Fully Funded PhD Scholarships in Italy 2026 — University of Chieti-Pescara Opens 21 Doctoral Programs
The University of Chieti-Pescara (UdA) has just opened applications for its 42nd cycle of PhD programmes for Academic Year 2026/2027 — and the deadline is August 21, 2026. That gives you less than four weeks to apply.
What makes this call genuinely worth your attention: every scholarship position carries a gross annual stipend of €16,243, a mandatory international research period, and access to one of Italy’s most research-active universities, which operates across two campuses in Abruzzo and holds partnerships with European institutions including Munster Technological University (Ireland), the University of Oviedo (Spain), and several other INGENIUM Alliance universities. Twenty-one doctoral programmes are open simultaneously — spanning engineering, AI, neuroscience, law, social sciences, linguistics, earth sciences, psychology, and more.
Applicants of any nationality and age may apply, provided they hold a qualifying Master’s degree.
| Detail | Information |
| University | Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara (UdA) |
| Country | Italy |
| Degree Level | PhD (Dottorato di Ricerca) — 42nd Cycle |
| Funding Type | Scholarship (borsa di dottorato) |
| Annual Stipend | €16,243 gross/year |
| Duration | 3 years (starting November 2, 2026) |
| Deadline | August 21, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Italian time |
| Open To | All nationalities |
| Application Portal | Apply via PICA Cineca |
🎓 About the University and This Call
The Università degli Studi “Gabriele d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara — known simply as UdA — is a public Italian university with two campuses: Chieti (medical, scientific, and humanities faculties) and Pescara (economics, architecture, and social sciences). Founded in 1965, it is one of Abruzzo’s primary research institutions and holds accreditation from ANVUR, Italy’s national university evaluation agency.
The doctoral school — the Scuola Superiore G. d’Annunzio — manages all PhD programmes centrally. Unlike many Italian universities where PhD positions depend entirely on individual department funding, UdA’s 42nd cycle is a coordinated institutional call covering 21 programmes simultaneously. This makes the process far more navigable for international applicants: one application system, one deadline, one set of general rules.
By comparison, PhD calls at larger Italian institutions like the University of Bologna or Sapienza University of Rome are often fragmented across departments with staggered deadlines and varying procedures. UdA’s unified call is a practical advantage for applicants juggling multiple applications.
Several programmes in this cycle are embedded within the INGENIUM European University Alliance, meaning doctoral students in those programmes work under international co-supervision arrangements and may earn double or joint degrees with partner universities in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Romania, Finland, and Sweden.
🎓 Scholarship and Financial Benefits
- Annual gross scholarship: €16,243 — paid monthly on approximately the 25th of each month, as per Ministerial Decree No. 247 of February 23, 2022
- Scholarship increase of 50% during authorised research periods abroad (maximum 12 months; extendable to 18 months for co-supervised PhD students)
- Additional annual research budget of 10% of the scholarship value from the first year — available to both scholarship holders and non-scholarship students — covering conference attendance, publications, materials, and research costs
- Tuition fee for enrolment: €256/year (significantly below the Italian national average; includes university contribution, regional tax, and stamp duty)
- Students without a scholarship pay a separate regional fee of €156/year
One important note: applicants who already hold a PhD degree, or who have previously received a PhD scholarship in Italy (even partial), cannot receive another scholarship. They may still enrol in an unfunded position if available.
