UPC-GREENCHIPS-EDU Scholarship

The UPC-GREENCHIPS-EDU Scholarship is a grant opportunity aimed at master's students in Electronic Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), specifically within the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB). This scholarship supports students participating in international mobility activities related to the GreenChips-EDU project, which focuses on sustainable microelectronics and a green circular economy.

Eligible applicants include EU citizens, as well as citizens of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine, who are enrolled in or have applied for the Master's in Electronic Engineering (MEE) for the 2025/2026 academic year or later. The scholarship is designed for single applicants, with no consortium requirement necessary.

The financial support provided through the scholarship amounts to a total budget of €40,000, with a maximum of €10,000 available per student. This funding can cover various expenses, including tuition, documentation costs, training, and mobility-related expenses. The breakdown of funding includes specific caps for different types of grants, such as €3,500 for tuition, €1,000 for documentation, and up to €6,000 for long-term mobility stays.

Applications for the scholarship can be submitted electronically through UPC's e-Office, and the application process consists of a single stage. The call is open until June 1, 2027, or until the budget is exhausted, whichever comes first. The selection criteria prioritize academic merit, professional experience, gender representation, and socioeconomic factors.

Overall, the UPC-GREENCHIPS-EDU Scholarship serves to financially aid master's students engaged in international mobility experiences that contribute to the development of sustainable technologies within the electronics sector.

The Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) is offering grants to students enrolled in or applying to the Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering (MEE) at the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB). These grants aim to financially support MEE students participating in academic training activities related to electronics, specifically those involving international mobility to institutions within the GreenChips-EDU project. The grants cover expenses for double degree programs and short-term mobility stays. All eligible expenses must be linked to international mobility within the GreenChips-EDU project.

The call offers six different types of grants, and students can apply for multiple blocks, with a maximum total funding of €10,000 per student. The six grant blocks are:

1. Refund of Tuition and Registration Fees: This covers the amount of credits enrolled for the first time and additional fees at both ETSETB and the host institution. Only semesters starting before June 30, 2027, are eligible. The maximum grant is €3,500.

2. Reimbursement of Documentation Costs: This covers expenses for obtaining necessary documentation for international mobility, including visa applications and issuance, life, health, accident, and civil liability insurance, costs for language accreditation exams, and sworn translations of documents. The maximum grant is €1,000.

3. Contribution to Specialized Training: This supports taking specialization courses related to the GreenChips-EDU project during international mobility at participating foreign institutions. The maximum grant is €1,500.

4. Contribution to Expenses for Scientific Achievements During the Mobility Stay: This supports expenses related to scientific achievements during international mobility within the GreenChips-EDU project, with all expenses occurring before June 30, 2027. It covers:
 A maximum of €1,000 for open access publication fees in first and second quartile journals.
 A maximum of €500 for open access publication fees in third and fourth quartile journals.
 A maximum of €100 for preparing posters for scientific congresses.
 A maximum of €1,500 for registration, travel, accommodation, and meals for attending an international scientific congress (CORE B or higher as per the ICORE Conference Portal) to present an article, increasing to €2,000 for CORE A* congresses.

5. Contribution to Short-Term Mobility Stays: This supports expenses for face-to-face mobility stays shorter than two months and not covered by Erasmus+ (excluding Blended Intensive Programmes), conducted while enrolled in the MEE before June 30, 2027. It covers up to €1,500 for transport, accommodation, and meals for international events or completing the master's thesis at a GreenChips-EDU partner institution.

6. Contribution to Long-Term Mobility Stays: This supports living and transport expenses for MEE students undertaking mobility stays longer than two months at a GreenChips-EDU partner institution. It provides a monthly grant of €500 for up to 12 months, linked to the mobility program and before June 30, 2027. This cannot coincide with other grants for the same expenses funded by EU programs like Erasmus+. The maximum grant is €6,000.

Applications can be submitted under two modalities:

1. Promotion of Double Degree Programs: This is for students in a double degree program within the MEE framework with a GreenChips-EDU partner institution. Grants can be applied for in all blocks except 2.5. This modality receives priority. The maximum grant is €10,000. Block 2.1 expenses are covered for up to four consecutive semesters, including credits at ETSETB and the destination institution, and include degree issuance fees paid before July 31, 2027. Block 2.6 expenses include semesters at ETSETB before the international mobility. Documentation proving expenses is required.

