Government scholarship by Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), with Uni-Italia and participating Italian universities, study in Italy

Invest Your Talent in Italy 2026: Deadline, Eligibility, Benefits

Invest Your Talent in Italy funds English-taught master's degrees in engineering, architecture and design, or economics and management at a group of Italian universities, for students from 18 named countries including Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam and Brazil. It pays a tuition fee waiver plus a living scholarship, worth EUR 1,000 a month for 9 months at the University of Padua, and includes a mandatory internship at an Italian company. The 2026/27 call closed 11 May 2026.

Last verified 7 September 2026. Sources · Official page
Closes
TBC
The call for the 2026/27 academic year (the 11th edition) closed 11 May 2026 at 6:00pm Italian time. MAECI and Uni-Italia normally reopen applications for the next academic year a few months beforehand; check the official application portal for the next call.
Funding
Full
EUR 1,000 a month, net, for 9 months (about EUR 9,000 for the year) at the University of Padua, renewable for a second year if the student earns at least 30 ECTS credits by 20 July, plus a full tuition fee waiver; the coordinating ministry's own page describes the award only as a nine-month scholarship without stating one fixed EUR figure, so the exact amount can differ slightly by partner university and its public or private co-funder
Level
Master
Who can apply
18 countries
Cycle
Annual
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), with Uni-Italia and participating Italian universities

Invest Your Talent in Italy is a programme run by Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), together with the trade agency ICE and the university consortium Uni-Italia, to bring international students into English-taught Italian master's degrees while building ties between Italian universities and industry. It is open to applicants from 18 named countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico, China, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. Courses fall into three fields: Engineering and High Technologies, Architecture and Design, and Economics and Management, taught at a group of Italian universities that includes Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, the University of Padua and the University of Pisa among others. Every scholarship holder also studies Italian language and culture alongside the degree and completes a mandatory internship at an Italian company or trade association, arranged as part of the programme. Scholarship holders get a full tuition fee waiver plus a living scholarship; at the University of Padua this is EUR 1,000 a month, net, for 9 months, renewable for a second year of study if the student earns at least 30 ECTS credits by 20 July of the first year. Applicants apply online through the dedicated Invest Your Talent application portal and separately enrol in their chosen course at the partner university following that university's normal admission procedure. The call for the 2026/27 academic year, the programme's 11th edition, closed 11 May 2026 at 6:00pm Italian time.

Eligible nationalities

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, Vietnam

Sources, checked 7 September 2026
  1. https://www.esteri.it/en/servizi-opportunita/opportunita/borse-di-studio/per-cittadini-stranieri/progetti-speciali/invest-your-talent-in-italy/
  2. https://uni-italia.it/en/institutional/invest-your-talent-in-italy-en/
  3. https://www.unipd.it/en/scholarships-invest-your-talent