Neurotech EU Doctoral Network

Timeline:

Call opens: July 23, 2026

Application deadline: August 17, 2026

Kickoff meeting: November 2026 in Nijmegen, Netherlands

Funding: 

Research Western will provide a stipend of $3,000 per annum per student for up to three years, plus travel costs to attend the annual NeurotechEU Summit (per Western travel policy). Funding is conditional on students remaining in good standing and actively participating in and contributing to the Network.

Activities and format:

The doctoral network combines recurring online meetings with an annual physical gathering with Neurotech EU affiliated PhD students (up to 5 per institution). The kickoff event will occur in November 2026, followed by online meetings and an onsite meeting in June 2027. A more detailed curriculum overview can be found on the Neurotech EU webpage.

1. Be enrolled in the first or second year of a doctoral program at Western University.
2. Be actively engaged in research broadly related to neurotechnology and related fields. 
3. Have the support and approval of their doctoral supervisor.
4. Be making satisfactory academic progress and be in good standing within their doctoral program, as confirmed by their program.
5. Demonstrate an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration across neuroscience and related disciplines.
6. Be willing and able to participate fully in Neurotech EU training, mobility, networking, and knowledge-exchange activities.

Applicants must submit:

1. A statement of interest (maximum two pages; 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font; 1.5-line spacing) addressing the following:
   1. A brief description of their doctoral research and its relevance to neurotechnology (broadly defined) and related fields.
   2. Why they are interested in participating in the Neurotech EU Doctoral Network.
   3. How their participation will benefit them, their research group, supervisor, and Western University.
   4. The skills and competencies they hope to develop through the program.
   5. How they plan to contribute to the cohort through collaboration, knowledge sharing, outreach, leadership, or other activities.
   6. Confirmation that they can commit to the program for 3 years.
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. Letter of support from the applicant's supervisor
4. Letter from graduate program confirming the student is in good academic standing (80%+ average)

1. 1. Applications will undergo an initial eligibility review to confirm that all selection criteria
      have been met.
   2. If more than five students apply to the program, eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection committee. If five or fewer students apply, eligible applications will be reviewed by program staff.
   3. Applications will be assessed according to the established selection criteria and
      evaluation rubric (below).
   4. Candidates will be ranked based on their overall assessment scores.
   5. Final selections will be made based on applicant ranking.
   6. In cases where applicant scores are closely comparable, the selection committee may conduct an additional review to inform the final decision.

Rubric

The alliance brings together nine leading European universities: Radboud University in the Netherlands, which serves as coordinating institution, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche in Spain, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi in Turkey, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Université de Lille in France, Reykjavik University in Iceland, and the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. Together with more than 250 partners from industry, academia, and civil society, these institutions represent over 170,000 students, 400,000 alumni, and 70,000 employees, forming a trans-European network of excellence in brain research and technologies.