VIC FSTP - ISTEC Summer School Scholarships 2025-2026

ISTEC (Instituto Superior de Tecnologias Avançadas de Lisboa) is offering 10 institutional scholarships of €250 each (total €2,500) as fee reductions to support participation in the VIC Summer School 2025-2026 under the Virtual Innovation Consortium. Eligible applicants are natural persons admitted or eligible for admission to the programme who meet ISTEC enrolment and nationality requirements; priority may be given to candidates demonstrating financial need or contributing to diversity and inclusion. Applications must be submitted via the ISTEC scholarship portal by 30 June 2026 23:59 CEST and the support does not cover travel, accommodation or subsistence. The call is administered solely by ISTEC (co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101226225) and its publication on the EU portal is for information and visibility only.

What it funds

Summary

Institutional scholarships (Financial Support to Third Parties) providing a participation fee reduction of €250 per selected participant for the VIC Summer School organised by ISTEC (2025-2026 edition). Scholarships do not cover travel, accommodation, subsistence, or other ancillary costs.

Funding details:Total budget €2,500; 10 scholarships of €250 each applied as fee waivers. No cash transfers. Application and selection managed by ISTEC; publication on the EU portal is for visibility only ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: natural persons admitted or eligible for admission to the VIC Summer School (check ISTEC admission rules).
2. 2Geographical eligibility: nationals of EU Member States, other Digital Europe Programme eligible countries, and selected partner countries involved in EU digital cooperation frameworks.
3. 3Priority criteria: demonstrated financial need, underrepresented groups, non-ICT or interdisciplinary backgrounds, contribution to diversity and inclusion.
4. 4Required documents: scholarship form, CV, motivation letter, proof of programme application/admission, supporting evidence for financial need or inclusion criteria (if applicable).

Selection:ISTEC-appointed Selection Committee will verify eligibility, score applications on academic merit, motivation, financial need, diversity contribution and relevant experience (scoring 1 to 5), rank applicants and allocate scholarships. Applicants notified by email; appeals within 10 working days to vic@my.istec.pt.

Applications must be submitted via the dedicated online form. Consult full call documentation and ISTEC admission conditions before applying.

Footnotes

1. 1Apply through the ISTEC scholarship portal: academic-offer.vic-eu.com. The call is launched and financed by ISTEC within the VIC project (Grant Agreement 101226225); the publication on the EU portal is informational only.

Opportunity Summary

This call offers Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) via institutional scholarships managed by ISTEC (Instituto Superior de Tecnologias Avançadas de Lisboa) to support participation in the 2025-2026 edition of the VIC Summer School. The objective is to reduce financial barriers and promote diversity, inclusion, and participation in advanced digital skills education in immersive technologies (VR, AR, XR) and artificial intelligence. Selected participants receive a partial fee reduction applied directly to the programme participation fee. The call is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for visibility, but the support is provided solely by ISTEC under its own responsibility and is co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101226225.

Opening and Deadline:Opening date: 30 April 2026. Application deadline: 30 June 2026, 23:59 CEST (deadline model single-stage). Expected duration of participation in the summer school is 5 days.

Total Funding and Award Details:Total budget for the call: €2,500. A total of 10 scholarships are available. Each selected participant may receive €250 in financial support, applied directly as a participation fee reduction or fee waiver. The scholarship is not a cash transfer and does not cover travel, accommodation, subsistence, or other ancillary costs.

Eligibility and Applicant Requirements

Eligible applicants, documents required, priority criteria and other institutional conditions are defined and verified by ISTEC. Applicants must be natural persons and must be admitted or eligible for admission to the VIC Summer School programme organised by ISTEC. They must meet academic, administrative and enrolment requirements published on ISTEC's institutional webpage. Applicants must comply with applicable institutional enrolment requirements and provide supporting documentation as requested.

1. 1Eligible applicant types: natural persons (students) who are admitted or eligible for admission to the VIC Summer School programme organised by ISTEC. The call is targeted at students rather than organisations.
2. 2Nationality / geographic eligibility: Students who hold the nationality of an EU Member State or another Digital Europe Programme eligible country; and/or students from countries with which the European Commission maintains international cooperation related to digital topics (digital partnerships, Trade and Technology Councils, policy dialogues). The applicable list of countries is governed by European Commission rules and may change.
3. 3Required application documents: completed scholarship application form (submitted via the dedicated online application form), curriculum vitae (CV), motivation letter, proof of programme application or admission (if applicable), supporting documentation for financial need or inclusion criteria (if applicable).
4. 4Priority considerations: applicants demonstrating financial need, belonging to underrepresented groups, coming from non-ICT or interdisciplinary backgrounds, or contributing to diversity and inclusion objectives.

