Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027

Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 operated by SPECTRO offers tuition fee waivers for students admitted to its double-degree Master’s programmes in Cybersecurity and Robotics for the 2027–2029 cycle. Total funding is €510,000, with an indicative allocation of approximately 49 scholarships (about 36 full waivers valued at €6,000 per year and 13 half waivers valued at €3,000 per year) applied as reductions to tuition invoices. Applicants must be admitted and enrolled in one of the two programmes and meet programme-specific academic, technical and language requirements; waivers do not cover living, travel or other non-tuition costs. The call is administered solely by SPECTRO (not an EU grant), opens 31 October 2026 and the application deadline is 30 June 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Overview

Tuition fee waivers for the 2-year double-degree MSc programmes in Cybersecurity or Robotics delivered by the SPECTRO consortium. Waivers are applied as reductions on tuition invoices and cover tuition costs only.

Selection is merit-based using six criteria scored 1–5 (academic suitability, university quality, study success, entrepreneurial experience, motivation, overall CV/application). Applicants must enrol and be accepted to a SPECTRO Master to be considered. Application and programme details are managed via the Master School application portal.

Apply/enrol via the 28DIGITAL Master School portal and consult the full call document for application requirements and required documents: SPECTRO call PDF.

Footnotes

1. 1SPECTRO is solely responsible for the call, selection and payment of scholarships. The publication on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal does not constitute EU approval or responsibility.

Opportunity summary

SPECTRO (SPecialised Education programmes in CybersecuriTy and RObotics) operates a Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 scholarship call providing tuition fee waivers for students admitted to its two double-degree 2-year Master programmes (120 ECTS) in Cybersecurity and Robotics. The call is administered and financed solely by SPECTRO; publication on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is informational only and does not make this an EU action. The programme duration for selected students is 4 semesters (Academic years 2027-2029). The single-stage deadline for the 2027 recruitment cycle is 30 June 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Opening date is 31 October 2026.

Key dates and administrative details

Who should apply and eligible applicants

Eligibility for scholarships is restricted to students who enrol and are accepted into one of the two SPECTRO Master programmes (Cybersecurity or Robotics). Applicants must be nationals of one of the eligible countries: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), EEA countries listed, or countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme or in ongoing association negotiations that enter into force before grant signature. Only enrolled and accepted students are eligible for financial support. Applicants must meet programme-specific academic and technical prerequisites.

Targeted study fields and sectors

The scholarships target two specialised education areas related to digital technologies and engineering: Cybersecurity and Robotics. Relevant technology and topic coverage includes ethical hacking, blockchain technologies, quantum cryptography, autonomous systems, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The activity aligns with digital skills and capacity building in key digital technology domains.

Project/Applicant stage and expected maturity

Structure of support and number of awards

Application and selection process

Application to the scholarship is integrated into the Master School admission application. Candidates must first apply to and be accepted by one of the SPECTRO Master programmes via the single application portal. When applying, candidates choose up to 3 entry universities and 3 exit universities in order of preference. A single scholarship application is considered for all scholarship types; there are no separate scholarship applications for sub-programmes.

Selection criteria and scoring

Six evaluation criteria are used. Each criterion is scored on a 1-5 scale where 1 = Non-satisfactory and 5 = Excellent. The initial merit score is the average of scores assigned by the two Local Programme Coordinators. Programme Leaders harmonise scoring across universities and countries. An average grade of 3 is considered admissible unless objections are raised by a partner university.

Diversity, priority rules and KPIs

SPECTRO aims to promote diversity by gender, age, social and economic background, and by increasing participation from RIS (EIT Regional Innovation Scheme) countries. There is a dedicated scholarship programme for women and a separate track for RIS participants; however, applicants are ranked on a single unified merit list and gender or RIS status are only used as tie-breakers. Target KPIs include at least 30% female scholarship recipients and 50% recipients from RIS countries; SPECTRO also has a target to reach at least 40% of RIS countries scholarship recipients. Final allocation maintains merit-based priority, with flexibility to ensure fair and efficient use of funds.

