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

The HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3-2026 Scientific Leadership Woman SSA Prize is a Horizon Europe recognition award of €15,000 for a mid-career female researcher permanently resident in a sub-Saharan African EDCTP Association member state who has demonstrated scientific leadership and capacity-strengthening impact. Applicants must be natural persons under 50 on 27 May 2026, identify as female, register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC, and submit one electronic application (Part A, Part B and required annexes) via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 2 September 2026 at 17:00 CET. Applications are scored by an independent expert jury on a 100-point scale (50 points scientific contribution/excellence and 50 points impact) and successful candidates undergo mandatory checks before an award ceremony, with prize payment 30 days after the ceremony.

What it funds

Recognition prize under Horizon Europe (EDCTP3) to reward mid-career scientific leadership and impact on strengthening research capacity and South-South / North-South networking in sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluation by an independent expert jury against scientific contribution (50 points) and impact on EDCTP3 objectives (50 points).

Who can apply

Natural persons who identify as female, are permanent residents of a sub-Saharan African country that is a member of the EDCTP Association, and are below 50 years old on the day of contest launch. Applicants must register in the Participant Register (PIC) and be validated by REA. Current EDCTP3 staff, JU staff, governing/advisory body members and past EDCTP prize winners for the same activities are ineligible.

Award:€15,000 (single recognition prize for this topic; four Scientific Leadership prizes exist in total, each €15,000).

1. 1Submit online via the Funding & Tenders Portal (no paper submissions).
2. 2Application parts: Part A (online administrative), Part B (technical, max 45 pages) and mandatory annexes: applicant CV, letter(s) of support with short CV of referee.
3. 3Candidate must submit their own application; only one submission per candidate accepted; further validation (legal/bank/ethics) may be requested later.

Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale by an independent panel; winners announced after mandatory checks (ethics, security, non-exclusion, plagiarism, legal validation). Prize paid after award ceremony (payment 30 days after, subject to required documents).

Footnotes

1. 1Full Rules of Contest, eligibility details and submission instructions are in the EDCTP3 Rules of Contest and the Portal topic page: Rules of Contest (EDCTP3 Prizes)

Call identity and purpose

Call title:HORIZON-JU-EDCTP3-2026-Scientific Leadership Woman SSA Prize. Call type: Call for Proposals — HORIZON Recognition Prize under the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking. Objective: recognition of past scientific leadership and impact in Global Health within the remit of the EDCTP3 programme. The prize finances recognition (a one-off monetary award) and is not linked to the costs incurred by the winner.

Deadline and timetable:Application deadline: 2 September 2026 (17:00 CET). Contest published and opening: 27 May 2026. Evaluation expected September–October 2026, information on results December 2026, award ceremony during EDCTP Forum 2027 in Spain (5–9 April 2027). Rules of Contest ¹

Specific prize details

Prize category:Scientific Leadership Prize — one of four scientific leadership prizes. This specific topic is Scientific Leadership Prize for a woman resident of a sub-Saharan African country that is a member of the EDCTP Association (abbreviated in the portal as HORIZON-JU). Prize amount: €15,000 (single payment). Number of prizes in the Scientific Leadership category: four prizes in total across the category; this topic corresponds to one prize for a woman resident in an EDCTP Association SSA country.

Key evaluation criteria and scoring

Applications are evaluated by an independent expert panel. Scoring is on a 100-point scale for the Scientific Leadership prizes with two cumulative criteria: scientific contribution and excellence (50 points) and impact (50 points). Impact is defined in the call as major contributions to strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and support for South-South and North-South networking. Applications must include a letter of support from other member(s) of the research community.

Who may apply and eligibility

Eligible applicants for this specific topic:natural persons (individual researchers) who meet all the following conditions: below 50 years old on the day of the launch of the contest; established (resident) in a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent member of the EDCTP Association; identify as female. Applicants must be the candidate themselves (the application must be submitted by the candidate) and each candidate may submit only one application. Candidates must register in the Participant Register and be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation) before the call deadline. Applicants who are current employees of Global Health EDCTP3, EU institutions or bodies, EDCTP Association staff or who served on Global Health EDCTP3 or EDCTP advisory or governing bodies may not apply nor provide letters of support.

