HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3-2026-Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize

HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3 Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize is a recognition award of €15,000 for one male natural person resident in a sub‑Saharan African country that is a constituent member of the EDCTP Association. Eligible applicants must be under 50 years old on the contest launch date (27 May 2026), must not be current employees of Global Health EDCTP3, EU institutions or EDCTP governing bodies, and must register in the EU Participant Register. Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 2 September 2026, 17:00 CET, using the required Part A, Part B (max 45 pages) and mandatory annexes. Submissions are evaluated by an independent panel on scientific contribution and excellence (50 points) and impact (50 points), with the award ceremony at EDCTP Forum 2027 and payment 30 days after the ceremony.

What it funds

Purpose

Recognition prizes to reward mid-career scientific leadership within the Global Health EDCTP3 remit. This specific topic awards one Scientific Leadership Prize for a man permanently resident in a sub-Saharan African country that is a member of the EDCTP Association. Selection is by independent expert jury based on scientific excellence and impact in strengthening research capacity and networking in sub-Saharan Africa ¹.

Available funding:One prize of €15,000 (lump sum).

1. 1Prize is recognition (not linked to costs incurred).
2. 2Award criteria: Scientific contribution and excellence (50 points) and Impact for EDCTP3 objectives (50 points).

Who can apply

Natural persons only. Applicant must be below 50 years old on launch date of the contest, identify as male, and be established (resident) in a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent state of the EDCTP Association. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and be validated before the call deadline. Current employees of Global Health EDCTP3, EU institutions/agencies, EDCTP Association staff or governing/advisory body members may not apply.

Admissibility and documents

Applications submitted only via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System using the Portal forms. Mandatory items include Application Form Part A, Part B (max 45 pages) and annexes: applicant CV, letter(s) of support (with the supporter’s short CV). Candidate must submit their own application; one submission per candidate is allowed.

Deadline:2026-09-02 (single-stage submission via Funding & Tenders Portal).

Evaluation:independent expert panel scoring to 100 points, followed by mandatory checks (ethics, security, validation, non-exclusion, plagiarism). Award ceremony at EDCTP Forum 2027; payment 30 days after ceremony subject to required documents.

Footnotes

1. 1Rules of Contest and full conditions are available in the EDCTP3 Rules of Contest document Rules of Contest (EDCTP3).

Call identity and purpose

Call title:HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3-2026-Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize. Type: HORIZON Recognition Prize (EDCTP3 Prizes 2026-2027) funded under Horizon Europe. Objective: recognition of mid-career scientific leadership for researchers contributing to Global Health EDCTP3 programme objectives, in particular strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and supporting South-South and North-South networking. Four Scientific Leadership Prizes exist across EDCTP3 (two for EU/associated country residents, two for sub-Saharan African (SSA) residents), awarded separately by gender and residence region. This specific topic concerns the Scientific Leadership Prize for a man resident of a sub-Saharan African country that is member of the EDCTP Association.

Deadlines and timeline

Contest publication and opening:27 May 2026. Submission deadline (single-stage): 2 September 2026, 17:00 CET. Evaluation: September–October 2026. Award decision / information: December 2026. Prize award ceremony: EDCTP Forum 2027 in Spain, 5–9 April 2027. Prize payment: within 30 days after the award ceremony, conditional on submission of requested documentation.

Available budget and award:Four Scientific Leadership prizes are available; each prize is €15,000. The Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize provides a single monetary prize of €15,000 to the winning natural person who meets the eligibility criteria.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

This contest awards recognition prizes to individuals (and certain other prize categories allow teams). The Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize is targeted exclusively at natural persons who identify as male, are under 50 years old at the launch date of the contest, and are established (residing) in a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent member state of the EDCTP Association. Applicants must register in the EU Participant Register before the call deadline and undergo Central Validation Service (REA) validation. Current employees of Global Health EDCTP3, EU institutions/agencies/bodies, the EDCTP Association, or persons serving on EDCTP3 or EDCTP Association advisory/governing bodies may not apply nor provide letters of support. Applicants who previously received an EDCTP prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities and cannot receive the same prize category twice (this covers prizes awarded under EDCTP1, 2 and 3).

1. 1Applicant type required: natural person (individual).
2. 2Age requirement: below 50 years on the day of the launch of the contest.
3. 3Residence requirement: established (residing) in an SSA country that is a member of the EDCTP Association.
4. 4Gender identity: must identify as male.
5. 5Registration requirement: must be registered in Participant Register and validated by REA Validation before the call deadline.
6. 6Application submission: application must be submitted by the candidate (not by another person).