Appeals and administrative obligations

Applicants who believe an error occurred may submit an appeal to the Master School Office (masterschool@28digital.eu) without a formal deadline. The Head of Master School Office will review appeals with relevant staff and correct any confirmed errors. Selected students must sign an agreement with 28DIGITAL Master School outlining rights and obligations under the scholarship scheme; failure to comply may result in termination or recovery of funds. Data protection rights under GDPR are respected; applicants must consent to 28DIGITAL’s privacy policy and can exercise rights to access, correct or erase personal data via privacy@28digital.eu.

Application channels and links

Applications are submitted via the 28DIGITAL Master School application portal. Applicants start the process at the EIT Digital Academy application page and complete the Master School application form where scholarship consideration is automatic.

Categorisation answers

Below are the standardised category extractions based on the call details.

Application templates and form structure guidance

Application to SPECTRO is performed through the Master School portal where applicants complete a single admission application that also serves as scholarship application. The call provides explicit guidance on required documents and submission items to upload. The main components to prepare and upload are listed below to reflect the typical structure of the application form.

Evaluation fields in the portal will capture quantitative scores for each of the six selection criteria, and reviewers provide comments. Applicants are advised to ensure all documents are complete, certified where required, and legible front and back where applicable for transcripts.

Full description of the opportunity and concluding summary

The Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 SPECTRO scholarship call offers tuition fee waivers to individuals admitted to SPECTRO double-degree Master programmes in Cybersecurity and Robotics for the 2027-2029 academic period. The funding is provided by the SPECTRO consortium (28DIGITAL Master School and partner universities) and not by EU institutions; publication on the EU portal is informational only. The objective is to increase access to high-quality specialised digital education and to promote diversity and inclusion by supporting women and applicants from RIS countries while maintaining a merit-based ranking system. The call provides an indicative budget of €510,000 to be used for approximately 49 scholarships distributed between full and half tuition waivers. Applicants apply through the Master School admission portal by the single-stage deadline; selection relies on a multi-stage evaluation (administrative pre-screen, programme committee evaluation, general requirements check) and uses six equally weighted criteria scored 1-5. Scholarship awards are applied directly to reduce tuition invoices. Applicants must comply with data protection requirements and sign an agreement should they be selected. For full call rules, scoring details, documentation templates, and programme-specific admissions information consult the SPECTRO call documentation and programme webpages; the detailed call PDF is linked in the references 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call and detailed rules (2027 FSTP SPECTRO) available at masterschool.28digital.eu

Opportunity overview

Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 is a cascade funding opportunity operated by the SPECTRO project, which supports students admitted to two double degree Master’s programmes in Cybersecurity and Robotics. The support is provided as tuition fee waivers for students commencing the 2027 to 2029 academic cycle.

SPECTRO stands for SPecialised Education programmes in CybersecuriTy and RObotics. The project is funded under the Digital Europe Programme topic DIGITAL-2022 and has grant agreement number 101123118.

The opportunity is not a direct European Commission grant or an EU action. SPECTRO is solely responsible for designing the call, assessing applications, selecting recipients, administering the financial support and enforcing the relevant conditions. Publication on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal is for information and visibility purposes only 1.

Key facts

Call status and timetable

The call is a single-stage recruitment call. The published opening date is 31 October 2026 and the deadline is 30 June 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. The expected participation period is 24 months, covering four semesters and the academic years 2027 to 2029.

The application deadline is the deadline for the relevant Master’s programme and scholarship application. Applicants should not wait until the final day because admissions, document verification and scholarship allocation depend on the complete submission of the programme application.

Funding envelope

The total funding available is €510,000. The indicative allocation is approximately 36 full tuition fee waivers and 13 half tuition fee waivers, giving an indicative total of 49 scholarships. The exact number may change depending on tuition levels, host university cost coefficients, the mix of full and half waivers, withdrawals and the remaining budget.

The indicative budget is consistent with 36 full waivers valued at €12,000 over two academic years and 13 half waivers valued at €6,000 over two academic years.

