Applications Open for AEIP Scholars Programme, Offering Young African Researchers a Path to Europe
Early-career researchers in Africa and Europe have until August 31, 2026, to apply for a new cross-continental fellowship designed to turn academic research into practical, community-facing solutions.
The Africa-Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP) has opened applications for its Scholars Programme 2026–2027, a research collaboration initiative built around the AU-EU Innovation Agenda’s “Capacities for Science” action. The programme is structured to pair scholars from both continents so they can co-develop research that addresses shared development challenges, rather than working in isolation on parallel academic tracks.
How the programme is structured
Ten scholars will be shortlisted at the outset and matched into five Africa-Europe pairs, based on shared or complementary research interests. Each pair is expected to move beyond a purely academic output and design a solution-oriented innovation grounded in their combined research — one that is reviewed by a panel of experts and defended through a pitching process, rather than submitted as a conventional paper.
Proposals will be judged on their impact on women and youth, their potential to strengthen communities and institutions, the robustness of the proposed solution model, the extent to which the approach is technology-driven, and how feasible it is to implement. The three highest-scoring pairs will be named finalists and sponsored to present their joint work at the AEIP Stakeholder Meeting in Europe in June 2027.
Who qualifies
Eligibility is fairly specific. Applicants must be between 25 and 35 years old, based in Africa or Europe, and currently enrolled in a PhD, postdoctoral position, or equivalent advanced study. They also need an ongoing or completed research project, thesis, or dissertation that aligns with the Capacities for Science priorities under the AU-EU Innovation Agenda — which covers areas such as joint training, research mobility, and building research capacity for students and young academics across both regions.
Interested applicants are asked to submit an abstract of their research as an expression of interest. Submissions will be assessed on relevance, academic quality, innovation potential, and alignment with Africa-Europe cooperation priorities, ahead of the shortlisting and pairing stage expected in September 2026.
Timeline through mid-2027
Once pairs are formed, scholars will spend roughly seven months — from September 2026 through March 2027 — working jointly on their research outputs. Evaluation of submissions is scheduled for the first half of April 2027, with finalist pairs announced shortly after. The programme concludes with the June 2027 Stakeholder Meeting, where the top three pairs showcase their work to an audience of researchers, policymakers, and institutional partners drawn from across both continents.
The AEIP itself operates as a network-of-networks connecting African and European innovation ecosystems, and is funded by the European Union. Beyond the Scholars Programme, it runs parallel initiatives covering funding opportunities, thematic research challenges, and a twinning programme for institutions, positioning the scholars’ track as one entry point among several for African researchers looking to build sustained partnerships in Europe rather than one-off funded trips.
For researchers weighing whether to apply, the practical value will likely hinge less on the June 2027 showcase and more on what happens in the intervening research period, whether the pairing model produces genuine collaboration or simply a shared byline.
