre requirements are updated during the open period.