56 at-risk researchers selected for support through the SAFE Fellowship initiative

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As part of the SAFE programme - an initiative dedicated to supporting researchers at risk - the consortium formed by DAAD, Campus France, PAUSE, and UNIMED has announced the 56 selected fellows from a pool of 359 applicants. These researchers, representing 15 countries, will have the opportunity to continue their work in 13 EU member states.

DAAD, Campus France, the PAUSE programme (hosted by the Collège de France) and UNIMED announce the results of the Call for applications of the European project ‘Supporting At-risk researchers with Fellowships in Europe’ – SAFE. Funded by the European Union (EU), SAFE supports at-risk researchers from all over the word (outside the EU) through the allocation of fellowships for a research stay in an EU Member State. The objective is to help these researchers to flee the threat they are facing and to safely pursue their research in Europe.

Insights and statistics about the results

The results of the SAFE Call for applications, launched on 18/11/2025 and closed on 20/01/2025 are now available: a total of 56 SAFE fellowships were awarded to support researchers at risk from different countries in the world, for a period of up to 24 months. The researchers will be hosted by 56 higher education and research institutions based in 13 EU Member States, namely:

Belgium
Bulgaria
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
The Netherlands
Poland
Spain

Out of the awarded SAFE fellowships:

12 are for researchers at PhD level;
44 are for researchers at post-doctoral level;
32 fellows are female researchers;
23 fellows are male researchers and
1 fellow is a non-binary researcher.

7 fellowships were awarded within Track 1 (researchers applying from outside the EU) and 29 were awarded within Track 2 (researchers applying from the EU).

The main disciplines represented are: law, economics and social science; language and cultural studies; mathematics and natural sciences and engineering.

The evaluation process and notification of results

A total of 359 applications were submitted to the SAFE programme during the two-month call for proposals, involving both researchers at risk and their prospective host institutions across Europe. Following a thorough evaluation process conducted by independent international experts, the selection results have now been officially communicated to the host institutions. With this phase completed, no additional calls for applications are currently planned within the scope of the project.