Funding Mechanism and Administrative Details

Funding type:Financial Support to Third Parties (institutional scholarships) implemented by the beneficiary institution (ISTEC). This is effectively a grant-like fee reduction provided directly by ISTEC to the programme participation fee. The call is managed by ISTEC in its own name and under its own responsibility; publication on the EU portal is for visibility only. The FSTP is co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme under the Virtual Innovation Consortium project (Grant Agreement No. 101226225).

How to Apply:Applications must be submitted through the dedicated online application form at the ISTEC scholarship portal Scholarship Application Portal. Applications submitted via other channels will not be accepted. Submitted data will be processed in accordance with GDPR and institutional data protection rules ¹.

Selection, Evaluation and Appeals

A Selection Committee appointed by ISTEC will verify eligibility, evaluate applications, rank applicants and allocate scholarships. Committee members must declare conflicts of interest and abstain where relevant. The process follows principles of impartiality, transparency, equal treatment, confidentiality and avoidance of conflicts of interest.

1. 1Evaluation criteria: academic merit; motivation and alignment with the programme; financial need; contribution to diversity and inclusion; relevant experience (if applicable).
2. 2Scoring: each eligible application receives scores from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent) per criterion; total aggregated score determines ranking.
3. 3Tie-breaking: in cases of equal scores, priority may be given to applicants with higher financial need, stronger programme alignment, and/or earlier submission of a complete application.
4. 4Notification: applicants will be informed by email after the conclusion of the evaluation.
5. 5Appeal: applicants may request clarification or submit an appeal in writing within 10 working days of notification. Appeals must be sent by email to vic@my.istec.pt. Appeals are reviewed by ISTEC and outcomes communicated in writing.

Detailed Answers to Structured Questions

Eligible Applicant Types:Primary eligible applicants are individuals (natural persons) who are students: admitted or eligible for admission to the VIC Summer School programme organised by ISTEC. The call is not open to organisations as beneficiaries of the scholarship; it provides institutional scholarships to individual participants. Relevant applicant descriptors: student, individual, possibly from interdisciplinary or non-ICT backgrounds; could be affiliated with universities or research institutes but the beneficiary is the individual student.

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) in the form of institutional scholarships, implemented as fee reductions/fee waivers applied directly to the programme participation fee. This is effectively a grant-like reduction rather than cash transfer.

Consortium Requirement:Consortium: not applicable. The call targets individual applicants (single natural persons). There is no requirement to form a consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility: citizens of EU Member States and other Digital Europe Programme eligible countries. Additionally, students from countries engaged in international cooperation with the European Commission on digital topics (digital partnerships, Trade and Technology Councils, policy dialogues) are eligible. The definitive list follows European Commission rules and can change; applicants should consult ISTEC and Commission guidance for current eligible countries.

Target Sector:Thematic sectors targeted: advanced digital skills and education focused on immersive technologies and AI. Explicit technology and sector focus includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Extended Reality (XR), immersive technologies, artificial intelligence, and related digital innovation domains.

Mentioned Countries:Explicitly mentioned categories: EU Member States and Digital Europe Programme eligible countries; additionally countries with which the European Commission maintains international cooperation on digital topics (no exhaustive country list included in the call text). The call text does not enumerate specific non-EU countries; applicants should consult European Commission lists and ISTEC guidance.

Project Stage:Project / participant maturity: this call supports participation in an educational programme (summer school). It targets learners seeking training in development/skills acquisition (education/training stage rather than research project stages). Stage: education/training and skills development (entry to advanced learning).

Funding Amount:Total funding available: €2,500. Individual scholarship amount: €250 per selected participant. Number of scholarships: 10.

Application Type:Application method: open single-stage call requiring submission through the dedicated online application form (open call). The specific portal URL is provided by ISTEC; applications must be submitted electronically via that form.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries receive non-cash monetary support in the form of a participation fee reduction/fee waiver (financial benefit applied directly to programme fee). No cash transfers; travel, accommodation and other costs are not covered. Non-monetary support: access to the summer school education and related programme resources.

Application Stages:Stages: 1 (single-stage application and evaluation). The process includes submission, eligibility verification, scoring by the Selection Committee, ranking and allocation of scholarships, and notification. Appeals constitute an optional post-selection stage.