Specific documentation required with the application:Application Form Part A (administrative information completed online in the Submission System), Application Form Part B (technical description — must use the Submission System template downloaded from the Portal, completed and re-uploaded as PDF) and mandatory annexes: a letter(s) of support from a reputable scientist (with the short CV of the person providing the letter) and the CV of the applicant. Part B is limited to a maximum of 45 pages; additional pages will be disregarded. Candidates may submit only one application; if multiple are submitted only the last chronologically will be considered.

Admissibility, ethics, exclusion and security:Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Activities and applications must comply with the highest ethical standards, EU values and applicable law. Prohibited and sensitive activities (e.g. human reproductive cloning, heritable human genetic modification, creating embryos solely for research, certain HESC activities without compliance to Commission statement) will preclude prize award. Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations (bankruptcy, criminal convictions, fraud, corruption, money laundering, child labour/human trafficking, serious professional misconduct, significant deficiencies under prior EU contracts, etc.) are ineligible. Applications involving EU classified information must comply with Decision 2015/444 and implementing rules; excessively security-sensitive applications may be excluded.

How applications are evaluated and awarded

All eligible applications undergo formal evaluation by an independent panel of experts. The jury scores applications on a 100-point scale, with the Scientific Leadership prizes assessed on two cumulative criteria: scientific contribution and excellence (50 points) and impact (50 points). Applications must include a letter of support from other members of the research community. After the expert evaluation and mandatory checks (ethics review, security scrutiny, legal entity validation, non-exclusion, double funding and plagiarism checks, etc.), the awarding authority decides on the prize award. All applicants receive an evaluation result letter. Complaints against flawed evaluation procedures may be lodged following instructions in the evaluation result letter; notifications are deemed received 10 days after sending.

1. 1Evaluation panel: independent expert jury.
2. 2Scoring: total 100 points. Scientific contribution & excellence (50 points); Impact: contributions to EDCTP3 objectives of strengthening research capacity in SSA and supporting South-South and North-South networking (50 points).
3. 3Supporting evidence: written presentation of achievements, proof of eligibility, and letter(s) of support from other members of the research community.
4. 4Mandatory checks after evaluation: ethics review (where relevant), security scrutiny, legal entity validation, non-exclusion checks, double funding checks, plagiarism checks.

Submission process and templates

Submission is exclusively electronic through the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessed via the Topic page). The submission process is two-step: create an EU Login user account and register in the Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC), then access the Electronic Submission System to submit the application composed of Part A, Part B and annexes. Use only the forms provided inside the Submission System (not the informational documents on the Topic page).

1. 1Part A: administrative data — filled directly online in the Submission System.
2. 2Part B: technical description — download mandatory Word template from Submission System, complete, assemble and re-upload as PDF (max 45 pages).
3. 3Annexes: upload PDF files to the correct slots. Mandatory annexes include letter(s) of support from reputable scientist(s) with their short CV(s) and the applicant CV.
4. 4Applications must be readable, accessible and printable. Documents uploaded to incorrect categories may render an application inadmissible.

Application form templates and the Rules of Contest are referenced in the Submission System and the Rules of Contest document. Applicants should consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for technical guidance on the electronic submission system and the Rules of Contest for full procedural details ¹.

Categorisation and structured extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Primary eligible applicant type for this specific prize: individual (natural person). Supporting/related types to consider in the EDCTP3 prizes programme overall: research teams (for the Outstanding Research Team Prize), legal persons and entities without legal personality in specific prize categories may exceptionally participate in other award categories but not for this particular individual prize. The Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize is strictly for a natural person who identifies as male and resides in an EDCTP Association SSA member country.

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: recognition prize — a one-off monetary award (non-linked to incurred costs). This is a prize (financial reward) rather than a grant covering project costs.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant (individual) is required for this prize. Team or joint applications are not applicable for the Scientific Leadership individual prizes. Other EDCTP3 prize categories (e.g. Outstanding Research Team Prize) permit consortia and require a lead applicant; this specific prize is single applicant only.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility for this prize: residency in a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent state of the EDCTP Association. For other Scientific Leadership prizes there are parallel tracks for residents in EU Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe. Applicants must demonstrate residence/establishment in the relevant territory.

Target Sector:Sectoral focus: health and global health research, specifically research and capacity building in poverty-related diseases and general EDCTP3 programme remit (infectious diseases, clinical research, strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, South-South and North-South networking).