Other eligibility and exclusion rules:Applicants that have previously received an EDCTP prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities and cannot receive the same prize category twice. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate provided their representatives can undertake legal obligations and provide guarantees equivalent to legal persons. Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations (bankruptcy, fraud, corruption, serious professional misconduct, breaches of social/tax obligations, links to criminal organisations, etc.) are not eligible. Special rules apply for entities subject to EU restrictive measures. Applications must comply with highest ethical standards and EU values; proposals involving ethical issues will undergo ethics review.

Application and submission

Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Applicants must have an EU Login account and a validated Participant Register entry (PIC). Submission is structured as three parts: Part A (administrative data filled online), Part B (technical description — a mandatory Word template downloaded from the submission system, completed and re-uploaded as PDF), and Annexes (uploaded as PDFs). Part B is limited to a maximum of 45 pages; evaluators will not consider additional pages. Mandatory annexes for prize topics include letters of support from reputable scientists (with a short CV of the person providing the letter) and the CV of the applicant. The application must be readable, accessible and printable. After successful submission the system sends a confirmation email; lack of confirmation indicates non-submission.

Application templates and structure

Application forms are the platform forms inside the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Required components: 1) Application Form Part A: online administrative form containing applicant identity, PIC and contact information; 2) Application Form Part B: technical description template (Word) provided in the Submission System — to be completed and re-uploaded as PDF. Part B must contain a written presentation of the achievements, demonstration of the applicant's involvement in EDCTP3-relevant research and innovation activities, justification against the award criteria (scientific excellence and impact), and the letter(s) of support and CVs uploaded as annexes. Annex content specifics: letters of support must come from reputable scientist(s) and include a short CV of the supporter; applicant CV must be included. Applicants must declare date of birth, gender and country of residence to enable eligibility verification. The Online Manual on the portal provides submission guidance and templates.

Assessment and award procedure

All admissible applications are formally evaluated by an expert panel using the published award criteria. After scoring and ranking, mandatory checks are performed: ethics review, security scrutiny, legal entity validation, non-exclusion, double funding checks, plagiarism checks and other administrative verifications. Following evaluation and checks, the awarding authority decides on the prize award. Applicants are informed of the evaluation results in writing. Awarded winners are invited to an award ceremony during the EDCTP Forum 2027; prize payment is made 30 days after the award ceremony subject to submission of requested documents. The awarding authority may withdraw the prize and seek recovery of funds if eligibility or legality issues (fraud, misrepresentation) are discovered post-award. There is a complaints route if applicants believe the evaluation procedure was flawed; complaint deadlines and procedures are provided in the evaluation result letter.

Application stages and process overview:Submission and selection procedure is single-stage for this recognition prize: 1) Single-stage written submission via Portal (Part A, Part B, annexes), 2) External expert evaluation followed by mandatory checks and the awarding authority decision leading to announcement and award. Thus the operational steps for applicants are preparation and submission followed by evaluation and mandatory checks leading to award or rejection.

Budget and financial arrangements

Funding type:recognition prize (financial award). Nature of support: monetary one-off prize payment. Amount for this topic: €15,000 awarded to the winning individual. The prize amount is fixed and not linked to incurred costs. Payment to winners will occur 30 days after the award ceremony once required administrative documents have been submitted. If a group is awarded, payment is made to the lead applicant who must distribute funds equally among group members.

1. 1Available budget for this topic: €15,000 for the Scientific Leadership Woman SSA prize (one award).
2. 2Other EDCTP3 prizes budget context: four Scientific Leadership prizes at €15,000 each; Outstanding Female Scientist Prize €20,000; Outstanding Research Team Prize €50,000; Dr Pascoal Mocumbi Prize €50,000 (information for context only).