2. Promotion of International Mobility: This is for students granted an international mobility place at a GreenChips-EDU partner institution. Grants can be applied for in all blocks. Block 2.1 expenses are limited to a maximum of two consecutive semesters of mobility. Documentation proving expenses is required.

Eligibility Requirements:

Candidates must be admitted to or have applied for admission to the MEE master's degree at ETSETB for the 2025/2026 academic year or later, requiring simultaneous application for admission to the MEE or current enrollment.
Applicants for modality 3.1 must have a place in the MEE double degree program or endorsement from the Head of Studies of the MEE and the Deputy Director of International Relations of the ETSETB.
Applicants must be citizens of the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine.
Applicants must be enrolled in a program related to electronic engineering or similar at a higher education institution in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine.
Expenses for grants in blocks 2.3 and 2.4 must be directly related to the themes of the GreenChips-EDU project.

Application Submission:

Applications can be submitted from the day after the call's publication until the budget is exhausted or until June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
Applications must be submitted through the UPC's e-Office using the UPC-GREENCHIPS-EDU scholarship form.

Required Documentation:

Cover letter detailing the candidate's academic merits and relevant personal, social, economic, work, and academic circumstances.
List of requested grants by block.
Document stating the average grade of a completed bachelor's or master's degree directly linked to electronic engineering or relevant to GreenChips-EDU, along with the average grade of students completing the same degree in the last five years (or as many promotions as available).
Documentary evidence of the situations described in the cover letter and any additional merits.
Accreditation of a mobility place at an approved destination or a document signed by the Head of Studies of the MEE and the Deputy Director of International Relations endorsing the application, indicating the destination and estimated duration of the stay abroad.
For block 2.3 grants, a document justifying the training's relevance, including the course/activity name, description, purpose, teaching entity, and location.
For block 2.4 grants, a copy of the publication or poster, the publication reference number, and all documentation required by the UPC to prove the expenses.

Selection Criteria:

The selection committee will evaluate applications based on academic merit, gender, and socioeconomic inequalities in electronic engineering.
Applications will be scored out of 35 points across six blocks:

1. Academic Performance (20 points): Measured by the average grade (g) of a relevant bachelor's or master's degree, compared to the average grade (gavg) of students completing the same degree in the last five years, normalized by the minimum (gmin) and maximum (gmax) grades. Applicants must provide g, gavg, gmax, and gmin values certified by the degree-granting institution. Failure to provide this data results in 0 points for this section.

2. Additional Academic Merits (5 points):
 (+1 point) Completion of a bachelor's or master's degree beyond that used for calculating r1.
 (+1 point) Receipt of a recognition or award for academic activity (excluding honors).
 (+1 point) Authorship of a publication or poster in a conference or research journal.
 (+1 point) Demonstrated training in sustainability or green electronics.
 (+1 point) Development of electronics-related projects beyond degree requirements.
 Points are awarded independently and summed based on provided documentation.

3. Professional Experience (5 points): Valued based on accredited hours in electronic engineering:
 (1 point) 100-500 hours.
 (2 points) 500-900 hours.
 (3 points) 900-1800 hours.
 (4 points) Over 1800 hours.
 An additional point is awarded for work experience in sustainability or green electronics.

4. Positive Gender Discrimination (2 points): Awarded to female applicants to improve female representation in the MEE program.

5. Situation of Vulnerability (2 points): Awarded to applicants proving socioeconomic vulnerability, based on accreditation from other grants.

6. Motivation and Alignment with the Call (1 point): Awarded based on the student's motivation and the application's alignment with the call's objectives.

The final score is the sum of points from each block. Applications in modality 3.1 have priority over modality 3.2 if scores are equal.

Resolution:

Applications will be assessed by a selection committee of members of the Academic Committee of the MEE Master's Degree. Resolutions will be announced electronically, and scholarship information will be published on the GreenChips-EDU project website.

