Italy, Scholarships

Funded: University of Messina PhD Scholarships 2026 — 15 Programmes

Faseeh Sultan

July 7, 2026
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Funded: University of Messina PhD Scholarships 2026 — 15 Programmes Open

If you have been searching for a funded PhD position in Italy that is genuinely open to international students — no citizenship restriction, no mandatory Italian language requirement for most programmes, and a confirmed government scholarship of €16,243 per year — the University of Messina 42nd Cycle PhD Call is exactly what you need to see right now.

The call was officially published on 24 June 2026, and the online application window closes on 24 July 2026 at 23:59 (Italy time, UTC+02:00). That gives you a limited but workable window to prepare and submit. This guide walks you through every programme, every requirement, and every step — so you can apply with confidence before that deadline hits.

Detail	Information
University	Università degli Studi di Messina (UniME)
Country	Italy 🇮🇹
Degree Level	PhD (3 years, 42nd Cycle)
Funding	Scholarships available — €16,243/year gross
Application Deadline	24 July 2026, 23:59 (CEST)
Programme Start	1 November 2026
Open To	All nationalities, no age restriction
Official Link	42nd PhD Call — UniME

🎓 About the University of Messina and This Opportunity

The University of Messina — known locally as UniME — is one of southern Italy’s most established research universities, with roots stretching back to the sixteenth century. Located in Messina, a port city on the northeastern tip of Sicily with a stunning view of the Strait of Messina and the Italian mainland, UniME is home to over 25,000 students and twelve academic departments spanning sciences, engineering, medicine, law, humanities, and social sciences.

What makes this PhD call particularly interesting for international applicants is its scope. The 42nd cycle activates 15 distinct PhD programmes across almost every major research domain. Unlike many Italian PhD calls that open only a handful of positions in one or two fields, this call offers funded slots in everything from bioengineering to sustainability sciences to cognitive sciences to legal studies — making it one of the broadest single-university PhD openings in Italy for 2026.

The University also participates in European partnerships, Erasmus+ mobility schemes, and industrial collaborations, meaning PhD students often have access to research stays abroad and industry-funded projects. It is one of the few Italian universities running a Cybersecurity-funded PhD position in partnership with Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency — a sign of the research ambition behind this call.

🎓 PhD Scholarship — Funding and Financial Support

This is the number that matters most: if you secure a funded position, you will receive a scholarship of €16,243 per year (gross), paid monthly in arrears. This figure was set by Ministerial Decree and applies uniformly across all funded PhD positions in Italian public universities from 2022 onward.

Here is what that means in practice for your finances:

Annual scholarship: €16,243 gross (approximately €1,200–€1,350/month net, depending on tax and social security deductions — verify exact net with UniME)
50% increase for research stays abroad: If your PhD Board authorizes a research period outside Italy, your scholarship increases by 50% for that duration
Enrollment fee: €156 at enrollment (a one-time administrative fee covering the regional tax and virtual stamp)
Annual contribution: If you hold a scholarship, you pay a sliding annual contribution based on your ISEE income bracket. International students not producing income in Italy pay a flat annual contribution of €750
Application fee: €30 (waived entirely for students from the listed particularly poor/developing countries — Pakistan is not on this list, but many African and Asian nations are — check the official decree)

Positions are also available without scholarship — these come with no stipend but allow enrollment with waived University fees. If you are self-funded or supported by your own institution, these positions give you access to the programme and the research environment.

🎓 The 15 PhD Programmes — Funded Positions

Every programme in this call has both funded (scholarship) and non-scholarship positions. Below is the full list with available scholarships and any special industry or externally funded slots:

1. Bioengineering Applied to Medical Sciences — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Fields accepted: Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, Physics, Computer Engineering, Chemistry, and related disciplines.

2. Applied Biology and Experimental Medicine — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Curricula in Experimental Medicine, Biological & Environmental Sciences, and Pharmacological Sciences. All master’s degrees accepted.