Eligibility and applicant type classification

Eligible Applicant Types:natural person (individual researcher). The rules additionally allow, across other EDCTP prizes, participation by legal persons and teams for specific prizes, and entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate when representatives can assume legal obligations; but this specific prize is strictly for individual female researchers meeting the residency and age requirements.

Administrative, legal and ethical obligations

Applicants must register in the Participant Register and be centrally validated (REA). Applications containing false or misleading information or that breach exclusion or ethical rules may be rejected and prizes withdrawn and recovered in case of fraud or misrepresentation. Winners are required to acknowledge EU and EDCTP3 support in communications, display required emblems and funding statements, and accept that the awarding authority may use non-sensitive material (photos, video, descriptive text) for dissemination. The awarding authority does not acquire ownership of research results. Checks, audits and investigations by the awarding authority, the European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and the ECA may be carried out.

Practical guidance and support resources

Submission instructions and templates are available in the Submission System via the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. Consult the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for step-by-step guidance on registration, uploading Part A and Part B and annexes, and technical submission issues. For IT or submission system problems contact the IT Helpdesk. Non-IT questions should be sent to applicants@global-health-edctp3.europa.eu with clear reference to the call and topic. National Contact Points and Enterprise Europe Network can provide local assistance. Consult the Rules of Contest for full legal conditions and the EDCTP3 prizes rules for detailed instructions and examples of acceptable documentation.

1. 1Ensure Participant Register PIC is validated well before the deadline.
2. 2Prepare Part B (use the mandatory Word template from the Submission System) and keep to the 45-page limit.
3. 3Include mandatory annexes: applicant CV and letter(s) of support with short CVs of supporters.
4. 4Submit electronically and confirm receipt of confirmation email from the Portal.
5. 5Allow time for mandatory checks and for any follow-up requests for documents (bank validation, declaration of honour).

Risks, restrictions and important notes

Restrictions:applicants subject to EU restrictive measures or exclusion decisions are not eligible. Activities must comply with ethical standards and EU values; prohibited activities (e.g. reproductive human cloning, heritable human genome modification, creating embryos solely for research) will disqualify applications. Research involving ethical issues will be subject to ethics review. Transparency obligations require publication of winners' names, addresses and amounts unless a justified waiver is granted. Language: applications may be submitted in any official EU language but English is strongly recommended. The awarding authority may cancel the contest or decide not to award a prize without compensation.

Short answers to classification questions (concise)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Individual researcher (natural person identifying as female), residing in an EDCTP Association sub-Saharan African country; letters of support come from reputable scientists. Entities without legal personality can be relevant in other prizes but not for this individual prize.
2. 2Funding Type: Recognition prize (monetary award under Horizon Europe rules).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single applicant (individual).
4. 4Beneficiary Scope: Geographic eligibility: sub-Saharan African countries that are constituent members of the EDCTP Association; broader EDCTP3 programme covers EU Member States and Horizon-associated countries for other prizes.
5. 5Target Sector: Global Health research, research capacity strengthening, poverty-related diseases, South-South and North-South networking.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Sub-Saharan African countries (EDCTP Association members), EU Member States, Spain (event), United States of America (mentioned in Work Programme as eligibility exception elsewhere).
7. 7Project Stage: Recognises past achievements; targeted mid-career scientific leadership (research/leadership stage).
8. 8Funding Amount: €15,000 (single award).
9. 9Application Type: Open call, single-stage submission via Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System.
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary payment to winner.
11. 11Application Stages: Submission and then evaluation with mandatory checks leading to award decision (operationally two stages).
12. 12Success Rates: Not specified in call documents; depends on applications received.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No co-funding required.
14. 14Templates: Use Portal Part A (online) and Portal Part B Word template (download, complete, upload as PDF). Include applicant CV and letters of support (with short CV of supporter) as annexes. Part B max 45 pages.