🎓 Eligibility Requirements
- Holds one of the following qualifications (no upper age limit):
- Italian Laurea Magistrale, Magistrale a ciclo unico, or Laurea Specialistica
- Italian Laurea Vecchio Ordinamento (pre-1999 reform)
- Non-Italian second-cycle degree (Master’s or Single Cycle Degree) from a recognised institution equivalent to Italian requirements
- Equivalent second-level degree from an AFAM institution
- Applicants whose degree will be awarded after the August 21 deadline may still apply, provided they obtain the qualification by the enrolment deadline of October 31, 2026
- English language knowledge is required for all 21 programmes — no specific test score is mandated in the general call, though individual programme sheets note “English language knowledge is required.” There is no explicit IELTS or TOEFL minimum stated in the official call; however, programmes within international alliances (INGENIUM) may have partner university requirements — verify with the specific programme coordinator (verify on official website)
- Open to applicants of any nationality and any age
- Application fee: €40 per application (non-refundable; must be paid before submitting)
🎓 Who Should Apply — and Who Probably Shouldn’t
✅ Strong fit:
- International students with a Master’s degree in any discipline covered by the 21 programmes — the spread from AI to law to kinesiology to cultural heritage is genuinely broad
- Applicants who want an Italian PhD with built-in international mobility — all programmes require at least a 3-month period abroad; several (Engineering Science, Business and Behavioural Sciences, Applied Sciences for Business Innovation, Human-Centred AI, Social Sciences) require 6 months; INGENIUM double-degree tracks require 12 months
- Employees of Italian public administrations or companies who qualify for the reserved industrial PhD positions — these carry full salary retention alongside the research programme
- Candidates who want a fully Italian-accredited PhD while simultaneously working toward a double degree with a European partner university
- Applicants from countries without Erasmus+ bilateral agreements who want structured access to European research networks through the INGENIUM Alliance
❌ Not a good fit:
- Applicants who have previously held a PhD scholarship in Italy — they are ineligible for another scholarship under Italian law
- Candidates who cannot commit to full-time attendance — all programmes require full-time participation; part-time PhD study is not an option here
- Applicants seeking PhD programs in pure mathematics, fine arts, or medicine/surgery as a standalone discipline — these are not covered in the 42nd cycle call
- Those who need significant preparation time for a research proposal — with the deadline on August 21, there are fewer than four weeks remaining from publication date. If your proposal is not already drafted, start immediately
🎓 The 21 PhD Programmes — 2026/2027 Cycle
Below is the complete list with total positions per programme, starting scholarships count, and oral exam dates. All programmes start November 2, 2026.
| Programme | Total Positions | University Scholarships | Oral Exam Date |
| Applied Sciences for Business Innovation (ASBI) | 5 | 2 | September 17, 2026 |
| Basic and Applied Medical Biotechnology | 6 | 1 funded + 1 co-funded (CNR) | September 17, 2026 |
| Biomolecular and Pharmaceutical Sciences | 10 | 1 funded + 2 co-funded | September 22, 2026 |
| Business and Behavioural Sciences | 3 | 2 co-funded | September 21, 2026 |
| Cultural Heritage Studies: Texts, Writings, Images | 5 | 1 | September 17, 2026 |
| Design Cultures: Creativity, Heritage, Environment | 4 | 2 | September 28, 2026 |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 4 | 1 + 2 funded by MTU | September 17, 2026 (remote) |
| Economics and Statistics | 6 | 2 | September 22, 2026 |
| Engineering Science | 7 | 3 co-funded (research projects) | September 17, 2026 |
| English Studies | 7 | 2 | September 18, 2026 |
| Geosciences | 3 | 3 (external funding) | September 29, 2026 |
| Human-Centred AI: Foundations and Applications | 4 | 2 + 2 funded by MTU | September 17, 2026 (remote) |
| Innovative Strategies for Wellbeing | 4 | 2 (UdA + MTU + XAMK) | September 17, 2026 (remote) |
| Innovative Technologies in Clinical Medicine & Dentistry | 11 | 4 (UdA + co-funded) | September 21, 2026 |
| Kinesiology | 7 | 2 + 2 (Niccolò Cusano) | September 18, 2026 (remote) |
| Legal Sciences for Sustainability, Ecological Transition and Innovation | 7 | 2 | October 1, 2026 |
| Neuroscience and Imaging | 5 | 3 (UdA + project-funded) | September 24, 2026 (remote) |
| Psychology | 6 | 2 co-funded | September 17, 2026 (remote) |
| Science and Technology for Sustainable Development | 6 | 5 (UdA + external projects) | September 22, 2026 |
| Social Sciences | 5 | 2 | September 28, 2026 |
| Translational Medicine and Immuno-Oncology | 10 | 2 | September 21, 2026 |
Total positions across all programmes: approximately 120+, of which a significant portion carry scholarships. Industrial/reserved positions for employees of specific companies or public bodies are not eligible for open competition — only the university-funded and project-funded positions are open to all.
For full details on each programme — specific research topics, disciplinary sectors, and supervisor contacts — see the English programme sheets.