Mentioned Countries:Explicitly mentioned regions and groups: sub-Saharan African countries that are constituent states of the EDCTP Association; EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme are referenced for parallel prize strands. The opportunity text does not enumerate specific country names for SSA EDCTP Association members; applicants must reside in any SSA EDCTP Association member state.

Project Stage:Expected maturity: recognition of past achievements and demonstrated leadership in research and capacity building. This prize recognises established and growing mid-career scientists (i.e. demonstrated research contributions and impact), not funding research start-up, R&D or future project implementation per se.

Funding Amount:Prize amount: €15,000 for the Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize (single award). The overall prize pool for the four Scientific Leadership prizes is four times €15,000.

Application Type:Single-stage open call (contest) published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission is via the Portal Electronic Submission System (open call, not invitation-only).

Nature of Support:Monetary: one-off cash prize paid to the winning individual. Non-monetary expectations include visibility, dissemination duties and obligations to acknowledge EU and EDCTP Association support in communications; winners must also comply with dissemination and visibility rules including use of the EU emblem and EDCTP3 logo and a funding disclaimer.

Application Stages:Single-stage application process (submit once by the deadline). Subsequent mandatory administrative checks and potential ethics review occur during evaluation. Applicants may be requested to provide further documents after submission (legal entity validation, bank account details, ethics documents, declaration of honour, etc.).

Success Rates:No explicit success rate is published for this prize. As a recognition prize with a small number of awards (four Scientific Leadership prizes total across categories) and open competition, the selection is competitive; the expected number of awards for this specific prize is one winner per prize strand. Applicants should assume low acceptance probability given the limited number of awards.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding or cost reporting is required because the prize is a recognition award not linked to costs incurred. Prize amounts are fixed and not tied to incurred expenses. However, winners must submit documentation required for payment and validation (e.g. bank details) and comply with checks.

Evaluation criteria and application content guidance

Applications for the Scientific Leadership Prizes are evaluated against two cumulative criteria: 1) Scientific contribution and excellence (50 points): evidence of significant achievements in the research field and capacity to remain a leader; 2) Impact (50 points): major contributions to EDCTP3 objectives to strengthen research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and to support South-South and North-South networking. Applications must present a written presentation of achievements, demonstrate involvement in EDCTP3-relevant research and innovation activities, and include a letter of support from reputable member(s) of the research community.

1. 1What to include in Part B and annexes: clear narrative of applicant’s role and contributions to research and capacity building within EDCTP3 remit; measurable impacts on research capacity in SSA; examples of South-South and North-South collaboration and networking outcomes; evidence such as publications, leadership of projects, mentorship outcomes, capacity strengthening outputs; letter(s) of support from reputable scientists (with their CVs); applicant CV.
2. 2Page limits: Part B maximum 45 pages — evaluators will not read beyond the limit.
3. 3Evidence: include proof of residence, date of birth, and gender identity details as required to verify eligibility.

Applicants must ensure readability and accessibility of the application and upload documents to the correct Submission System slots. The application must be submitted by the candidate themselves; letters of support may be provided as annexes included by the candidate.

Templates and structure for the application forms:Use the Application Form Part A (online) and the mandatory Word template for Application Form Part B available inside the Submission System. Part B should be structured to address the evaluation criteria directly: section on Scientific Contribution and Excellence (track record, achievements, leadership potential), section on Impact (contributions to EDCTP3 objectives, capacity strengthening in SSA, networking and partnerships), supporting evidence and annexes (letters of support with providers' CVs; applicant CV; proof of residence and age). Follow the Submission System template headings exactly. Do not exceed 45 pages for Part B. For precise field names and required file slots, use the Submission System templates — the forms inside the Electronic Submission System are mandatory and differ from the informational documents on the Topic page.

Administrative, legal and post-award conditions

Prize payment:winners will be paid the prize money 30 days after the award ceremony, subject to submission of requested documents. The awarding authority retains rights to use non-sensitive materials submitted by winners (photos, audiovisual material) for communication and dissemination. Winners must follow visibility rules: acknowledge EU and EDCTP Association support, display the European emblem and Global Health EDCTP3 logo, use required disclaimer text in any communication, and avoid altering logos. The awarding authority may withdraw and recover prize payments if false information, fraud, ineligibility or serious breach of obligations is discovered. Checks, audits and investigations may be carried out by the awarding authority, the European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and the ECA.