An external SPECTRO webpage identified in the web search refers to 62 scholarships and includes an excellence scholarship category. This differs from the specific Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 call information, which identifies 49 scholarships consisting of approximately 36 full and 13 half waivers. Applicants should treat the specific call document and the application portal as controlling and confirm the final allocation before applying 2.

Funding terms

Scholarship type

Payment mechanism

The financial support is applied as a reduction to tuition invoices. Students are normally invoiced twice per academic year, once for the autumn semester and once for the spring semester. The invoices issued to scholarship recipients should show the reduced tuition amount.

The support does not appear to cover accommodation, travel, living expenses, insurance, visa costs, books, equipment, registration charges or other personal costs. Applicants must budget separately for all expenses not included in tuition.

The waiver value is defined before the start of the first academic year and is intended to cover both academic years, subject to the scholarship agreement and continued compliance with its conditions.

Eligible applicants

Applicants must be admitted to, and enrolled in, one of the two SPECTRO Master’s programmes. Scholarship consideration is integrated into the Master School application and is not presented as a separate standalone grant application.

Eligible nationality categories include nationals of European Union Member States, including overseas countries and territories, and nationals of eligible European Economic Area countries and countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. Countries in ongoing association negotiations may be eligible if the association agreement enters into force before grant signature.

Applicants must also satisfy the academic and programme-specific admission requirements. These include a recognised and relevant Bachelor’s degree, the mandatory technical prerequisites for the chosen programme, sufficient academic performance, English-language proficiency and submission of the required supporting documentation.

The opportunity is directed at individuals rather than companies, public authorities or research organisations. The practical beneficiary is an admitted student receiving a tuition reduction under the SPECTRO scholarship scheme.

Study programmes

Both programmes are described as double degree Master’s programmes at ISCED Level 7 with 120 ECTS over two academic years.

Application documents

Applicants should prepare the following documents and information for the Master School application:

Translations must be complete and properly authenticated where required. If the degree institution does not provide an English translation, the translation should be prepared by an authorised translator and display the translator’s credentials, signature and stamps.

Applicants may select up to three preferred entry universities and three preferred exit universities in order of priority. This gives the consortium flexibility to allocate applicants to available institutions, but admission and scholarship decisions remain subject to capacity, programme requirements and the selection process.

A specific timing condition applies where Aalto University is selected as the entry university: the Bachelor’s degree must be completed by 31 July 2027.

Selection and evaluation

The process includes administrative pre-screening, academic and programme evaluation, a general requirements check and scholarship allocation. Pre-screening includes verification that the university is recognised or accredited, the applicant has a GPA of at least 70 percent and the Bachelor’s degree is relevant.

Applicants are evaluated by programme selection committees composed of representatives from participating universities. The committees assess applications through the application portal, with Programme Leads responsible for coordinating assignments, reviewing consistency and supporting the final ranking process.

The scholarship criteria are equally weighted. Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5, where 1 means non-satisfactory, 2 borderline, 3 admissible, 4 very good and 5 excellent.

Initial merit scores are based on the average of scores assigned by the Local Programme Coordinators at the entry and exit universities. Programme Leads review the scores to promote consistency across universities and countries, followed by a final deliberation involving the Programme Leads, Local Programme Coordinators and the Quality Assurance Manager.

Applicants with an average grade of 3 are generally considered admissible unless a participating university raises an objection. Scholarships are then allocated in order of the unified merit ranking, with full waivers normally allocated before half waivers until the planned distribution or available budget is exhausted.

There are no separate merit ranking lists for women, Regional Innovation Scheme applicants or other subgroups. All applicants compete in one ranking. Gender and RIS status are used as priority factors only where applicants have equal final merit scores.

Diversity objectives

SPECTRO seeks to promote diversity in gender, age and social and economic background. It also aims to support participation from countries covered by the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme.

Applicants submit one scholarship application and are automatically considered for the available scholarship categories. A female applicant or an applicant from an RIS country does not receive a separate ranking position, but may receive priority in a tie on the final merit score.

The call describes targets of at least 30 percent female scholarship recipients and at least 40 percent scholarship recipients from RIS countries. These are programme objectives rather than guaranteed quotas. If the targets cannot be reached among sufficiently qualified applicants, remaining scholarships may be allocated to other qualified applicants according to merit.

