France wants young climate researchers and it has been proving it for ten years running.
When the United States pulled back from the Paris Agreement in 2017, France responded with an unusual move. Instead of just issuing a statement it launched a fellowship program aimed at attracting climate and environmental researchers to come work in France instead. That program was called Make Our Planet Great Again, and it is now opening its tenth call for MOPGA Fellowship 2027 applications.
Ten consecutive years of funding is not something every government initiative manages to sustain. That track record alone says something about how seriously France has treated this commitment.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Program | Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) 2027 |
| Host country | France |
| Duration | 12 months non-renewable |
| Monthly allowance | €2500 |
| Settling-in allowance | €500 |
| Status | French Government Scholarship BGF |
| PhD window | Defended between December 2021 and December 2026 |
| Nationality | Foreign only French nationals ineligible |
| Application deadline | 15 December 2026 |
What MOPGA Actually Funds
This specific call is for early-career researchers funded jointly by France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and its Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space. The idea is straightforward. Bring talented international researchers to France for a focused year-long research stay addressing environmental and climate challenges.
Successful applicants become Visiting Fellows, spend 12 months at a French host institution and receive the status of French Government Scholarship holders known locally as BGF status.
Fellowship Coverage
Here is the full financial picture:
- Monthly allowance €2500
- Settling-in allowance €500 paid during your first month
- Health coverage including health insurance, civil liability insurance, repatriation assistance and supplementary health insurance once registered with the French social security system
Which Research Areas Qualify
Your project needs to fall within one of five broad areas:
- Earth system sciences
- Climate change and sustainability sciences
- Energy transition
- Societal challenges connected to environmental issues
- Human, animal and environmental health under the One Health approach
That last category deserves a closer look because it comes with a specific restriction that trips people up. MOPGA is only interested in health-related projects that genuinely integrate human health, animal health and ecosystem interactions together. A project that focuses purely on human medicine without a real environmental or animal health dimension woven in is explicitly not eligible here. If your research sits mainly in clinical medicine this particular health category is not built for you, even if environmental factors appear somewhere in your background.
Across all five areas, MOPGA also states that projects using advanced technology in innovative ways will get particular consideration. So a strong technical or methodological angle can genuinely strengthen an otherwise solid proposal.
Who Can Actually Apply
The eligibility rules are specific and missing even one disqualifies you.
- You must hold a doctoral degree awarded less than five years before the application deadline. In practice that means your PhD defense needs to fall between December 2021 and December 2026.
- You must be of foreign nationality. French nationals are not eligible for this program.
- Your application must be for the purpose of international mobility into France.
- You must not already be residing and professionally working in France at the time you apply.
- You must not have received a MOPGA fellowship before.
What Your Application Actually Needs
The document list is fairly extensive so it is worth starting early.
- A CV with a full publication list, maximum 4 pages
- Your doctoral degree certificate or official proof of degree
- A CV for your proposed scientific supervisor at the host laboratory maximum 2 pages
- A letter of support from that scientific supervisor co-signed by the laboratory director or accompanied by a separate commitment letter from the director confirming the lab’s resources match your project
- At least one and up to three letters of recommendation
- A copy of your passport or national identity document
The Research Project Description
Beyond your supporting documents, you will need to write a structured project description with several defined sections each with a strict character limit:
- Project title
- Six keywords
- Research project summary max 2000 characters
- Background and motivation max 2000 characters
- Scientific objectives max 2000 characters
- Methodology and timeline max 4500 characters
- Relevance to the MOPGA initiative specifically max 2000 characters
- International collaboration potential and expected impact for your home country max 2000 characters
That MOPGA-relevance section matters more than it might seem. This is not a generic research fellowship. It exists specifically to advance work connected to the Paris Agreement’s goals. A strong application draws a clear explicit line between your specific research and that broader mission rather than assuming the connection is obvious.
The final section about impact on your country of origin or residence also reflects something real about MOPGA’s purpose. This program is not just about producing good science in France. It is designed with an expectation that fellows carry knowledge and collaboration back outward, strengthening ties between France and researchers’ home countries.
Applications can be submitted in either English or French, which removes one potential barrier for non-Francophone applicants.
How to Apply
Everything goes through the Campus France SMApply platform, specifically the MOPGA 2027 program page. Before starting your application, it is worth reviewing the platform’s FAQ and downloading the official application guide since the process has enough moving parts that a quick read beforehand can save real time later.
Apply Now for MOPGA Fellowship
Key Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | 15 September 2026 |
| Application deadline | 15 December 2026 |
| Results notification | May–June 2027 |
| Arrival in France and start of research stay | Between September and December 2027 |
That gap between the application deadline and results roughly five to six months is longer than many fellowship programs. It is worth factoring that into your own career planning especially if you are weighing this fellowship against other opportunities with earlier decision timelines.
Why This Fellowship Is Worth Taking Seriously
A decade of consistent funding for early-career climate researchers says something meaningful about institutional commitment. Programs tied to political moments often fade once the moment passes. MOPGA has outlasted the specific political context it was born from which suggests France has built this into an ongoing research strategy rather than a one-time symbolic gesture.
For early-career researchers working on genuine environmental, climate or One Health challenges, this fellowship offers a fully funded year inside France’s research system with real institutional backing and BGF scholarship status attached. Given the extensive document requirements and the need to secure a host laboratory supervisor before applying the real work should start now well ahead of the 15 December 2026 deadline.