🎓 Required Documents
The following documents must be uploaded for each application (one application per programme):
- Scan of a valid identity document — if in a non-Latin alphabet, a certified translation is required; without the translation, the document will not be accepted
- CV in European format (including publications list if applicable) — in Italian or English
- Diploma supplement or list of exams with grades from your Master’s degree
- Research proposal — maximum 10,000 characters including spaces, in Italian or English. Only one research proposal can be uploaded per application. If applying for a topic-specific (tema vincolato) position, the proposal must address that topic
- You may indicate interest in up to two topic-specific positions per programme within your application
All documents must be in PDF format. The application must be downloaded, signed by hand, and re-uploaded — unless you access the platform via SPID credentials (mandatory for Italian nationals; optional for international applicants who may register directly instead).
A note that matters: applications left in “DRAFT” or “TO BE SIGNED” status are considered NOT SUBMITTED — the system will not flag this as an error. Check your submission status on the MyPICA personal page.
🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process
- Register on PICA Cineca at pica.cineca.it/unich/dottorato42. The portal opened July 27, 2026. Italian applicants must use SPID credentials; international applicants may register directly.
- Pay the €40 application fee before submitting. Fee is non-refundable regardless of whether you complete the submission. Allow time for payment processing — the system separates payment from submission.
- Complete the application form for each programme you wish to apply to. Submit a separate, complete application per programme — documents cannot be shared across applications.
- Upload all documents in PDF format: identity document, CV, diploma supplement, and research proposal (max 10,000 characters).
- Download, sign, and re-upload the completed application form unless using SPID. Missing signature is grounds for exclusion.
- Confirm submission — the system issues a receipt by email. Once confirmed, the application cannot be modified. You may withdraw it and resubmit a new one before the deadline if needed, and the fee from the withdrawn application can be recovered.
- Track pre-selection results — published on the Scuola Superiore website on September 14, 2026. Candidates scoring at least 15/25 on the research proposal evaluation proceed to the oral exam.
- Attend the oral exam — most programmes allow remote participation for candidates residing abroad. Confirm your preferred mode in the application and wait for the Commission’s email with the Zoom or Teams link.
Practical tip: The research proposal carries the full weight of the pre-selection stage (scored across five criteria: research status, originality, feasibility, clarity of objectives, and relevance to the programme). Committees report that the most common reason candidates fail pre-selection is a proposal that reads as a literature review rather than a genuine research design. Open with the specific gap your research addresses, state a clear methodology, and name at least one potential supervisor whose published work intersects with your topic.
🎓 Important Dates
| Event | Date |
| Call published | July 21, 2026 |
| Portal opens | July 27, 2026 |
| Application deadline | August 21, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Italian time |
| Pre-selection results published | September 14, 2026 |
| Oral exams | September 17 – October 1, 2026 (varies by programme) |
| PhD programmes start | November 2, 2026 |
| Enrolment deadline for admitted candidates | Within 7 working days of ranking list publication |
| Degree enrolment deadline (if degree pending) | October 31, 2026 |
Bookmark this page and check back for updates. Rankings are published on the Scuola Superiore website and carry full legal notification value — no individual email is sent to successful candidates.
🎓 Why Apply — Why UdA, Why Italy
Italy consistently offers some of the best-value doctoral programmes in Europe. The UdA stipend of €16,243/year is set by national ministerial decree — meaning it is guaranteed, not subject to supervisor discretion or departmental budget fluctuations. Combined with tuition fees of just €256/year, the net financial position for a UdA PhD scholar is significantly better than it first appears.
Abruzzo itself is underrated. The Chieti-Pescara corridor sits between the Apennine mountains and the Adriatic coast, is well-connected by rail to Rome (under 2 hours), and has a cost of living substantially lower than Bologna, Milan, or Rome. For a PhD student focused on research output rather than urban lifestyle, this is a productive environment.
The INGENIUM Alliance programmes (Earth and Planetary Sciences, Human-Centred AI, Innovative Strategies for Wellbeing) are worth specific attention: these are formally international programmes with co-supervision from partner universities in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Finland, Romania, and Sweden. Positions funded by Munster Technological University (MTU) within these programmes come with 12-month mandatory mobility, making them effectively joint European PhD experiences housed administratively at UdA.
