UPRAISE: Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) call for International Mobility, Type of financial support: Students Incoming, Cycle 1 – Academic Y...

UPRAISE (Virtual Worlds Innovation Masters, GA 101225920) via the University of Patras offers a cascade Financial Support to Third Parties call for incoming international students for a one-semester academic mobility in 2026/2027 focusing on VR/AR/XR and related digital technologies applied to health, food, culture and education. Five grants of up to €5,000 each are available (total budget €25,000) and applications in English must be submitted by 26 November 2026 at 23:00 Brussels time by email to dtsolis@upatras.gr with subject UPRAISE-UNIPAT-C1-2026-IN - [Applicant Name]. Eligible applicants are students enrolled or admitted to a recognised higher education institution who meet nationality and academic entry requirements and must provide the completed application form, CV, transcript, motivation letter, mobility plan, host confirmation and double-funding declaration. Evaluation is single-stage using a 100-point model weighted Academic background 65 / Motivation and proposed activity 25 / CV 10 with a recommended threshold of 70/100 and prioritisation applied for cohort balance.

What is funded

Scope

Short academic mobility grants to support incoming international students at the University of Patras for one semester of supervised study or research linked to UPRAISE themes (VR/AR/XR in Health, Food, Culture, Education; innovation and entrepreneurship).

Footnotes

1. 1Publication on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is for visibility only; UPRAISE (GA 101225920) is solely responsible for the call, selection and payments.

Key Facts

Purpose and Context

The UPRAISE FSTP call finances short structured academic mobility (incoming students to University of Patras) to strengthen advanced digital skills in Virtual Worlds, innovation and entrepreneurship. Mobility activities focus on research and learning using VR/AR/XR in Health, Food, Culture and Education and aim to combine advanced learning, international collaboration and practical exposure to UPRAISE themes.

Eligibility and Applicant Requirements

Eligible applicants must be students actively enrolled or admitted at a recognised higher education institution, or affiliated with one of the HEIs or companies in the UPRAISE consortium, and must meet the academic entry requirements of the offered mobility activity. Applicants must hold a nationality eligible under Digital Europe Programme rules, demonstrate adequate language proficiency where required, and submit a study or mobility plan aligned with UPRAISE subject areas (Virtual Worlds, VR/AR/XR applied to Health, Food, Culture, Education, plus related areas such as AI, Digital Twins and innovation/entrepreneurship). Double funding of the same cost is prohibited.

Eligible Costs and Financial Conditions

Selection, Evaluation and Prioritisation

Evaluation is single-stage. Applications are evaluated using the UPRAISE scoring model with a recommended minimum quality threshold of 70/100 (subject to final approved call conditions). Scores are weighted across three criteria and the final ranking will determine awards. If tied scores occur, prioritisation and tie-breaking may use declared priority categories, financial need and cohort balance; the Selection Committee must document tie-break rationale.

Prioritisation categories (applied only after eligibility and academic qualification) include: women and other genders underrepresented in ICT, applicants from low socio-economic backgrounds or experiencing financial hardship, applicants with disabilities or belonging to minority/migrant/refugee/vulnerable groups, applicants from countries or regions with lower advanced digital skills capacity, and applicants who belong to multiple priority categories. Supply of priority information is voluntary and confidential. Where official evidence is unavailable, self-declaration may be accepted per University procedures.

Application process and required documents

Submission is electronic via email to the University of Patras designated address. The package must be in English and either one combined PDF or clearly named PDF attachments. Late, incomplete or unsigned applications may be declared ineligible. Submission email and subject line are mandatory as specified below.

Mandatory application documents (required attachments)

Award, contract, obligations and compliance

All applicants will be informed of results. Successful applicants must accept the award within the timeframe provided in the notification. Before payment, beneficiaries may be required to sign a grant agreement, a learning agreement, declaration of honour, the double-funding declaration and other University of Patras documents. Recipients must implement the approved mobility activity, provide evidence of participation and eligible expenditure where requested, and cooperate with monitoring, reporting, audits and checks. If the mobility is not implemented or eligibility conditions are not met, funds already received may need to be reimbursed. The activity should be academically recognised through ECTS or another appropriate certification according to University of Patras rules.

Procedures: redress, data protection and disclaimer

Administrative and operational details

Categorisation and structured answers

The following section summarises the opportunity across the requested classification fields in detail.

Other practical notes and risk areas for applicants

For queries about eligibility, documents or call procedures contact Professor Dimitrios Tsolis at dtsolis@upatras.gr. Applicants requiring templates or the application form should use the official form linked above 1.

