European Joint Master’s Programme in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship (DIGISOC) DIGISOC Scholarship Programme Academic Year 2026/2027 Call for Application

Purpose, amount and duration of the DIGISOC Scholarship

The University of Innsbruck is issuing a Call for Application within the DIGISOC Scholarship Programme, reserved for students enrolled for the Academic Year 2026/2027 in the second year of the Joint Master’s Programme in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship (DIGISOC).

The Call for Application has a total budget of EUR 50.000.

The DIGISOC Scholarship Programme is designed to provide financial support to students participating in the DIGISOC Joint Master’s Programme (JMP) and aims to:

· Alleviate costs associated with tuition fees, summer schools, short-term mobilities, and living expenses;

· Support students from underprivileged or vulnerable backgrounds;

· Promote diversity, fairness, and gender balance in higher education.

The scholarship also functions as a form of social support, helping students overcome personal or socio-economic obstacles that hinder participation in international education.

The DIGISOC Scholarship is limited to one academic year and is paid out in one instalment. There is no automatic entitlement to a scholarship and no automatic renewal.

The amount of the scholarship can reach a maximum of EUR 3,000.00 gross per academic year and applicant. The exact amount assigned to each applicant is based on the points awarded in the evaluation process (see Article 5 – Awarding Criteria and Evaluation Procedure).

A maximum of 30 points can be awarded to each application. The maximum total funding per student is EUR 6,000.00 over the course of the two-year programme.

For the entire academic year for which the scholarship is awarded, the scholarship holder must not have an employment relationship with the University of Innsbruck.

Applicants and scholarship holders are solely responsible for clarifying and complying with all tax obligations and any other individual tax consequences arising from receipt of the scholarship. The University of Innsbruck does not provide individual tax advice.

Acceptance and Appeals

Applicants are notified of decisions within 15 days after the end of the submission period via e-mail. Rejected applications include a short justification.

Applicants who are not awarded a scholarship have the right to appeal. Appeals may be submitted by e-mail to digisoc@uibk.ac.at and will be reviewed by the joint Evaluation Committee, including the designated representative responsible for disability, inclusion and/or equal-treatment matters.

Within the mandatory deadline of 5 days from receipt of the scholarship award notice, the applicant must send the declaration of acceptance by e-mail to digisoc@uibk.ac.at without reservation and under the conditions of this Call for Application. Failure to do so results in forfeiture of the award.

With the declaration of acceptance, the scholarship holder must also undertake to communicate any change occurring during the academic year that affects information previously declared or eligibility for the scholarship.

Requirements for receiving the scholarship

Before disbursement, the scholarship holder will complete the required scholarship documentation with the University of Innsbruck and must provide:

· A current enrolment certificate showing the register number;

· The applicant’s full residential address (street and house number, postal code, city, and country);

· Bank details for an account held in the scholarship holder’s name, including an IBAN and any further information required to enable a SEPA credit transfer. It must be expressly possible to make the scholarship payment by SEPA transfer to the account provided;

· A copy of a valid passport or other accepted identification document.

Scholarship holders remain solely responsible for all tax-law clarifications and obligations connected with the scholarship.

The scholarship holder must also confirm that no employment relationship with the University of Innsbruck exists or will exist for the duration of the academic year for which the scholarship is awarded.

Financial and Disbursement Procedures

Scholarships are paid in one instalment per academic year.

Disbursement is handled by the University of Innsbruck as the DIGISOC degree-awarding university issuing this Call for Application.

Payment will be made by SEPA credit transfer to a current account in the name of the scholarship holder. The account provided must be capable of receiving a SEPA transfer. The scholarship holder is responsible for providing complete and correct bank details and for any bank charges or conversion costs that may arise outside the scope of the SEPA payment.

Renunciation

In the event of withdrawal from the scholarship after acceptance, scholarship holders must give written notice by e-mail to digisoc@uibk.ac.at.

In case of transfer to another programme during the 2026/2027 academic year, the scholarship holder will be considered to have renounced the scholarship and must return the full amount of the scholarship.

A scholarship holder who renounces the scholarship is required to return any amounts received, except in duly justified special cases, which will be assessed by the joint Evaluation Committee.

Final provisions

All resources and updates will be made available via the DIGISOC website – Costs and Scholarships page https://digitalsociety4innovation.eu/costs-and-scholarships/

The following templates and tools will be published on the same page:

· Application and documentation guidelines;

· Acceptance letter template.

For further questions, please contact:

· Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II: digisoc@unina.it

· Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Czechia: digisoc@upol.cz

· University of Innsbruck, Austria: digisoc@uibk.ac.at

Disclaimer

This Call for Application and the financial support awarded under it do not constitute an EU action. The Call is launched and administered by the University of Innsbruck in its own name and under its own responsibility.

The scholarship programme is partially financed with funds made available to the University of Innsbruck in the framework of the EU-funded EURIDICE / DIGISOC project. Notwithstanding this source of funding, the financial support to successful applicants is awarded and provided directly by the University of Innsbruck.

The University of Innsbruck remains responsible for the preparation and implementation of this Call, including the application procedure and the selection of successful applicants by the joint Evaluation Committee appointed in accordance with Article 4.

The publication of this Call in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is made solely for information and visibility purposes, including to inform potential applicants. Such publication does not imply any direct or indirect approval, endorsement or validation by the European Union or any of its institutions, bodies or agencies of the content, conditions, selection procedure or outcome of this Call. Nor does such publication transfer to the European Union any responsibility for the administration of the Call or the award of the scholarships, which remains with the University of Innsbruck.