3. Economics, Management and Statistics — 4 standard scholarships, 2 Executive PhD positions (company-funded, with Biofuture Medicine and DPT Consulting), 2 positions without scholarship. All master’s degrees accepted. Taught and examined in English.

4. Physics — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. All master’s degrees accepted. Knowledge of English required; taught partly in English.

5. Engineering — 4 standard scholarships + 5 externally funded scholarships (1 from Zappettificio Muzzi for wear-resistant alloys; 2 from the HYDRAE Project for hydrogen production technologies; 1 from Novamarine for unmanned naval vehicles; 1 from the National Cybersecurity Agency for zero-trust architectures), plus 1 Executive PhD position with Vishay Semiconductor. Three curricula: Industrial, Information, and Civil/Architecture Engineering.

6. Psychology — 3 UniME scholarships + 3 funded by the University of Catanzaro, 2 positions without scholarship. Requires knowledge of both Italian and English. Fields accepted: Medicine, Psychology, Educational Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences.

7. Chemical Sciences — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Two curricula: functional molecular systems and pharmaceutical/nutraceutical chemistry. All master’s degrees.

8. Cognitive Sciences — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Two curricula: language/mind/psychology and social/media/performing arts theories. Requires basic Italian.

9. Public Administration Sciences — 3 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Research project must be written in Italian. Italian language required (B1 minimum).

10. Legal Sciences — 5 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Five curricula covering constitutional law, civil law, criminal law, business/transport, and legal-social inequalities. Requires basic Italian; Curriculum 5 is conducted in English.

11. Political Sciences — 4 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Conducted in Italian with English verified at interview.

12. Humanistic Sciences — 5 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. Four curricula: Ancient & Modern Philology, Medieval-to-Contemporary History, Archaeology, and Philosophy. Note: this programme has a written exam (4 hours, in person in Messina) on 1 September 2026, before the oral exam on 8 September 2026.

13. Veterinary, Biotechnological and Agricultural Sciences — 4 scholarships + 1 Executive PhD position (Sanypet S.p.A.) + 1 high-level trainee position (Falco s.r.l.), 2 positions without scholarship. Knowledge of English required.

14. Sustainability Sciences — 3 scholarships, 1 position without scholarship. English B2 level or equivalent required. Taught in English.

15. Translational Molecular Medicine and Surgery — 4 standard scholarships + 2 scholarships funded by the PRONUTRA Project (nutrigenetics/nutraceuticals), 2 positions without scholarship. Fields: Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Pharmacy. Taught and examined in English.

🎓 Eligibility Criteria

The University of Messina’s 42nd PhD Call is open to applicants worldwide, with no age restriction and no Italian citizenship requirement. Here is what you need:

A Master’s degree or equivalent (specialist degree, old-system degree, or a foreign qualification of comparable level). You may also apply if you expect to graduate by 31 October 2026, though admission would be conditional on graduation.
For foreign degrees: the examination commission will assess suitability for the purpose of this selection alone — you do not need a formal equivalency ruling in advance.
English language: most programmes verify English knowledge during the oral interview. A few programmes (Sustainability Sciences) specify B2 or equivalent. No external IELTS score is required as a document — language is tested at the oral exam itself, not at application stage.
Italian language: required for Psychology (both Italian and English), Public Administration Sciences (B1 minimum), Cognitive Sciences (basic), Legal Sciences (basic), Political Sciences (good), and Humanistic Sciences. If you are applying to STEM, Economics, Physics, Engineering, Bioengineering, Sustainability Sciences, or Translational Medicine — Italian is not mandatory.
A €30 application fee paid via PagoPA at submission (waived for students from listed developing countries).

