France MOPGA Fellowships 2027 Open for Researchers from All Over the World
France has opened the MOPGA Fellowship 2027 for early-career researchers whose work can help address climate, environmental, energy-transition or One Health challenges. This is not a Master’s or PhD scholarship. It is a 12-month French Government visiting fellowship for non-French postdoctoral researchers who can secure support from a host laboratory in France.
Successful fellows receive €2,500 per month, a €500 settling-in payment and health-related coverage, but international travel and laboratory costs are not funded.
MOPGA is for researchers ready to move to France—not applicants seeking a degree
The central test is straightforward: you must already hold a PhD, be a non-French national, and be planning genuine international mobility to France. You cannot be residing and professionally active in France when you apply, and former MOPGA fellows cannot apply again.
Your doctorate must have been defended between December 2021 and December 2026. This five-year window may be extended for maternity leave by 18 months per child, or by the actual maternity-leave duration, where supporting evidence is provided. Applicants who will defend after December 2026 are not eligible for this call.
This is therefore a fellowship for postdoctoral mobility, not a route for applicants seeking funded Master’s or doctoral admission. It also cannot be combined with a French employment contract or another individual French-government grant.
The financial package is strong for living costs, but do not budget for a funded flight
Selected fellows receive a €2,500 monthly allowance for 12 months and a one-off €500 settling-in allowance in the first month. Campus France also provides health insurance, civil-liability insurance and repatriation assistance, followed by supplementary health coverage after registration with the French social-security system.
The important limitation is that MOPGA does not pay international travel expenses, equipment, fieldwork or host-laboratory costs. The French laboratory is expected to offer the scientific environment and resources required for the project, but it does not receive programme funding. Discuss research-cost support with the prospective host before submitting your application.
Your project must connect environmental relevance with a credible French host
MOPGA 2027 supports projects in Earth-system sciences; climate change and sustainability sciences; energy transition; societal environmental challenges; and One Health. The last category is narrowly defined: a medical or human-health project alone is not eligible unless it genuinely considers interactions between human, animal and environmental health.
Advanced-technology approaches within these fields receive particular consideration. Humanities and social-science researchers are also eligible where their project genuinely fits a MOPGA theme.
Before applying, identify a French laboratory and obtain support from a scientific supervisor. The project should already be sufficiently clear to explain why that laboratory is the right scientific setting. Campus France provides French research-laboratory directories and a Research in France portal to start this search.
How to submit the MOPGA 2027 application?
- Check that your PhD defense date, nationality and current residence/work status meet the official eligibility rules.
- Develop a focused project that fits one of the five MOPGA themes and demonstrates international collaboration or likely impact for your country of residence or origin.
- Secure a French scientific supervisor and obtain the required support letter, co-signed by the laboratory director or backed by the director’s letter of commitment.
- Prepare a four-page maximum CV with publications, doctoral-degree evidence, the supervisor’s two-page CV, one to three recommendation letters, and passport or national-ID copy.
- Write the project sections within the stated character limits. The methodology and timeline section permits up to 4,500 characters; several other sections allow 2,000 characters each.
- Submit through the official Campus France MOPGA 2027 portal. Email applications will not be considered.
Read the official MOPGA 2027 application guide before final submission. The selection has two stages: expert scientific assessment followed by a final scientific-committee decision.
MOPGA Fellowship 2027 deadline
The last date to apply for the MOPGA 2027 Visiting Fellowship Program is 15 December 2026. Campus France expects to notify successful candidates between May and June 2027, with research stays beginning at French host institutions between September and December 2027.
Applicant verdict: Apply if you already have a defensible postdoctoral project, a clear climate or environment-related research fit, and a French host willing to formally support you. If you are still completing a PhD after December 2026 or need a funded degree programme, this is not the correct opportunity.
Official source: Campus France MOPGA 2027 call.