For PhD programs in fields like AI, neuroscience, and sustainable development, UdA’s research infrastructure — including the Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) and the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies — gives doctoral candidates access to equipment and networks that punch well above the university’s size.
Gradualin Editor’s Note: This call is an excellent opportunity for strong applicants with a clear research proposal already in hand — but the four-week window is genuinely tight. The research proposal is scored before the interview and determines whether you even reach the oral stage, so it deserves the bulk of your preparation time. For applicants in the social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields, UdA’s 42nd cycle is one of the more welcoming Italian calls for international candidates: the programmes are broad, the oral exam can be held remotely, and the stipend is standardised nationally. The main caveat is the industrial/reserved positions, which make up a significant share of the advertised numbers — count only the university-funded and project-funded positions when assessing your realistic odds for any given programme.
🎓 FAQ
These questions are based on what students most commonly search about PhD calls in Italy.
Is IELTS or TOEFL required for UdA PhD programmes? The official call does not state a specific IELTS or TOEFL minimum score. All 21 programmes list “English language knowledge required,” but no standardised test score is mandated in the general call document. For programmes within the INGENIUM Alliance that involve a partner institution (such as Munster Technological University), the partner’s own admission requirements may apply for double-degree tracks — verify directly with the programme coordinator before applying.
Can I apply to more than one PhD programme simultaneously? Yes. You must submit a separate, complete application for each programme, with its own documents and €40 fee. You may apply to as many programmes as you wish. However, if admitted to more than one, you must choose only one to attend.
What is the difference between university-funded positions and reserved positions? University-funded and project-funded positions are open to all eligible applicants through the general ranking. Reserved positions (for employees of specific companies or public administrations) are only accessible to those employees — they are not part of the open competition. When assessing a programme, count only the non-reserved positions as available to you.
Can I apply if I haven’t completed my Master’s degree yet? Yes, provided you will obtain your Master’s degree by October 31, 2026 — the enrolment deadline. You may submit your application before graduation, but you must hold the qualifying degree by the time you enrol.
Can the oral exam be held remotely? For almost all programmes, yes. The call explicitly states that candidates residing abroad may request a remote oral exam via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The Selection Commission will contact remote candidates by email to schedule the interview. A small number of programmes (notably Cultural Heritage Studies and Legal Sciences) require in-person attendance for the written test or specify that only foreign candidates may attend remotely — check the individual programme sheet carefully.
Will I receive an email when the ranking list is published? No. The publication of ranking lists on the Scuola Superiore website carries full legal notification value. The university will not send individual emails or postal notifications. You are responsible for monitoring the website for results and meeting the enrolment deadline (7 working days from ranking publication).
🎓 Official Sources
- Application Portal: PICA Cineca — UdA Dottorato 42
- Official Call (English PDF): PHD CALL 42 ENG
- Programme Sheets (English PDF): schede_in_inglese
- Scuola Superiore Homepage: scuolasuperiore.unich.it
- Contact: scuolasuperiore@unich.it
- Administrative contact: Claudia Mundo — Doctoral School
- Address: Campus Universitario, Via dei Vestini, 31 — 66100 Chieti Scalo, Italy
- Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00–12:00
- Phone: +39 0871 3556164 / 6077 / 6049 / 6662 / 5809
🎓 Summary Table
| Detail | Information |
| University | Università “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara (UdA) |
| Country | Italy |
| Level | PhD — 42nd Cycle |
| Number of Programmes | 21 |
| Annual Stipend | €16,243 gross/year |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Start Date | November 2, 2026 |
| Deadline | August 21, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Italian time |
| Open To | All nationalities, any age |
| English Test Required | Not mandated (knowledge required — verify by programme) |
| Application Fee | €40 per programme (non-refundable) |
| Portal | Apply Here |
If you are building a shortlist of fully funded PhD programs in Italy and Europe, these Gradualin articles belong on your reading list: Study in Italy 2026 — Guide for International Students, Fully Funded PhD Scholarships in the UK 2026, Fully Funded PhD Positions in Switzerland 2026, Study in Germany 2026 — Guide for International Students, and Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Asia 2027.
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Author: Faseeh Sultan — MSIT, PhD Scholar | 7 Years in Education