🎓 Who Should Apply / Who Shouldn’t

✅ Strong candidates for this call:

Researchers and postgraduates in STEM, medicine, biology, engineering, or sustainability who want a funded European PhD
Applicants from any country with an equivalent Master’s degree — the selection board evaluates foreign credentials directly
Students comfortable with an English-language oral interview (no external score required at application)
Those who can submit by 24 July 2026 — the deadline is firm

❌ This call may not be the right fit if:

You need a funded stipend but cannot commit to residing and researching in Messina, Italy, for three years starting November 2026
You are applying for Psychology, Public Administration, Political Sciences, Cognitive Sciences, or Humanistic Sciences without a working knowledge of Italian
You have already held a PhD scholarship at another Italian institution — prior PhD scholarship holders are ineligible for a new scholarship (though you may apply for positions without scholarship)
You cannot meet the 31 October 2026 graduation deadline if you have not yet completed your Master’s

🎓 Available Programmes by Field

Science & Technology (English-friendly): Engineering (Industrial / Information / Civil) · Physics · Chemical Sciences · Sustainability Sciences · Bioengineering Applied to Medical Sciences · Applied Biology and Experimental Medicine · Translational Molecular Medicine and Surgery

Social & Economic Sciences (English-friendly): Economics, Management and Statistics · Veterinary, Biotechnological and Agricultural Sciences

Humanities, Law & Social Sciences (Italian required for most): Psychology · Cognitive Sciences · Public Administration Sciences · Legal Sciences · Political Sciences · Humanistic Sciences

For full programme details — research topics, curricula, and exam dates — visit the official PhD Programmes page at UniME and download the complete call PDF.

🎓 Required Documents

All documents are submitted electronically through the Esse3 platform:

Curriculum vitae
Declaration in lieu of residence/domicile (template available on Esse3)
Self-certification of your Master’s degree (Italian graduates) — or full degree certificate with transcript and official translation in Italian or English (international graduates)
Master’s degree thesis
Publications (if any)
Professional experience records (if applicable)
Other qualifications
Research project — required for most programmes; must address the research topics listed in the relevant attachment for externally funded scholarships
Videoconference request form — only if applying for programmes offering a remote exam option and you wish to participate online
Scanned copy of a valid photo ID document
€30 application fee receipt (paid via PagoPA; bank transfer for candidates residing abroad)

For Executive PhD positions: a declaration confirming your employment relationship with the affiliated company. For high-level trainee positions: age confirmation (18–29) and consent for data sharing with the sponsoring company.

🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process

Visit the Esse3 platform at unime.esse3.cineca.it and create your account. International applicants without SPID credentials use the English-language Registration/Login procedure.
Choose your PhD programme — review all 15 attachments in the official call PDF to identify the programme matching your background and the research topics of funded scholarships.
Prepare your research project — especially critical if you are targeting a specifically funded scholarship (HYDRAE, PRONUTRA, Cybersecurity, industry-funded positions). The project must directly address the research topic described in the attachment.
Gather and upload all documents in PDF format. Each file should be clear and under 5MB. Official translations are required for degrees from non-EU countries.
Pay the €30 application fee via PagoPA online (or bank transfer if applying from abroad). Keep the receipt — you cannot submit without this payment.
Submit before 24 July 2026 at 23:59 CEST. The system closes sharply at the deadline. Do not leave submission to the last day.
Monitor the UniME Bandi e Concorsi page at unime.it/bandi-e-concorsi for the publication of examination board decrees, oral exam schedules, and results.
Attend the oral exam on the date specified for your chosen programme (most fall between late July and mid-September 2026). International candidates can generally request a videoconference option.

Practical tip: If you are targeting an externally funded scholarship (e.g., the Cybersecurity slot in Engineering or the PRONUTRA slots in Translational Medicine), tailor your research project specifically to the topic described in the attachment — generic projects are unlikely to score well against the suitability criteria the board must assess.

🎓 Important Dates

Event	Date
Call published	24 June 2026
Application portal opens	25 June 2026
Application deadline	24 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Earliest oral exam (Chemical Sciences)	29 July 2026
Earliest oral exam (Cognitive Sciences)	28 July 2026
Sustainability Sciences oral exam	30 July 2026
Humanistic Sciences written exam	1 September 2026 (in person, Messina)
Most oral exams	2–10 September 2026
PhD courses start	1 November 2026

Bookmark this page and check back for updates — UniME publishes examination board decrees and scrolling notifications on its official website.