The UPC-GREENCHIPS-EDU Scholarship is designed to support students pursuing a Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering at UPC's Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering, specifically those engaging in international mobility programs within the GreenChips-EDU project. It offers financial assistance across various categories, including tuition, documentation, specialized training, scientific achievements, and both short-term and long-term mobility stays. The scholarship aims to promote academic excellence and international collaboration in the field of electronics, with a particular focus on sustainability and green technologies. Students can apply for different types of grants, but the total funding is capped at €10,000 per student. The selection process considers academic merit, professional experience, gender, socioeconomic factors, and the applicant's motivation and alignment with the GreenChips-EDU project's goals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is students of the Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering (MEE) taught at the UPC's Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB). Candidates must have been admitted to the MEE master's degree taught at the ETSETB or have applied for admission for the 2025/2026 academic year or later. Applicants for modality 3.1 must have been granted a place within the MEE double degree programme at the time of the evaluation of the application, or have the endorsement of the Head of Studies of the MEE and the Deputy Director of International Relations of the ETSETB. They must also be an EU citizen or a citizen of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Ukraine and be enrolled, at the time they submit the application, in a program linked to the field of electronic engineering or similar, in an HEI located in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Ukraine.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant. Specifically, these are scholarships to provide financial assistance to MEE students interested in academic training activities in the field of electronics that involve mobility to any of the foreign institutions participating in the GreenChips-EDU project.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is for a single applicant.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU citizens or citizens of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine, enrolled in a program linked to electronic engineering or similar in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) located in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine. The mobility must be to one of the foreign institutions participating in the GreenChips-EDU project.

Target Sector: The target sector is electronic engineering, with a focus on sustainable chips and applications for a green and circular economy. This includes specialized education programmes or modules in key capacity areas related to microelectronics.

Mentioned Countries: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Ukraine.

Project Stage: The project stage is aimed at supporting students during their Master's studies, specifically during international mobility stays. This includes activities related to research, development, and potentially validation through scientific achievements.

Funding Amount: The maximum funding amount a student can receive is €10,000. The call offers 6 different types of grants, each with its own maximum amount:
Refund of tuition and registration fees: maximum of €3,500.
Reimbursement of the costs of issuing documentation: maximum of €1,000.
Contribution to specialized training: maximum of €1,500.
Contribution to expenses for scientific achievements during the mobility stay: variable, depending on the type of achievement (e.g., publication in journals, conference attendance).
Contribution to the costs of short-term mobility stays related to the master's degree: maximum of €1,500.
Contribution to the expenses of long-term mobility stays related to the master's degree: maximum of €6,000 (€500 per month for a maximum of 12 months).
The total funding available for the call is €40,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with multiple cut-off dates.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money to cover eligible expenses.

Application Stages: The application process involves one stage: submission of the application through the UPC's e-Office, along with the required documentation. The applications are then evaluated by a selection committee.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement. However, it is stated that the contribution to the expenses of long-term mobility stays cannot coincide in time with any other grant for the same concepts and that it is funded by an EU programme (e.g. Erasmus+), suggesting that students may be receiving funding from other sources as well.

This opportunity is a scholarship program offered by the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) through the GreenChips-EDU project, aimed at supporting students enrolled in the Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering (MEE) at the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB). The scholarships are designed to facilitate and financially assist students undertaking international mobility experiences at foreign institutions participating in the GreenChips-EDU project. The program provides grants across six different categories, covering tuition fees, documentation costs, specialized training, scientific achievements, and short-term and long-term mobility expenses. The maximum amount a student can receive is €10,000.

To be eligible, applicants must be admitted to the MEE program or have applied for admission, be citizens of the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, or Ukraine, and be enrolled in a relevant program at a higher education institution in one of those countries. Applications are submitted through the UPC's e-Office and require a cover letter, academic transcripts, proof of mobility placement, and other supporting documents. The selection process considers academic merit, gender, and socioeconomic factors. The call has multiple deadlines extending until June 1, 2027, or until the available budget is exhausted. The GreenChips-EDU project aims to build a digitally-supported education ecosystem for next-generation microelectronics experts in sustainable chips and applications for a green and circular economy, and this scholarship program is a key component of that initiative.