We have a wide offer of universities for our undergraduate, graduate and PhD students as well as for faculty. We believe that having an international experience while studying or working is pivotal for our UPMs career development. It helps our students to have a wider view of their careers and enrich dramatically their profiles and gives our faculty and researchers the opportunity to expand their knowledge, and capabilities and build long-lasting research and academic collaborations.
Deadline: December 16, 2025. Learn more
Open all year round. Learn more
OPEN CALLS
Scholarships for research stays at MIT and Harvard
Deadline: 10th March 2026
As part of its commitment to academic excellence and international collaboration, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) launches this call to promote research stays at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University for master’s students and final-year undergraduate students. These scholarships aim to give outstanding students the opportunity to take part in ongoing research projects at both institutions, while fostering long-term academic links between UPM and their faculty members.
The grants are intended to partially cover the expenses associated with short-term research stays at MIT or Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, within the framework of UPM’s strategic collaboration areas. Research stays will have a minimum duration of three months and will take place between June 2026 and July 2027.
A total of ten scholarships of €7,000 each are offered. Applicants must be master’s students or final-year undergraduate students at UPM and must hold Spanish nationality or permanent residence in Spain.
Grants for Research and Teaching Stays in the USA and Canada
Deadline: 3rd March 2026
With the aim of strengthening international mobility and academic collaboration, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), through the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization, launches this call for grants to support research and teaching stays in the United States and Canada. The program is addressed to doctoral students and full-time teaching and research staff (PDI) and is intended to promote participation in academic and research activities at strategic partner universities in North America.
This UPM-funded program seeks to foster international experience, reinforce institutional alliances, and encourage the development of long-term academic and scientific links between UPM and leading universities in the USA and Canada. The grants are designed to contribute to the costs associated with international stays, facilitating the mobility of both doctoral candidates and faculty members.
Grants for Teaching Stays at Berkeley
Deadline: 3rd March 2026
To strengthen international mobility and promote academic collaboration, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), in coordination with the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), launches this call for grants to support teaching stays for doctoral students and full-time teaching and research staff (PDI) at UPM.
The program allows selected participants to contribute to teaching activities, including workshops, within the Department of Architecture at UCB. Co-funded by UPM and UCB, the grants are intended to cover travel and stay expenses, providing participants with the opportunity to gain international teaching experience while reinforcing long-term academic and institutional links between the two universities.
International Scholarships and Fellowships at Harvard
The Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard (RCCH) is currently offering international grants and scholarships for members of the UPM to apply for. These grants and scholarships provide the opportunity for stays at Harvard, allowing individuals to further their education and research at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. In order to apply, a letter of invitation from a Harvard researcher, research group or department is always required. There are four different modalities to choose from, providing a range of options for individuals to tailor their application to their specific needs and goals. The general link to the calls for applications can be found at https://rcc.harvard.edu/opportunities.
Modality 1: Harvard University Faculty Grants for Short-term funded visits
Deadline: open all year
- One-time payment of $2,500.
- The call is open all year round.
- It is recommended to apply about three months in advance.
- Letter of invitation required.
- Stays of about one month and less than two months.
Modality 2: Harvard University Faculty or PDI Research Fellowships
Deadline: 15th April 2025
- Stays at Harvard for faculty or PDI
- From assistant doctor, always full time.
- Stays lasting between 2 and 6 months.
- $3,000 a month
- Period of stay: between September 2025 and July 2026.
- Letter of invitation required.
Modality 3: Harvard University Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: 15th April 2025
- For PhDs who have defended their thesis between September 2023 and August 2024.
- Two-year stay
- A letter of invitation is required.
- A commitment of 2 years reception by the university after the stay at Harvard is required.
Modality 4: Harvard University Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: 15th April 2025
- Stays lasting between 3 and 5 months.
- From September 2025 to July 2026
- $3,000 a month
- A letter of invitation is required.
PAST CALLS (Reopening Annually)
MIT – Spain UPM Seed Fund
Deadline: 16th December 2025 – Closed
The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) continues to strengthen its collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through the MIT–Spain Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Seed Fund, part of the MIT Global Seed Funds program.
Through this annual call for proposals, the fund supports travel costs for exchange between research teams at MIT and colleagues at UPM. The initiative aims to promote new collaborations and the development of joint research projects between both institutions.
Priority will be given to projects that are new or entering a new phase, involve undergraduate and/or graduate students in a meaningful way, and are likely to be sustainable beyond the grant period. Projects that demonstrate a balanced exchange and complementarity between teams will also be favored.
The maximum award per project is $30,000. Spanish researchers must be identified in the proposal.
Academic Stays at University of California at Berkeley
Deadline: 10th February 2025 – Closed
In order to boost mobility for both faculty and doctoral students to the United States, and specifically to promote collaboration between the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), these institutions have agreed to develop a Teaching Mobility Program in Berkeley, allowing full-time UPM doctoral students and faculty to carry out a teaching residency in the architecture department at UCB.
“Connect Our Research“ Scholarship
Deadline: 21st February 2025 – Closed
One of the objectives of the North American Directorate is to promote the connection between its professors and students with professors at partner universities in the U.S. Every year, a group of excellent students carries out stays at these universities where, among other activities, they carry out their Master’s thesis. The joint direction of this work by professors from the host university and professors from the UPM will enrich the results, improve the training of students and the impact of their work, as well as facilitate interaction between researchers from different institutions and in different fields of knowledge.
In order to promote this collaboration, the Vice-Rector’s Office for Internationalization has announced a series of grants for students of official master’s degrees who develop their master’s theses in U.S. partner universities, which are jointly supervised by a professor from the partner university and a professor from the UPM.
Research & Teaching mobility programs
Deadline: 3rd March 2025 – Closed
To promote the mobility of teaching staff and doctoral students, the Vice-Rector for Internationalization is announcing grants for research stays for doctoral students and full-time teaching and research staff at universities in the United States and Canada with which the UPM has a strategic alliance.
This is an independent program fully funded by UPM, which will cover costs related to administrative fees at the host university, round-trip travel from Madrid (up to a maximum of €1,200 per person), and monthly support of €2,000 for doctoral students and €2,500 for professors.
Seed Fund Projects
Deadline: 22nd February 2025 – Closed
The research activities of UPM in collaboration with Asia, the United States, and Oceania are expanding thanks to the opportunities provided by both the accumulated experience in relationships with universities, research centers, and institutes, as well as the increasing availability of funds from these countries and the European Union aimed at fostering research cooperation with non-EU countries.
The goal is precisely to further enhance these research initiatives by removing the barrier posed by launching a joint research proposal between UPM and a partner from Asia, the United States, or Oceania.