🎓 Why Apply — Why the University of Messina and Sicily

Here is what makes this call genuinely worth your attention, beyond just the stipend.

UniME sits in Messina, Sicily — and that location matters more than you might expect. Sicily is Italy’s largest island, a UNESCO-recognized cultural landscape, and one of the most intellectually layered places in the Mediterranean. Messina itself is a mid-sized city with a genuine university culture, where the cost of living is significantly lower than Rome, Milan, or Bologna. On €1,200/month net, you can live very comfortably — rent a decent apartment, eat well, and have money left over. That is not always the case in Italy’s northern university cities.

Academically, UniME has been steadily expanding its international research footprint. The presence of National Cybersecurity Agency funding, PNRR-backed projects, and FSE+ regional scholarships in this call is a direct signal that the university is plugged into Italy’s current research investment priorities. PhD graduates from UniME’s STEM programmes have gone on to postdoctoral positions across Europe.

This is one of the few Italian PhD calls that explicitly accommodates international candidates with videoconference exam options and foreign degree recognition at the selection stage — not after enrollment. That is a meaningful structural advantage for applicants outside Italy.

🎓 FAQ

Q: Do I need IELTS or TOEFL to apply to the University of Messina PhD call? No. The University of Messina does not require an external English test score at the application stage. English language proficiency is assessed during the oral interview itself. This applies to all programmes that conduct their exam in English.

Q: Can I apply to more than one PhD programme? Yes — you may submit separate applications to multiple programmes, each with a complete set of documents and a separate €30 fee. However, if you are ranked successfully in more than one, you will be asked to choose only one programme before enrollment.

Q: What happens if I am not yet graduated at the application deadline? You may still apply if you are completing your Master’s degree, provided you obtain your qualification by 31 October 2026. If selected and you have not graduated by that date, you forfeit admission.

Q: Is the €16,243 scholarship before or after taxes? It is the gross annual figure. Social security contributions (INPS Gestione Separata) apply — two-thirds are paid by the university administration and one-third by the PhD student. Net monthly amounts vary; verify the exact calculation with UniME’s PhD office.

Q: Can I do the oral exam remotely from my home country? For most programmes, yes — candidates can submit a videoconference request form. The exception is the Humanistic Sciences programme, where the written exam on 1 September 2026 is conducted in person in Messina.

Q: What is the Doctor Europæus label, and can I get it at UniME? The Doctor Europæus is an additional certification attesting that your PhD meets specific European standards (including a research stay abroad and an international jury member). UniME offers this label — ask the PhD coordinator of your chosen programme for details during the oral exam or at enrollment.

🎓 Official Sources

42nd PhD Call page (English): international.unime.it/research/phd-programmes/42nd-phd-call
Official Call PDF (English, all 15 attachments): PhD Call 42nd Cycle — Download
Application portal (Esse3): unime.esse3.cineca.it
All open calls and competition notices: unime.it/bandi-e-concorsi
PhD Office contact: dottorati@unime.it | Tel: 090 676 8716/8502/8286/8277/8281
PhD Programmes main hub: international.unime.it/research/phd-programmes

🎓 Summary Table

Detail	Information
University	Università degli Studi di Messina (UniME)
Country	Italy 🇮🇹 — Messina, Sicily
Degree	PhD — 3 years (42nd Cycle)
Number of Programmes	15 PhD programmes
Scholarship Amount	€16,243/year gross
Positions Type	Funded (scholarship) and non-scholarship
Application Deadline	24 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Programme Start	1 November 2026
Eligibility	All nationalities, any Master’s degree (for most programmes)
IELTS Required	No external score required — English tested at oral exam
Application Platform	Esse3 (unime.esse3.cineca.it)
Application Fee	€30 (waived for developing countries)
Contact	dottorati@unime.it
Official Link	42nd PhD Call