About this opportunity
Good health research rarely stays inside the university walls, and We Forward PALOP is designed to keep it that way. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation funds clinical projects that strengthen the working link between research units or centres at universities in Portuguese speaking African countries and the healthcare facilities in their area. The goal is practical: better training, better clinical standards and care grounded in evidence.
The programme runs from August 2026, and the current call closes on 19 October 2026 at 23:59 Lisbon time. If your team sits in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique or Sao Tome and Principe, this is a window worth moving fast on.
What the grants support
Funded projects tackle national health priorities by building research and clinical capacity together. Supported activities include clinical research initiatives, healthcare improvement projects, developing clinical guidelines and standards, research based interventions, training and capacity building, knowledge exchange between universities and health facilities, and sharing scientific findings more widely.
Eligibility
Applicants are non profit, university level institutions specialising in health sciences, located in one of the five PALOP countries: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe. Every proposal must be a partnership. The university brings scientific leadership, research expertise, training capacity and academic coordination, while a partner healthcare institution in the same country brings clinical implementation, access to care settings and practical application. The project leader must be a faculty member of the applying institution.
What the money is for
The programme invests in the connection itself: training and updating scientific knowledge for health professionals and researchers, transferring research results into improved clinical protocols, evaluating interventions and embedding evidence based practice, publishing in peer reviewed journals and presenting at conferences, generating clinical norms that other national institutions can replicate, and raising participation in research networks at home and abroad.
How submissions work
You apply through the Gulbenkian portal. A MyGulbenkian account is required, and you can create one free on the site. Open the official call page, log in, and complete the application form before the closing date. The foundation notes that the call details were last updated on 6 August 2026, so check the page for any current guidance before you submit.
What you receive
- Grant funding for clinical projects linking universities and healthcare facilities
- Supports training of health professionals and researchers
- Backs development of clinical guidelines and standards that other institutions can replicate
- Encourages publications, conference presentations and impact reports
- Raises participation in national and international research networks
Who can apply
- Non profit, university level institutions specialising in health sciences
- Located in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique or Sao Tome and Principe
- Each proposal must pair the university with a healthcare institution in the same country
- The project leader must be a faculty member of the applying institution
Who should not apply
- Applicants outside the five PALOP countries cannot apply
- Individual researchers apply through their institution, the call is for university level partnerships
- University teams without a same-country healthcare partner are not eligible
Documents to prepare
- A MyGulbenkian account, free to create
- A project proposal describing the collaboration between the university and the partner healthcare institution
- Institutional details for both the applying university and the partner health facility
How to apply
- Read the call page at https://gulbenkian.pt/en/bolsas-lista/we-forward-palop/ and the documents section of the call
- Create a free MyGulbenkian account if your team does not have one
- Agree the partnership with a healthcare institution in your country and define each side's role
- Complete the online application before 19 October 2026 at 23:59 Lisbon time
Selection process
- Proposals are reviewed by the foundation against the call objectives of capacity building and evidence based healthcare
- Applications must show how the research partnership will improve healthcare delivery in practice
Sources and verification
Questions applicants ask
Which countries qualify for this call?
Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe, the five Portuguese speaking African PALOP countries.
Can a Nigerian or Kenyan university apply?
No. The call is limited to health science institutions in the five PALOP countries, partnering with a healthcare facility in the same country.
Is there a fee to apply?
No. You need a free MyGulbenkian account to submit through the foundation's portal.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