Concluding summary

This opportunity is a recognition prize to reward and publicly recognise a mid-career female researcher permanently residing in a sub-Saharan African country which is a member of the EDCTP Association, who has demonstrated scientific leadership and made major contributions aligned with the Global Health EDCTP3 programme goals, namely strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and supporting South-South and North-South networking. The selected winner will receive a one-off monetary prize of €15,000; applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the prescribed Part A / Part B forms and mandatory annexes, and will be evaluated by an independent expert panel against two equal-weight criteria: scientific contribution/excellence and programmatic impact (50/50). Applicants must be under 50 years old at the contest launch date, identify as female and be resident in an EDCTP Association SSA country. The submission process is single-stage; the evaluation will be supported by mandatory checks (ethics, security, legal validation, non-exclusion, plagiarism and double funding checks). The Rules of Contest and the Online Manual on the Funding & Tenders Portal provide the complete legal, procedural and document templates and should be consulted in full by applicants prior to submission. Apply early, ensure PIC validation, conform to page limits and annex requirements, and retain documentary evidence for any later validation requests.

This description is based on the EDCTP3 Prizes 2026-2027 Rules of Contest and the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 health part, as published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and Global Health EDCTP3 sites. Rules of Contest

Footnotes

1. 1Primary rules and detailed conditions are in the EDCTP3 Rules of Contest document (Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking) and topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. See the Rules of Contest for full terms, annexes and templates: global-health-edctp3.europa.eu

Who Should Apply

Key Eligibility Criteria

This prize targets individual mid-career female researchers who are permanent residents of a sub-Saharan African country that is a constituent state of the EDCTP Association. The award recognizes outstanding scientific leadership and contributions to strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and fostering international networking ¹.

Eligibility Requirements:Applicants must be natural persons under 50 years old on the contest launch date (27 May 2026), reside in an eligible sub-Saharan African country, and identify as female ².

1. 1Age: Below 50 years on 27 May 2026
2. 2Residence: Permanent resident of a sub-Saharan African EDCTP member country
3. 3Gender: Must identify as female
4. 4Status: Natural person (individual researcher)

Award Criteria & Evaluation

Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale by an independent expert jury. The criteria are cumulative and weighted equally: 50 points for Scientific Contribution and Excellence (significant achievements and future leadership potential) and 50 points for Impact (contributions to EDCTP3 objectives, capacity strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa, and South-South/North-South networking) ³.

Funding Amount & Budget

The prize amount is €15,000 per winner. This is a recognition prize, meaning the funds are a financial reward for past achievements and are not linked to the costs incurred by the winner ⁴. Four Scientific Leadership prizes are available in total (two for EU/associated residents and two for sub-Saharan African residents) ⁵.

Submission Process & Deadlines

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. The deadline is 2 September 2026 at 17:00 CET. Applicants must register in the Participant Register before the deadline to obtain a PIC (Participant Identification Code) ⁶.

1. 1Deadline: 2 September 2026, 17:00 CET
2. 2Platform: EU Funding & Tenders Portal
3. 3Required Documents: Application Form Part A (online), Part B (PDF, max 45 pages), CV, and letter(s) of support with short CV of the supporter
4. 4Restriction: Only one application per candidate; previous EDCTP prize winners cannot receive a second prize for the same activities or in the same category

Important Conditions & Next Steps

Prize money is paid 30 days after the award ceremony, which will take place at the EDCTP Forum 2027 in Spain (5–9 April 2027). Winners must acknowledge EU and EDCTP support in all communications, display the European flag and EDCTP logo, and use the mandatory disclaimer. Current employees of EDCTP3 or EU institutions cannot apply or provide support letters ⁷.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Rules of Contest: Global Health EDCTP3 2026-2027 Prizes, Section 2. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
2. 2Eligibility rules for Scientific Leadership Prize for a woman resident of SSA country, Section 6. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
3. 3Award criteria for Scientific Leadership Prizes, Section 2. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
4. 4Available budget for Scientific Leadership prizes, Section 3. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
5. 5Description of Scientific Leadership Prize profiles, Section 2. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
6. 6Timetable and submission process, Sections 4 and 10. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.
7. 7Payment arrangements, communication obligations, and exclusion rules, Sections 8, 9, and 6. Available at EDCTP Prizes Rules.