One hundred and fifty scholarships, 19 doctoral programs and one deadline.
The University of Cagliari has launched its 42nd cycle doctoral competition for the 2026/2027 academic year and the scale of this call is worth paying attention to. Most Italian university PhD competitions offer a handful of funded scholarships across a narrow range of disciplines. Cagliari’s call covers everything from data science and neuroscience to philosophy, legal studies and cultural heritage.
That breadth makes it relevant to researchers from almost any academic background.
Published on: September 9, 2026. Deadline confirmed as 28 September 2026 at 23:59. Applications submitted through the PICA platform at pica.cineca.it. Contact dottoratiemaster@unica.it.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| University | University of Cagliari, Italy |
| Cycle | 42nd Doctoral Cycle |
| Total positions | 150 |
| Doctoral programs | 19 |
| Annual fellowship | €16243 |
| Funding duration | Up to 36 months |
| Eligible nationalities | All |
| International mobility | Required |
| Application platform | pica.cineca.it |
| Deadline | 28 September 2026 at 23:59 |
What €16243 a Year Looks Like in Cagliari
The standard fellowship is €16243 gross per year paid across the full 36 month doctoral period. That works out to approximately €1200 net per month.
Cagliari has a meaningful cost of living advantage over Milan, Rome or Bologna. The city sits on the southern coast of Sardinia and is consistently ranked among Italy’s more affordable university cities. Rent for shared accommodation runs considerably lower than the northern Italian cities most international students consider first.
The fellowship will not fund a comfortable lifestyle without budgeting but it is more livable in Cagliari than the same amount would be in Milan. That practical reality is worth factoring in before comparing this opportunity to programs at other Italian universities.
Also See: Human Technopole PhD 2026: 17 Fully Funded Positions in Milan (Italy)
19 Doctoral Programs Full List
The competition covers an unusually wide range of disciplines. Here is the complete list:
- Philosophy, Epistemology and Human Sciences
- Capacity Building for Global Health
- Data Science
- Physics
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Molecular and Translational Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Civil Engineering and Architecture
- Electronic and Computer Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Personalized Medicine and Public Health
- Research and Social Innovation
- Life Environmental and Drug Sciences
- Earth and Environmental Sciences and Technologies
- Innovation Science and Technology
- History, Cultural Heritage and International Studies
- Philological and Literary Historical and Cultural Studies
- Economics and Business
- Legal Science
STEM researchers, medical scientists and humanities scholars all find relevant pathways here. That is not typical for a single university doctoral call.
Who This Call Is For
The competition targets early stage researchers and postgraduate applicants with between zero and four years of research experience.
All nationalities and all countries of residence are listed as eligible in the competition notice. International applicants are explicitly included.
One requirement worth flagging clearly. International mobility is listed as required for this competition. The research itself takes place in Italy but candidates should check what the mobility requirement involves for their specific program. This detail is sometimes overlooked until after admission.
Final year master’s students planning to apply should verify the graduation deadline specified in the competition notice and the individual program annex.
The Application Platform PICA
Applications are submitted through https://pica.cineca.it/login. The centralized Italian university application platform is used by many Italian institutions for doctoral admissions.
If you have not used PICA before, create your account well in advance of the deadline. The platform requires identity verification and document uploads and technical issues on deadline day are common enough that last minute submissions carry real risk.
For questions about the competition, the university’s dedicated contact is dottoratiemaster@unica.it.
Reach out to this address with program specific questions that are not answered in the official documentation. Faculty contact for research alignment questions is separate from administrative queries about the competition.