Success Rates:Success rate depends on number of eligible applicants. With 10 scholarships available and no published applicant pool size, an exact success rate cannot be determined from the call text. Given fixed supply of 10 awards, success rate = 10 divided by number of eligible complete applications.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding by applicants: not explicitly required. The scholarship covers only a portion of the participation fee (€250). Applicants are responsible for remaining participation fees and all ancillary costs (travel, accommodation, subsistence). There is no requirement for matching funds or co-funding to be provided to ISTEC as part of the scholarship application, beyond meeting admission/enrolment rules and bearing uncovered costs.

Templates and Application Form Structure:Applications must be submitted via the ISTEC online scholarship form. The call requires the following documents and fields (applicants should prepare these in advance):

1. 1Completed scholarship application form (online) including personal details, programme applied for, and declaration of eligibility.
2. 2Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining academic background, relevant skills and experience.
3. 3Motivation letter explaining reasons for applying, alignment with the programme, expected benefit from attending, and how the applicant contributes to diversity and inclusion objectives.
4. 4Proof of programme application or admission to the VIC Summer School, if available at time of scholarship application.
5. 5Supporting documentation demonstrating financial need (income statements, scholarship declarations, employer statements, or other evidence) if applying under financial-need priority.
6. 6Evidence supporting claims related to underrepresented status, interdisciplinary background or other inclusion criteria where relevant.
7. 7Consent/acknowledgement for data processing under GDPR as part of the online submission process.
8. 8Contact details for notifications and appeals (email).

Applicants are strongly advised to consult full call documentation and ISTEC programme admission conditions on www.istec.pt before submission. ISTEC may request additional supporting documentation for eligibility verification, evaluation, financial control or audit purposes.

Timeline and Key Dates

Contacts and Further Information

Primary contact for questions, appeals and clarifications:vic@my.istec.pt. Institutional webpage: www.istec.pt. Official application portal: academic-offer.vic-eu.com ¹.

Comprehensive Summary

This is a targeted scholarship call run by ISTEC to support student participation in the VIC Summer School 2025-2026, part of the Virtual Innovation Consortium activities co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme. The mechanism is Financial Support to Third Parties delivered as institutional scholarships: 10 awards of €250 each, applied as participation fee reductions. The call is open to individual students who are admitted or eligible for admission to the ISTEC-run summer school and who are nationals of EU Member States, other Digital Europe Programme eligible countries, or countries engaged in digital cooperation with the European Commission. Priority is given to applicants demonstrating financial need, belonging to underrepresented groups, coming from non-ICT or interdisciplinary backgrounds, or contributing to diversity and inclusion. Applications are submitted electronically through ISTEC's scholarship portal and are evaluated by an ISTEC-appointed Selection Committee using defined scoring criteria. The call is single-stage with a deadline of 30 June 2026. The scholarship does not cover travel or living costs and is not provided as cash. Applicants should prepare CV, motivation letter, proof of admission/application and supporting evidence for financial need or inclusion claims. ISTEC administers the call and the funding under its sole responsibility; publication on the EU portal is for visibility. Interested applicants should consult the full call documentation and ISTEC admissions pages and submit applications via the dedicated online form ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Application and detailed call documentation available at the ISTEC scholarship portal: academic-offer.vic-eu.com. For questions contact vic@my.istec.pt.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This call provides Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) in the form of institutional scholarships to support participation in the 2025-2026 edition of the VIC Summer School organised by ISTEC. The primary objective is to reduce financial barriers to access and promote diversity, inclusion, and participation in advanced digital skills education in the fields of immersive technologies and artificial intelligence. The programme contributes to strengthening European advanced digital skills capacity in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Extended Reality (XR), and related digital innovation domains.

This call is launched solely by ISTEC - Instituto Superior de Tecnologias Avançadas de Lisboa within the framework of the Virtual Innovation Consortium (VIC), co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101226225. The call is published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal for information purposes to increase visibility to potential applicants. ¹

Key Funding Details

Total Funding Available:€2,500 total, distributed as 10 scholarships of €250 each.

Scholarship Amount per Recipient:€250 per selected participant, applied directly as a participation fee reduction or fee waiver. The scholarship does not involve direct cash transfers and does not cover travel, accommodation, subsistence, or other ancillary costs.

Number of Scholarships:A total of 10 scholarships are available under this call.

Expected Duration of Participation:5 days for the VIC Summer School programme.

Application Timeline

Opening Date:30 April 2026

Application Deadline:30 June 2026 at 23:59 CEST (18:59 Brussels time). Incomplete or late applications may not be considered.