Allocation, waiting list and duration conditions

Scholarships are allocated on a rolling basis until the available budget is consumed or the planned number of recipients is reached. If a selected applicant declines an offer or withdraws, the scholarship may be offered to the next eligible person on the reserve list.

Applicants are informed of the scholarship outcome with the admission letter and study offer, or within approximately one week where a waiting-list procedure is used. Under the described two-round procedure, a second allocation may take place after the deadline for first-round candidates to accept or decline their offers.

Selected students must sign a scholarship agreement with 28DIGITAL or the Master School setting out rights and obligations. Failure to comply may lead to termination of financial support and recovery of funds.

Students should plan to remain enrolled and comply with the academic, administrative, ethical, confidentiality, visibility, information and record-keeping obligations applicable under the scholarship agreement and the relevant SPECTRO project rules.

Appeals and complaints

Applicants who believe that an administrative or ranking error occurred may contact the Master School Office at masterschool@28digital.eu. The call does not specify a formal appeal deadline.

Appeals are reviewed by the Head of the Master School Office together with relevant education, admissions and programme representatives. The review may examine ranking calculations, portal administration and the fairness of the scholarship allocation order. If an error is confirmed, the scholarship decision may be corrected.

Data protection

Applicants must provide personal data through the application system, including contact details, identification data, curriculum information and academic records. Applicants must read and accept the applicable 28DIGITAL privacy policy and Master School terms and conditions.

Under the described GDPR arrangements, applicants may request access to, correction or erasure of their personal data and may withdraw consent where applicable. Data protection requests may be sent to privacy@28digital.eu.

Applicant assessment

This opportunity is most suitable for applicants who already meet, or can demonstrate that they will meet, the academic, technical and language requirements for one of the two Master’s programmes. The scholarship application is competitive and the funding is limited, so admission alone does not guarantee a waiver.

The strongest applications should present a relevant and well-performing academic record, a clearly evidenced fit with the chosen programme, relevant technical or entrepreneurial experience, a convincing innovation or entrepreneurship narrative and credible evidence of financial need where requested.

Applicants should verify the final tuition fees charged by the assigned universities because the scholarship is a fixed nominal waiver and may not cover all tuition-related amounts if fees differ from the assumptions used in the call.

Applicants should also verify nationality eligibility, English-language requirements, university-specific deadlines, technical prerequisites and the final scholarship count directly in the application portal and the full call document before submission.

Useful official information

The authoritative Funding and Tenders Portal listing is EU Funding and Tenders Portal call. The full SPECTRO call document is 2027 SPECTRO FSTP call.

Programme information is available through SPECTRO Cybersecurity programme and SPECTRO Robotics programme. The application process is initiated through EIT Digital Academy application portal. General enquiries may be directed to spectro@28digital.eu.

Overall conclusion

Recruitment Cycle Cohort 2027 offers substantial tuition support for approximately 49 eligible students admitted to SPECTRO’s two-year Cybersecurity or Robotics double degree Master’s programmes. The principal benefits are full or half tuition waivers valued at €12,000 or €6,000 over two academic years. The main risks for applicants are the competitive merit ranking, limited budget, institution-specific admission requirements, the absence of support for living and other non-tuition costs, and the need to comply with the scholarship agreement throughout the programme.

The Funding and Tenders Portal listing should be read together with the full SPECTRO call document. Because the publicly identified SPECTRO webpage reports a different broader scholarship figure, applicants should rely on the call-specific documents and obtain confirmation of the final scholarship categories and availability before making financial or study plans 2.

Footnotes

1. 1The official opportunity information states that the call is not an EU action and is launched solely by SPECTRO under its own responsibility. The EU portal publication is for information purposes and does not constitute approval by EU authorities.
2. 2The supplied call information states an indicative allocation of 49 scholarships, approximately 36 full and 13 half tuition waivers, while a SPECTRO webpage found in the web search refers to 62 scholarships including an excellence category. This may reflect a later or broader scholarship scheme. Applicants should verify the applicable figure in the call-specific PDF and application portal.