Footnotes

1. 1UNIPAT UPRAISE Application form and call documentation (Financial Support to Third Parties FSTP call for International Mobility, Cycle 1 – Academic Year 2026/2027): drive.google.com

Opportunity summary

This is a cascade funding call under the UPRAISE project, Virtual Worlds Innovation Masters: Shaping Future Digital Skills Europe, Grant Agreement 101225920. The University of Patras intends to support international students undertaking a structured one semester academic mobility period during the 2026/2027 academic year. The mobility is intended to develop advanced digital skills, international collaboration, research experience and practical knowledge connected with virtual worlds and related technologies 1.

The academic activities are expected to address the use of VR, AR and XR technologies in health, food, culture and education. Applicants should demonstrate a clear academic and learning relationship with these themes and explain how the proposed mobility will contribute to their studies, research or professional development.

The call is published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal for visibility and information. It is not an EU action or a direct application for EU funding. The financial support is awarded directly by UPRAISE under its own responsibility, with the University of Patras managing the relevant mobility activity and selection process 1.

Key facts

Call details

Call title

UPRAISE Financial Support to Third Parties call for International Mobility, Students Incoming, Cycle 1, Academic Year 2026/2027

Managing and hosting institution

University of Patras, Greece

Project

Grant agreement

101225920

Funding programme and topic

Digital Europe Programme, DIGITAL-2024, Specialised Education Programmes in Key Capacity Areas

Opening date

26 September 2026

Submission deadline

26 November 2026 at 23:00 Brussels time. The call uses a single stage submission procedure.

Expected duration

One semester

Total call budget

€25,000

Number of grants

Five grants

Maximum stated support

€5,000 per selected applicant

Application language

English

Submission channel

Electronic submission to dtsolis@upatras.gr with the subject line UPRAISE-UNIPAT-C1-2026-IN followed by the applicant name 1.

Who can apply

The call is aimed at international students who will undertake incoming mobility hosted by the University of Patras. Applicants should be actively enrolled in, or admitted to, a recognised higher education institution and must meet the academic entry requirements of the specific activity or mobility stream.

Applicants are expected to have an institutional connection with an eligible higher education institution or other eligible organisation within the UPRAISE consortium, as evidenced by the required enrolment documentation. The application materials also refer to an invitation, acceptance or confirmation from the University of Patras for the specific mobility stream.

Applicants must hold a nationality that is eligible under the applicable Digital Europe Programme and UPRAISE rules. The opportunity does not provide a definitive nationality list in the supplied call information, so applicants should verify their status against the final call documentation and the eligibility rules applied by the University of Patras before submission.

Adequate language proficiency is required where relevant to the academic activity. The applicant must also submit a feasible study, learning or mobility plan aligned with UPRAISE themes and the proposed host activity.

The opportunity is most suitable for students whose academic background or proposed work relates to advanced digital technologies, virtual worlds, immersive technologies, artificial intelligence, digital twins, innovation, entrepreneurship or the specified application areas of health, food, culture and education.

Funding and eligible expenditure

Each selected applicant may receive a fixed maximum financial support amount of €5,000. Five grants are planned, producing the total call budget of €25,000.

The support may contribute to eligible costs associated with the approved one semester mobility, including enrolment fees, travel, accommodation and living expenses. The call information does not establish separate unit costs, daily rates, reimbursement ceilings, per kilometre rates or a guaranteed reimbursement percentage for each category.

The €5,000 amount should therefore be treated as the maximum grant available per beneficiary rather than an assurance that all expenditure will be covered. Applicants should prepare a realistic budget and should not assume that costs exceeding the grant will be reimbursed.

Applicants must not receive double funding for the same cost. A signed declaration on double funding is included among the required documents, and the application form requests information about estimated total costs, other funding and the amount requested from UPRAISE.

The supplied information does not confirm whether payment will be made in one instalment or several instalments, whether payment will be made before or after mobility, or the detailed rules for supporting documents. These points should be confirmed in the award notification and any grant agreement issued by the University of Patras.

Academic and mobility scope

The mobility period is expected to last one semester and should be defined through an approved learning or mobility plan. The activity may include academic study, research, practical exposure, collaboration with UPRAISE partners or another approved form of structured learning.

The stated thematic focus covers VR, AR and XR technologies applied to health, food, culture and education. The related application form also refers to artificial intelligence and generative AI, digital twins and data driven systems, innovation and entrepreneurship. Applicants should rely on the specific activity description and confirmation from the University of Patras when determining the precise scope of their proposed mobility.

Where applicable, the activity should be academically recognised through ECTS or another appropriate certification under University of Patras rules. Applicants should agree the expected learning outcomes, credits or certification before the mobility begins.

