FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND EMJM SCHOLARSHIPS

All students accepted into the BIOPHAM programme (scholarship holders and non-scholarship holders) will benefit from the following support throughout the two years of the programme:

• Tuition and Registration fee waiver in all visited universities (University of Pisa, Polytechnic University of Catalunya, University of Silesia in Katowice or University of Lille)
• Comprehensive health insurance
• Financial support to attend key events (joint winter courses, award ceremony)
• Additional support for special needs, available upon request, for students with disabilities or sensory impairments

By applying to the BIOPHAM Master programme, students can also apply for a scholarship of €1,400 / month during the 2 years of the training programme.

An EMJM scholarship is a financial contribution to cover the costs incurred by selected students. It includes support for: Travel and visa expenses, Installation costs and Subsistence costs. The scholarship is calculated as a monthly unit cost of €1,400, covering the entire study period required to complete the joint Master’s programme. The total is thus 1400€/month x 24 months = € 33 600. This includes study, research, placements, thesis preparation, and the final defense.  The first scholarship payment is made at the end of the first month of studies (September).

The European Commission has awarded 50 full scholarships and 30 partial support packages for non-scholarship holders to the EMJM BIOPHAM for the period 2026–2031. Overall, this corresponds to the recruitment of approximately 12–13 scholarship holders and 7–8 non-scholarship holders per intake.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR APPLICANTS RELATED TO EMJM SCHOLARSHIPS

• Students are applying for a joint Master’s degree programme, which may or may not be accompanied by an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. By nature, this is not solely a scholarship programme, but a collaborative Master’s degree delivered by a consortium of universities in different countries.
• The number of scholarships is limited for each intake. The Selection Committee strongly encourages all applicants to explore additional sources of funding they may be eligible for. (See the section below titled “Other fundings”.)
• EMJM scholarships are open to students from all over the world. To ensure geographical balance, no more than five scholarships may be awarded to students of the same nationality over the course of the entire project.
• Applicants who have previously received an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship are not eligible to apply for another one.

OTHER FUNDINGS

We encourage our applicants to explore national and local funding opportunities offered to outgoing and incoming students by many countries (e.g. Belgium, Brazil, Chili, China, Colombia, France, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Turkey, USA, etc.)

Regular Erasmus+ mobility grant 

Maximum of 12 months’ mobility per degree course. Study mobility Eligible duration: 3 to 12 months. Amount: about €300/month depending on the destination in one of the Erasmus+ programme countries.

University of Lille (France) 

Graduate Programmes - Fellowships
Candidates of all nationalities currently applying or willing to apply can apply for a Fellowship grant.  Fellowships (for one academic year) are merit-based and open to students having excellent academic records 

• A fellowship of €4500 is available to M1 and M2 students to support their studies,
• Students who have never been enrolled in a French university may apply for a € 8500 fellowship.

Instructions on how to apply are given here.

Contact: grants-graduate-programmesuniv-lillefr

The Graduate Programmes of the University of Lille offer International Mobility Grants for Masters students. The allocated grant is calculated based on a weekly flat rate of EUR 150 € with an increase of +50% for the first 4 weeks to cover travelling expenses. 70% of the grant is paid upon the student’s arrival and 30% upon his/her return, after a report on the mobility has been submitted to the Graduate Programmes office. E.g. 2 weeks: 2x150x1,5 = 450 € ; 12 weeks: 4x1.5x150+ 8x150 = 2100 € The maximum amount allocated is 3000 €.

Contact: grants-graduate-programmesuniv-lillefr

The University of Lille has also put in place a mobility grant scheme known as MOB-LIL-EX for outgoing and ongoing mobility. The amount of the grant is about €300/month during 3 to 10 months.

Contact: moblilexuniv-lillefr 

The Hauts-de-France regional council has put in place a mobility support scheme known as MERMOZ. The application is approved the maximum amount of the grant is €400 per month for about 6 months. 1 application only throughout studies.

Contact: mermozhautsdefrancefr

Master’s thesis internship (Term 4) in France: All students completing their Master’s thesis internship  in France are eligible for a monthly grant of approximately €700/month. 

The University of Lille participates in several programmes: Erasmus+ (Europe), Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (outside Europe), Swiss European Mobility Programme, BCI (Quebec), Utrecht and ISEP networks (Australia, United States and Brazil), MAUI (United States) and AEN (Australia). 

For the intra-European Erasmus+ programme:
Contact: erasmus-students@univ-lille.fr 

For bilateral agreements outside the EU and other programmes (including Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility):
Contact: intl-exchangeuniv-lillefr

Campus France Grant Search Engine:
Foreign students may benefit from numerous grants that will help them finance their studies in France and Europe.
​​​​​​​https://campusbourses.campusfrance.org/#/catalog
 

University of Pisa (Italy)

The Department offers specific funding to support outgoing mobility for students enrolled in Master’s programs. This funding supports internships conducted abroad in research centres, universities, or high-tech companies, with a fellowship amount of approximately €400 per month. For incoming mobility, the University of Pisa provides individual programs for visiting students, funded by departmental-specific resources.

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain)

The Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) offers grants (“beques MOBINT-MIF”) intended to cover part of the mobility costs of students from Catalan universities selected for international academic mobility schemes. This grant with a fellowship amount of approximately €200 per month for a period up to six months, helps pay part of the costs of studying in other countries during the course of a degree. In particular, one of three available modalities (modality A) covers (part of) the cost associated to taking part in exchange programs with academic recognition, that are carried out in the countries that participate in the context of the Erasmus+ Programme.

University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland)

The University regularly receives funding from the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) to organize an international summer school, which BIOPHAM students can attend. Eligible participants receive a scholarship of around PLN 5,000. Students can also secure additional funding by joining research projects at the Faculty of Science and Technology, supported by the National Science Center (NCN), with scholarships up to PLN 5,000 per month. Through the Transform4Europe (T4I) initiative, students have access to international courses, mobility programs, and collaborative events with partner universities across Europe. These include summer schools, bootcamps, and online language courses.

Working part-time

It is not recommended to work part-time during the programme, as the BIOPHAM Master’s Programme is already very intensive. It is not a good idea, since such a job may require commuting, take up too much time, be unrelated to your studies, and be exhausting. It may also negatively affect your grades, sleep, or mental health.

If your main goal is to help cover your living costs, online tutoring is often a good option, although it is usually better considered as supplementary income rather than something to rely on entirely, especially at the beginning. It offers several advantages: flexible hours around classes and exams, better pay than many typical student jobs, work that can strengthen your communication skills and subject mastery, and the convenience of working remotely, with no commute.