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EULAR Mentorship Programme

European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology

The mentorship grant serves the aims of the EULAR Mentorship Programme for young investigators in low and middle income EULAR-affiliated countries. Its purpose is to:

Build an internationally recognised research team.
Achieve sustainable and high-quality scientific activity.
Enable research centres in countries with as yet less research productivity to level up to currently leading European RMD research centres.

To accomplish these goals, the programme provides career-development counselling to the selected candidate, equipping them with outstanding research organisational skills and facilitating access to the international scientific community. In parallel, it fosters the institutional development of the applicant’s research centre by improving organisational and management procedures. This process requires the active support of both the mentored institution and the head of the applicant’s department, which must be explicitly confirmed in the application.

Applications are open until 28 September 2026, 13:00 CET

Duration and structure
The programme runs for three years and is built on close collaboration between:

The mentee and their research centre.
A leading RMD research centre in a EULAR-affiliated country.
A recognised mentor affiliated with the hosting centre (e.g., a EULAR Centre of Excellence).

Before You Apply
Before submitting your application:

Identify a suitable mentor at an eligible Mentor (host) institution. Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek mentors affiliated with a EULAR Centre of Excellence. A list of recognised EULAR Centres of Excellence is available on the EULAR website.
Contact the mentor and obtain their agreement to participate in the programme.
Develop the mentorship plan, including the objectives, activities, timeline, and expected outcomes.
Submit the completed application with the required supporting documents, including letters of approval from the selected Mentor and from the Mentee (home) institution.

What the programme covers
Unlike research or travel grants offered by EULAR, the mentorship grant is exclusively for:

Administrative costs of institutional development.
Exchange visits between mentor and mentee institutions.
Mentee’s participation in international meetings aligned with the programme goals.
The budget allocated for travel expenses over the three-year development period is as follows:

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong relevance to rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs)

The most competitive applications directly address:

rheumatoid arthritis,
psoriatic arthritis,
lupus,
ankylosing spondylitis,
osteoarthritis,
vasculitis,
pediatric rheumatology,
autoimmune inflammation,
connective-tissue diseases,
musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Clear alignment with EULAR’s RMD mission is essential.

2. Strong translational and patient-care impact

EULAR reviewers strongly favor projects likely to:

improve diagnosis,
optimize treatment strategies,
improve long-term outcomes,
reduce disability,
enhance rehabilitation,
improve quality of life,
influence rheumatology practice guidelines.

Clinical applicability is one of the strongest predictors of competitiveness.

3. Strong methodological rigor

Competitive applications generally demonstrate:

robust clinical or laboratory design,
validated outcome measures,
reproducibility,
realistic recruitment strategies,
strong statistical planning,
feasible timelines.

Weak methodology is a major reviewer concern across EULAR funding schemes.

4. Multinational and multidisciplinary collaboration

High-scoring applications often involve:

rheumatologists,
immunologists,
rehabilitation specialists,
epidemiologists,
imaging experts,
data scientists,
allied health professionals,
patient organizations.

EULAR strongly values pan-European collaboration and knowledge exchange.

5. Strong preliminary or pilot data

Successful proposals frequently include:

pilot cohort data,
biomarker findings,
feasibility studies,
imaging/genomic datasets,
proof-of-concept therapeutic evidence,
prior publications.

Even smaller EULAR “voucher” programs prioritize projects with credible feasibility evidence.

6. Patient-centered and implementation-focused research

EULAR increasingly prioritizes:

patient-reported outcomes,
rehabilitation science,
healthcare delivery,
shared decision-making,
quality-of-life measures,
long-term disease management,
access-to-care improvements.

Projects with direct practice implications often perform strongly.

7. Strong international training and networking potential

For fellowships and exchange grants, reviewers heavily assess:

international collaboration plans,
mobility and training value,
knowledge-transfer potential,
long-term partnership development,
future rheumatology leadership.

EULAR strongly supports educational visits, scientific exchange, and international cooperation.

8. Innovation balanced with feasibility

Competitive applications usually combine:

innovative immunology,
precision rheumatology,
advanced imaging,
AI/data science,
digital health tools,
translational therapeutics

with realistic execution plans.

Overly ambitious proposals without clear feasibility often score poorly.

9. Strong publication and academic track record

Important predictors include:

rheumatology publications,
conference abstracts,
EULAR Congress presentations,
collaborative productivity,
prior grants,
evidence of independent scientific contribution.

Research productivity strongly influences reviewer confidence.

10. Potential for future larger European funding

Reviewers favor projects likely to:

generate Horizon Europe/NIHR/ERC funding,
support multicenter consortia,
produce publishable outcomes,
influence European rheumatology guidelines,
build sustainable research networks.

EULAR funding is frequently viewed as seed or developmental support.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Frequent reviewer concerns include:

insufficient innovation,
weak translational significance,
poor feasibility,
limited European collaboration,
inadequate statistical planning,
weak patient relevance,
insufficient preliminary evidence,
unrealistic scope.

Specialties

Rheumatology

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

Have initial research experience.
Be in the ascending phase of their scientific career.
Be affiliated with an RMD research centre in a low- or middle-income country.
Be under 40 years old at the time of application.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Seestrasse 240 CH 8802 Kilchberg (Zurich)

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