Required application documents

The application should be submitted as one PDF file or as clearly named PDF attachments. The following documents are identified as necessary:

The motivation letter should explain the applicant's academic background, expected learning outcomes, relevance to UPRAISE and the proposed mobility activity. The mobility plan should be specific enough to demonstrate feasibility, academic value and alignment with the host activity.

Late, incomplete or unsigned applications may be declared ineligible. Applicants should check that all attachments are legible, signed where required and consistent with the information entered in the application form.

Evaluation and selection

Applications are assessed using a 100 point model. Academic background is the dominant criterion, accounting for 65 points. Motivation and the proposed activity account for 25 points, while the curriculum vitae accounts for 10 points.

The recommended minimum quality threshold is 70 out of 100, subject to the final approved call conditions. Reaching the threshold does not guarantee funding because only five grants are available and selection will depend on the ranking and applicable prioritisation rules.

Applicants should give particular attention to academic evidence because the academic background criterion represents nearly two thirds of the total score. The proposed mobility should be concrete, achievable within one semester and clearly connected to the applicant's prior studies and intended learning outcomes.

Inclusion and prioritisation

Prioritisation measures are applied only after eligibility and academic qualification have been established. They do not replace the merit based assessment and are intended to support a balanced cohort.

Information relating to priority categories is voluntary and confidential. Applicants should provide only the minimum information necessary to establish a relevant category. The call indicates that self declarations may be accepted where official evidence is unavailable or inappropriate, subject to University procedures and applicable data protection rules.

Applicants are not required to provide medical diagnoses, detailed health information, ethnicity, religion or other sensitive information beyond what is necessary to establish the claimed category. Where applicants have more than one relevant characteristic, they may indicate this for prioritisation purposes.

If applicants receive the same final score, the selection committee may consider the prioritisation factors, financial need and overall cohort balance as tie breakers. The rationale for such a decision should be documented.

Award conditions and beneficiary obligations

All applicants should receive a notification of the outcome. Successful applicants must accept the award within the period stated in the notification.

Before payment, successful applicants may be required to sign a grant agreement, learning agreement, declaration of honour, double funding declaration and other University of Patras documents.

Recipients must implement the approved activity, provide evidence of participation and eligible expenditure where requested, and cooperate with monitoring, reporting, audits and checks. Any withdrawal or cancellation must be communicated promptly in writing.

Financial support already received may have to be reimbursed if the mobility is not implemented or if eligibility conditions are not fulfilled. Applicants should therefore avoid committing to expenditure that cannot be supported if the award is cancelled or the activity is not completed.

Review and redress

Applicants may request a review only where they allege a procedural or administrative error that affected the evaluation. A redress request cannot normally challenge the academic judgement of evaluators unless a procedural irregularity may have influenced the result.

A redress request must be submitted to dtsolis@upatras.gr within 10 calendar days of notification of the result. Applicants should identify the alleged error clearly and explain how it may have affected the outcome.

Data protection

The University of Patras acts as data controller for personal data processed in connection with the call. Data may be used for application management, evaluation, award administration, project monitoring, reporting, audit and compliance under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national legislation.

Applicants should review the relevant University of Patras privacy notice before submitting personal, identity, academic, financial or optional inclusion information.

Applicant action plan

Overall assessment

This is a small, competitive mobility opportunity offering five students up to €5,000 each for a one semester incoming academic period at the University of Patras. It is particularly relevant to applicants with strong academic records and a well developed proposal linked to immersive or advanced digital technologies and their application in the identified sectors.

The principal strengths of the opportunity are the substantial weighting given to academic achievement, the possibility of using the grant for several mobility related cost categories, and the integration of academic learning with research and practical exposure. The principal constraints are the limited number of awards, the absence of detailed cost ceilings in the published summary, the requirement for institutional and host documentation, and the prohibition on double funding.

Applicants should treat the final grant agreement and University of Patras instructions as controlling documents for payment arrangements, eligible cost evidence, mobility dates, nationality interpretation, academic recognition and any conditions not specified in the portal summary.

Official source and contact information

The official portal record is available at EU Funding and Tenders Portal call. The project website is UPRAISE project and the host institution website is University of Patras.

The designated contact person is Dimitrios Tsolis, Professor, University of Patras. Contact email: dtsolis@upatras.gr.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity record and supplied call documentation: EU Funding and Tenders Portal call. The record identifies the opening date, deadline, one semester duration, €25,000 total budget, five grants, €5,000 support per grant, application requirements, evaluation model and UPRAISE disclaimer.