AI4Gov-X Cascade Funding Call
Financial Support for Students and Interns
A chance to reduce economic barriers and boost your career in digital government
If you are a student of the MagiX master’s course or taking part in an AI4Gov-X extracurricular activity, this call could help cover your costs or top up an internship salary.
Two types of support, one single call.
The call has two separate objectives or priorities. You can apply for one or both, but you can receive financial support under each of them only once.
Objective 1
Help with extracurricular activity costs
If you are enrolled in (or accepted to) an official AI4Gov-X extracurricular activity (list updated monthly at Extracurricular activities), you can get reimbursement of up to 50 % of your eligible costs (travel, accommodation, registration fees), with a maximum of € 5 000 per person.
Objective 2
Internship top‑up
If you are a MagiX master’s student and you have an internship contract with a public or private host organisation, you can receive an amount equal to your internship stipend/salary, up to € 5 000. You must have been unemployed when you started your internship and your host organisation must be based in an eligible country.
Who can apply?
You must be a natural person (not a company) and hold the nationality of an EU country or one of the following: Albania, Iceland, Kosovo*, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
For Objective 2, you must also be unemployed and able to show a signed internship contract.
When to apply?
The call is open from 1 May 2026 and has five cut‑off dates (all at 23:59 Brussels time):
– 30 June 2026
– 31 August 2026
– 31 October 2026
– 31 December 2026
– 28 February 2027
Applications submitted by a given deadline are evaluated together. If you miss one cut‑off, you can try the next one – as long as funds last.
How are applications judged?
Every complete and eligible application is scored out of 100 points:
– Academic/professional background and relevance to AI4Gov-X (0–30)
– Motivation and expected impact (0–25)
– Financial need (0–25)
– European added value (cross‑border experience, diversity, fit with EU public sector) (0–20)
If scores are equal, preference is given to:
- Applicants enrolled in both the MagiX programme and an extracurricular activity (valid for Objective 1 only).
- Applicants from countries that are not full members of the AI4Gov-X consortium.
- Applicants from regions with an average income below 75 % of the EU average.
- Female applicants.
What can you receive?
– For Objective 1: up to 50 % of your real costs (capped at € 5 000). The aim is to support at least 156 people across two editions of the call.
– For Objective 2: an amount matching your internship pay (capped at € 5 000). The aim is to support at least 234 people.
Only costs incurred after you submit your application are eligible.
Important conditions
– You cannot receive double EU funding for the same activity.
– You can be awarded under each objective only once.
– You must not have a conflict of interest with POLI.design or any AI4Gov-X partner.
– All documents must be submitted in English (unofficial translations of original documents are accepted at your own risk).
Results are published here after each cut-off date, once applications have been evaluated and the award decree has been issued.
Cut-off 2
31 August 2026
Cut-off 3
31 October 2026
Cut-off 4
31 December 2026
Cut-off 5
28 February 2027
All applications must be submitted electronically through the dedicated GoodGrants™ platform.
Here’s what to do step by step:
1. Visit the platform and register (if you are a new user).
2. Select the AI4Gov-X Cascade Funding Call and choose whether you are applying for Objective 1 by clicking on a radio button, otherwise we will consider your application for Objective 2.
3. Fill in the online application form completely. For your convenience, you can find the two application forms below:
Please note these are courtesy application forms, not usable for your application! This has to be finalised through the platform.
4. Upload the mandatory documents. For all applicants these are:
– Signed application form (created electronically on the GoodGrantsTM platform)
– CV in Europass format (see https://europass.europa.eu/en/create-europass-cv)
– Motivation letter clearly stating your employment status
– Any supporting documents about disadvantaged background or priority categories (if applicable)
– Signed declarations on conflict of interest, double funding, etc. (created electronically on the GoodGrantsTM platform)
Additional documents for Objective 1:
– Proof of enrolment/acceptance in an AI4Gov-X extracurricular activity (dated after 1 May 2026 and not yet finished by the cut‑off you choose)
– Indicative cost breakdown (travel, accommodation, fees)
Additional documents for Objective 2:
– Proof of enrolment/acceptance in the MagiX master’s course
– Copy of your internship contract (or equivalent legally binding agreement) dated after 1 May 2026, showing the amount paid by the host organisation
5. Submit before the cut‑off date that suits you. The platform will confirm receipt.
6. After the deadline, all applications undergo admissibility and eligibility checks, then scoring. You will receive a written decision with a justification.
If selected, you will be asked to sign a Financial Support Agreement. A template of this Agreement is available for downloading here.
Payments are normally made after you have completed the activity and submitted a short report and cost statement.
Can I apply if I haven’t started my extracurricular activity yet?
I am a MagiX student and I also want to attend a summer school. Can I get support under both objectives?
You may apply to both if you meet the conditions, and can receive funding under both objectives, until the same cut-off date or under two distinct ones. You could, for example, apply for the extracurricular activity now and, if not awarded, try for the internship support later – but you can never be paid twice for the same objective.
What if my internship salary is more than €5 000?
The maximum grant is €5 000. If your stipend is higher, you will still receive only up to that cap.
What if my internship salary is less than €5 000?
We will pay you only up to that amount. Basically, the idea is to double it, while at the same time staying within the €5 000 cap.
What if my travel and accommodation and activity registration fee costs are higher than €5 000?
First, they must be higher if you want to get the maximum grant. Remember we are only acknowledging 50% of those costs, so ideally they should reach a total of €10 000, otherwise you will get a lower amount.
What if I have already received my stipend in full?
Be careful, because according to the call, the internship contract may not have an earlier date than May 1st, 2026 and related payment must have been cashed by you after the presentation of your application to the call.
What if I have already paid for my travel, accommodation and activity registration fees?
Be careful, because according to the call, the extracurricular activity may not have an earlier date than May 1st, 2026 and related payment must have occurred after the presentation of your application to the call.
Can I submit paper documents by post?
No. Only electronic applications through the GoodGrants™ platform are accepted. Incomplete applications or those sent by other means will be rejected and you will be invited to resubmit at the next deadline.
I am from a country not listed. Is there any exception?
Unfortunately, no. Only nationals of the listed EU and non‑EU countries are eligible. The list may be updated in the future, so check the call page regularly.
Do I need to speak English?
All application documents must be in English. If you submit a document originally in another language, you must provide an unofficial English translation – but be aware that any misunderstanding arising from the translation is your responsibility.
When will I know if my application was successful?
After each cut‑off date, the evaluation committee checks admissibility, eligibility, and scores the applications. You will receive a reasoned decision by email as soon as the process is complete, reasonably within one month.
Still have questions?
Write to partnerships@ai4gov-x.eu for written advice. We are happy to help! Please note that both your Question and the received Answer will be published on this page, so better to avoid any reference to people’s names and/or situations you may not want to share publicly.