Submission Process:Applications must be submitted through the dedicated online application form at the VIC academic portal. All applications will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable institutional data protection procedures.

Eligibility Requirements

Mandatory Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet all of the following requirements to be considered eligible:

• Be admitted or eligible for admission to the VIC Summer School programme
• Meet the relevant academic, administrative, and admission requirements applicable to the programme as published on the ISTEC institutional webpage at www.istec.pt
• Be a natural person
• Comply with applicable institutional enrolment requirements
• Hold the nationality of an EU Member State or another Digital Europe Programme eligible country, or be from countries with which the European Commission maintains ongoing international cooperation related to digital topics

Priority Criteria

While not mandatory, priority may be given to applicants who demonstrate one or more of the following characteristics:

• Demonstrate financial need
• Belong to underrepresented groups
• Come from non-ICT or interdisciplinary backgrounds
• Contribute to diversity and inclusion objectives

The support is specifically intended to facilitate access for participants who may otherwise face economic or structural barriers to participation.

Required Application Documents

Applicants must submit the following documentation with their application:

• Completed scholarship application form
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Motivation letter
• Proof of programme application or admission (if applicable)
• Supporting documentation demonstrating financial need or eligibility under inclusion criteria (if applicable)

The issuing institution reserves the right to request additional supporting documentation where necessary for eligibility verification, evaluation, financial control, or audit purposes.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Eligible applications will be evaluated by a Selection Committee appointed by ISTEC. The evaluation and selection process shall be conducted in accordance with the principles of impartiality, transparency, equal treatment, confidentiality, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Members of the Selection Committee must declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest in relation to the applicants and, where relevant, abstain from the evaluation and decision-making process.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Academic merit
• Motivation and alignment with the programme
• Financial need
• Contribution to diversity and inclusion
• Relevant experience (if applicable)

Each eligible application will be evaluated using a scoring scale from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent) for each criterion. The final ranking will be established based on the total aggregated score. In the event of equal scores, priority may be given to applicants demonstrating higher financial need, stronger programme alignment, and/or earlier submission of a complete application.

Selection Committee Responsibilities

The Selection Committee will:

• Verify eligibility of all applications
• Evaluate applications against the established criteria
• Rank applicants based on aggregated scores
• Allocate scholarships to successful applicants

Notification and Appeals Process

Applicants will be informed of the outcome by email following the conclusion of the evaluation process. Applicants who wish to request clarification or submit an appeal regarding the outcome of the evaluation may do so in writing within 10 working days of notification of the results. Appeals must be submitted by email to vic@my.istec.pt. Appeals will be reviewed by the issuing institution in accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, equal treatment, and procedural consistency. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated in writing.

Eligible Countries and Regions

Eligible candidates include students who hold the nationality of an EU Member State or another Digital Europe Programme eligible country, and/or students from countries with which the European Commission maintains ongoing international cooperation related to digital topics. This includes cooperation through digital partnerships, Trade and Technology Councils (TTCs), policy dialogues, and related cooperation frameworks. The applicable list of countries and cooperation frameworks is subject to change and shall be interpreted in accordance with relevant European Commission rules and updates.

Contact Information and Support

For questions related to this call, applicants may contact:

• Email: vic@my.istec.pt
• Institutional website: www.istec.pt

Applicants are strongly advised to consult the full call documentation, eligibility requirements, and programme admission conditions before submitting their application.

Important Disclaimers and Notes

This call and the financial support provided through it is NOT an EU action. The call is launched solely by ISTEC - Instituto Superior de Tecnologias Avançadas de Lisboa. The financial support to selected successful applicants will be provided directly by ISTEC in its own name and under its own responsibility. ¹ The publication of this call in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal is made solely for information purposes to increase visibility to potential applicants and should not be construed as direct or indirect approval of the content and conditions by EU authorities.

The scholarship support is specifically designed to reduce financial barriers and promote access to advanced digital skills education. It is particularly targeted at individuals who may face economic or structural barriers to participation, including those from underrepresented groups, those with non-ICT or interdisciplinary backgrounds, and those contributing to diversity and inclusion objectives.

The call operates on a single-stage submission model with a fixed deadline. All applications must be complete and submitted by the deadline to be considered for evaluation.

Footnotes

1. 1This call is managed within the framework of the Virtual Innovation Consortium (VIC), which is co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101226225. The call specifically refers to the 2025-2026 edition of the VIC Summer School organised by ISTEC and falls under the topic DIGITAL-2024 - Specialised Education Programmes in Key Capacity Areas.