The Procope Programme 2026 is open to researchers from all scientific disciplines in France and Germany, and the application deadline is July 1, 2026, at 23:59 Paris time. If you are a researcher based at a university, higher education institution, or research organisation in either country and you want to establish or strengthen a bilateral research cooperation with a partner team in the other country, this programme funds the travel and living expenses for repeated short-term researcher exchanges between France and Germany over two years. Selected projects begin in January 2027.
What sets the Procope Programme apart from most research funding calls is that it does not fund the research itself — it funds the people moving between two countries to do it. There are no equipment grants, no laboratory budgets, and no funding for materials or overhead. What you receive is structured support for researcher mobility: daily allowances and travel support for team members from both sides crossing the border to work together over two consecutive years.
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That specificity makes it a well-suited opportunity for research partnerships that already have the intellectual foundation in place but lack the financial mechanism to sustain regular in-person collaboration. The programme places a clear priority on the active involvement of young researchers, particularly PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. It expects them to contribute meaningfully to the exchange and research activities rather than participate only to satisfy a formal programme requirement. Proposals where early-career researchers play a visible and substantive role in the planned mobility carry a meaningful advantage in the evaluation process.
The programme has operated since 1986 under the Hubert Curien Partnership framework, jointly funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. One structural feature of the application that many first-time applicants miss: both the French and German project leaders must submit their applications simultaneously in their respective countries — one through Campus France, the other through DAAD. A submission by only one side is automatically ineligible. Coordinating this parallel process across two institutions in two countries takes more lead time than a standard single-portal application, and that coordination should start well before the deadline.
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Procope Programme Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Procope Programme |
| Host Country ⇒ | France and Germany |
| Study Level ⇒ | Postgraduate Research Exchange Programme |
| Benefits ⇒ | Travel support + daily subsistence allowance for two years of researcher mobility |
| Funded By ⇒ | German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | France and Germany |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | July 1, 2026 at 23:59 Paris time |
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About the Procope Programme
The Procope Programme has supported bilateral research collaboration between French and German institutions since 1986. Known as Procope PPP (Projektbezogener Personenaustausch) in Germany and Procope PHC (Partenariat Hubert Curien) in France, the programme operates under the broader Hubert Curien Partnership framework — a French government initiative to support bilateral scientific cooperation through structured researcher mobility.
The programme funds two-year collaborative research projects. During this period, researchers from both the French and German teams participated in repeated short-term exchange visits between the two countries. The maximum mobility allowed is:
- Up to 30 days for the French team travelling to Germany
- Up to 50 days for the German team travelling to France
The programme provides funding annually for two consecutive years and requires recipients to use each year’s allocation within that calendar year. Any unused funds expire at the end of the year and do not carry over. The funding covers only travel and daily living expenses associated with academic mobility. Participating institutions or other funding sources must cover all other research-related costs, including equipment, laboratory materials, data access, and overhead expenses.
The programme gives priority to new research partnerships. If the Procope Programme has previously funded your collaboration, you must wait two years after completing that project before you can submit a new application for the same partnership.
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What the Procope Programme Covers
Successful projects receive the following support for researcher mobility:
For French researchers travelling to Germany:
- Daily allowance of €150 per day
- Travel support of up to €450 per trip
For German researchers travelling to France:
- Daily allowance of between €89 and €130 per day, depending on location and researcher status
- Travel support of between €325 and €400 per trip, depending on researcher status
The average annual funding granted to French participants in 2025 was approximately €6,000 per project. In addition to the financial support, selected projects benefit from:
- Two years of structured, institutionally supported research collaboration
- A formal framework for young researchers to gain international research experience
- Access to a broader European research network
- Recognition within the Hubert Curien Partnership framework, which can support applications to larger national and European funding calls
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Eligibility Requirements
To be considered, the following requirements must be met in full — most of these apply at the project level, not just the individual researcher level:
- Both a French and a German research team must be involved. This is not a scholarship an individual researcher applies for independently. It is a bilateral programme that requires a confirmed partnership between a team based in France and a team based in Germany. If you do not yet have a partner institution in the other country, that needs to be in place before you begin the application process.
- Both project leaders must submit a parallel application in their respective countries — French leaders through Campus France, German leaders through DAAD. Only applications submitted by both partner institutions will be accepted. An application submitted by one side alone is automatically disqualified regardless of its scientific quality.
- Researchers must be working at a university, higher education institution, or research organisation. Companies may participate, but only as partners alongside an academic institution — a company-only application is not eligible.
- Young researchers must be actively involved. PhD students and postdoctoral fellows should have a visible, substantive role in the planned mobility — not simply listed as project members. Projects that demonstrate meaningful early-career researcher participation are evaluated more favourably.
- All scientific disciplines are eligible. There is no subject restriction on proposals.
- Projects that were previously funded under the Procope Programme cannot be resubmitted immediately. If your team has run a Procope project before, a two-year waiting period after the completion of that project must have passed before a new application on the same collaboration is eligible. New partnerships are given priority.
