University of Florence (Pegaso) PhD Scholarship, 42nd Cycle – Italy

Location: Italy

Program: Doctoral (PhD) Degree

Eligibility: Domestic and International Students

Duration: 3 years

Deadline: August 6, 2026

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The University of Florence “Pegaso” PhD Programmes — 42nd Cycle is a public call for admission to doctoral degree programmes with administrative headquarters at the University of Florence, for the academic year 2026/2027. The Pegaso Scholarships are funded by the Regione Toscana using PR ESF 2021/27 resources within the framework of Giovanisì (giovanisi.it), the Tuscany Region project to help young people become independent. The call is open to applicants of all nationalities and ages, with no citizenship or age restrictions, unless specifically applying for a Pegaso Scholarship, which requires applicants to be under 35 years of age and to have at least B2-level English language proficiency.

The University of Florence (Università degli Studi di Firenze UniFI), founded in 1321 and located in Florence, Tuscany, is one of Italy’s largest, oldest, and most internationally recognised public universities. It consistently ranks among the top universities in Italy and is internationally acclaimed for its strengths across the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, law, medicine, economics, and social sciences.

Benefits of the Programme

This programme will provide the following to its recipients:

An annual scholarship of €16,243 gross per year
An increase of 50% of the scholarship amount for conducting research activities abroad — for a total period not exceeding 12 months (extendable up to 18 months for doctoral students under co-supervision by foreign bodies or for doctoral programmes activated under a convention or consortium)
Research budget of at least 10% of the annual scholarship amount
A one-off financial support grant of up to €5,000 for eligible international PhD students
Exemption from the regional fee for the right to university study for scholarship recipients and students with recognised disabilities

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Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this programme, applicants must meet the following:

Open to applicants of all nationalities and ages — there are no age or citizenship restrictions for general admission
Must hold, at the deadline of the call, a Master’s degree (in accordance with Ministerial Decree 270/2004 or 509/1999), a degree from educational systems prior to Ministerial Decree 509/1999 with a legal course of at least four years, a second-level academic degree from an AFAM institution, or an equivalent foreign academic qualification; applicants who will be awarded such a degree by November 1, 2026 may also apply (admitted with reservation)
For Pegaso Scholarships specifically: must be under 35 years of age at the time of submitting the application, and must have at least B2-level English language proficiency
Pegaso scholarship recipients must commit to: completing at least 6 months of study and research abroad (at least 12 months for international scholarship recipients) within the three-year programme; completing at least 3 months of training/research in an applied setting (company, public research organisation, or public non-university institution) for specific-topic scholarships; and attending soft skills and business/research knowledge courses offered during the doctoral programme
Applicants who have already received a PhD scholarship, even partially, may not receive a second one and are excluded from the competition for scholarship positions
Pegaso scholarship recipients may not, for the entire duration of the doctoral programme, benefit from any EU-funded support under any title (double funding prohibition pursuant to Article 9 of EU Regulation 2021/241)

Note: Kindly check the official webpage for full and detailed requirements.

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Selection Criteria

The selection process is two-stage and is conducted by an Admission Board appointed by the Rector. In the first stage, the Board carries out a preliminary evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications and submitted research project, assigning a score; candidates who achieve at least the minimum score indicated in the programme factsheet are admitted to the second stage. In the second stage, shortlisted candidates undergo an interview conducted in person or via videoconference, which may include assessment of proficiency in foreign languages and in Italian for foreign nationals. The Boards draw up merit ranking lists based on the total score reported by each candidate. Rankings are published by September 30, 2026.