The Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) visiting fellowship brings early career researchers from outside France to a French laboratory for one year of work on climate and environment questions. France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs funds it with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space, and Campus France runs it.
Projects must sit in one of five fields: earth system sciences, climate change and sustainability sciences, energy transition, the societal challenges of environmental issues, and human, animal and environmental health under a One Health approach.
The call opens every September. The 2027 edition is the tenth call, running from 15 September 2026 to 15 December 2026, with stays starting between September and December 2027. Since 2018 the initiative has supported more than 520 students and academics from 78 countries.
Benefits & funding
- Monthly allowance of €2,500 for twelve months, non-renewable.
- One settling-in allowance of €500 in the first month.
- Health insurance, civil liability cover and repatriation assistance, then supplementary health cover once the fellow is registered with French social security.
- Fellows hold French Government Scholarship (BGF) status.
- International travel to France is not covered, and the host laboratory receives no funding — the money covers the researcher’s own costs.
Eligibility
- Doctoral degree awarded between December 2021 and December 2026 inclusive; the window extends by 18 months per child for maternity leave.
- Foreign nationality only — French nationals cannot apply, and every other nationality is eligible.
- The stay must be a move to France: applicants may not currently live or work professionally in France.
- Anyone who has already received a MOPGA fellowship is excluded.
- A French host laboratory must be identified before applying, and its supervisor must back the project in writing.
- The fellowship cannot be combined with a French employment contract or other French public funding.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
PhD
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Application process
- 1Find a French host laboratory and agree the project with a scientific supervisor; Campus France runs a research lab finder and the Research in France portal for this.
- 2Draft the project in English or French to the set sections: title, six keywords, summary, background and motivation, scientific objectives (2,000 characters each), methodology and timeline (4,500 characters), relevance to MOPGA and international collaboration and impact (2,000 characters each).
- 3Collect the documents: CV with publication list (4 pages maximum), proof of the doctorate, supervisor CV (2 pages maximum), the supervisor support letter co-signed by the laboratory director, one to three recommendation letters, and a copy of a passport or national identity document.
- 4Submit on the Campus France application platform before 15 December 2026; applications sent by email are not accepted.
- 5Scientific experts in the relevant fields assess the applications, then a scientific committee makes the final selection, with results in May or June 2027.
Program timeline
Applications open
Sep 15, 2026
Application deadline
Dec 15, 2026
Results announced
2027-05 to 2027-06
Fellows arrive and the research stay begins
2027-09 to 2027-12