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Required Documents
Prepare all of the following in advance. Because this is a bilateral application, both the French and German project leaders need to coordinate their documents in parallel — do not wait until one side is fully ready before the other begins:
Completed application form
The specific form used depends on the country of submission. French applicants use the Campus France form; German applicants use the DAAD form. Check both portals to confirm the current version before starting.
Joint project proposal
This is the centrepiece of your application. It should clearly explain the scientific aims of the project, the specific questions the collaboration will address, and why the French-German partnership adds value to the research that neither team could achieve alone. Your proposal should clearly explain how each mobility visit will support the research objectives. Rather than simply listing planned exchanges, show what each visit is expected to achieve, such as data collection, joint analysis, laboratory work, field research, training, or collaborative publications.
Details of the French and German research teams
Including the names, positions, and institutional affiliations of all participating researchers on both sides
Description of planned mobility activities
A breakdown of how the allowed mobility days will be distributed across the two years, who will travel when, and what each visit is intended to achieve
CVs of all participating researchers
Covering academic background, research experience, and publication record. For projects involving PhD students or postdoctoral researchers, their CVs should reflect the active role they will play.
Proof of institutional affiliation
For all participating researchers on both sides
Supporting documents from partner institutions
Letters or confirmations from both institutions acknowledging and endorsing the joint project
A clear explanation of the scientific aims and benefits of the cooperation
The role of young researchers in the project, and the plans for future funding or long-term development of the collaboration, including any potential pathway toward national or European funding, such as Horizon Europe
Any additional documents required by Campus France or DAAD
Check both portals before finalising your document package, as requirements may be updated between cycles
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How to Apply for the Procope Programme 2026
1. Identify a research partner in France or Germany.
If you do not already have a contact at a research institution in the partner country, begin your search early — the strength of an existing or well-established relationship between the two teams is one of the factors evaluators consider.
2. Develop your joint research project together.
This includes agreeing on the scientific scope of the collaboration, the questions you will address jointly, how the mobility visits will be organised, and what role young researchers will play on each side.
3. Agree on which team leader will coordinate with Campus France and which will coordinate with DAAD.
Both applications must be submitted in parallel — confirm the exact requirements on both portals before starting, as the two systems are managed separately and may have different formatting or document requirements.
4. Prepare all required documents jointly.
Both teams should work on the project proposal together, even though each side submits through their own national portal. Inconsistencies between the French and German submissions weaken the application’s credibility with evaluators.
5. French project leaders must submit their application through Campus France.
Follow the submission instructions on the official Campus France portal for the Procope Programme, using the current application form for the 2026 round.
6. German project leaders must submit their application through DAAD.
Follow the submission instructions on the official DAAD portal for the Procope Programme. Confirm the agency-specific requirements before uploading documents, as DAAD may require specific file formats or naming conventions.
7. Ensure both applications are submitted before July 1, 2026 at 23:59 Paris time.
This is a firm deadline with no extensions. Both the French and German submissions must be in by this time — a late submission from either side invalidates the project application as a whole.
8. Wait for project selection results, which are announced in November 2026.
Check your email regularly during this period and respond promptly to any request for additional information from Campus France or DAAD.
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Application Deadline
The deadline for the Procope Programme 2026 is July 1, 2026 at 23:59 Paris time.
Project selection results will be announced in November 2026. Selected projects begin in January 2027.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Procope Programme fully funded?
The programme funds researcher mobility only — travel and daily living allowances for exchange visits between France and Germany. It does not cover tuition, laboratory costs, equipment, or other research expenses. French researchers travelling to Germany receive €150 per day and up to €450 per trip. German researchers travelling to France receive between €89 and €130 per day and between €325 and €400 per trip. The average annual funding for French participants in 2025 was approximately €6,000 per project.
Can a researcher outside France and Germany apply for the Procope Programme?
No. The Procope Programme funds bilateral collaboration specifically between French and German research institutions. Both project leaders must be based in France and Germany respectively, and the application must be submitted simultaneously through Campus France and DAAD.
What happens if only one side submits the application?
The application will not be considered. Both the French and German project leaders must submit their respective national applications in parallel. A submission by only one partner country disqualifies the project entirely, regardless of the quality of the submitted materials.
Can a company participate in the Procope Programme?
Yes, but only in partnership with an academic institution. A company applying without an academic partner is not eligible. Where a company does participate, it must work alongside a university, higher education institution, or research organisation on the French or German side.
Can we reapply for the same project that was previously funded by Procope?
Not immediately. A two-year waiting period is required after the completion of a previously funded Procope project before a new application on the same collaboration can be submitted. New research partnerships are given priority in the evaluation process.
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Disclaimer: All programme details, deadlines, funding amounts, and eligibility criteria were verified from the official Campus France and DAAD Procope Programme pages as of June 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official sources before submitting your application.
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