Publication of award:winners' names, addresses and amounts awarded are published yearly on the Europa website in accordance with Article 38 of the EU Financial Regulation. Publication may exceptionally be waived on substantiated request where disclosure could jeopardise rights or commercial interests. Personal data processing is governed by Regulation 2018/1725 and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Practical advice and support resources

1. 1Register early: create EU Login account and register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC well before the deadline; REA validation is required.
2. 2Consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for step-by-step guidance on electronic submission and templates.
3. 3Contact applicants@global-health-edctp3.europa.eu for non-IT related questions and use the Portal IT Helpdesk for Submission System technical issues; indicate the call/topic reference clearly.
4. 4Prepare mandatory annexes early (letters of support with short CVs) and ensure documents are uploaded to the correct slots and as PDF.
5. 5Respect the 45-page limit for Part B; evaluators will not read extra pages.
6. 6Keep a record of the submission confirmation email (date and time) — absence of confirmation indicates the application was not submitted.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit; the Portal will close at the deadline and extensions are not possible. Monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page for call updates.

Comprehensive conclusion — what this opportunity is about

This opportunity is a recognition prize under the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (Horizon Europe) to acknowledge and reward outstanding mid-career scientific leadership that has demonstrably strengthened research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and supported South-South and North-South networking related to the EDCTP3 programme remit. The Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize specifically targets male natural persons under 50 years old residing in a sub-Saharan African country that is a member of the EDCTP Association. Applicants submit a single-stage application via the Funding & Tenders Portal using prescribed templates; submissions are evaluated by an independent expert panel against two equally weighted criteria: scientific excellence and impact on EDCTP3 objectives. The prize is a fixed lump-sum recognition payment of €15,000, not linked to costs. Winners must comply with ethics, security, visibility and audit rules and will be announced following expert evaluation with the award ceremony at the EDCTP Forum 2027.

This document compiles the eligibility rules, submission requirements, evaluation criteria, timetable, prize amount and administrative obligations extracted from the Rules of Contest and the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3-2026-Scientific Leadership Man SSA Prize. Applicants should consult the Topic page and the Rules of Contest PDF for the full legal text and all referenced documents before submission ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Rules of Contest and full call details are available in the Global Health EDCTP3 Rules of Contest and on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. See Rules of Contest - EDCTP3 prizes 2027 and the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page for HORIZON-JU Rules of Contest and Portal Topic.

Who Should Apply

This prize is exclusively for individual researchers who identify as male, are under 50 years old on the contest launch date (27 May 2026), and are permanent residents of a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent state of the EDCTP Association ¹.

Key Eligibility Criteria

1. 1Be a natural person below 50 years old on 27 May 2026
2. 2Reside in a sub-Saharan African country that is a member of the EDCTP Association
3. 3Identify as male
4. 4Have no prior EDCTP prize in the same category (EDCTP1, 2, or 3)
5. 5Not be a current employee of Global Health EDCTP3, EU institutions, or EDCTP Association governing bodies

Prize Amount:The award is €15,000 per winner, paid 30 days after the award ceremony in April 2027 ².

Evaluation Criteria (100 points total):50 points for Scientific Contribution and Excellence (significant achievements and future leadership potential) and 50 points for Impact (contributions to strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and supporting South-South/North-South networking) ³.

Application Requirements & Process

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before 2 September 2026 at 17:00 CET. Paper submissions are not accepted. The application includes Part A (administrative, filled online), Part B (technical description, max 45 pages, uploaded as PDF), and mandatory annexes: CV of the applicant and a letter of support from a reputable scientist with their short CV ⁴.

1. 1Register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC before the deadline
2. 2Create an EULogin account
3. 3Submit only one application per candidate (last submission chronologically is considered)
4. 4Ensure all documents are readable, accessible, and printable
5. 5Include a letter of support from a member of the research community

Important Dates & Next Steps

Winners must promote the prize and acknowledge EU and EDCTP support in all communications, displaying the European flag and Global Health EDCTP3 logo. Payment is made 30 days after the ceremony, provided all required documents are submitted ⁵.

Footnotes

1. 1Official eligibility rules are detailed in the Rules of Contest for EDCTP3 Prizes 2026-2027: Rules of Contest
2. 2Prize budget and payment terms: EDCTP Prizes Budget
3. 3Award criteria breakdown: Scientific Leadership Criteria
4. 4Submission process and document requirements: Funding & Tenders Portal Submission Guide
5. 5Communication and visibility obligations: EDCTP Visibility Rules