THEPS Newsletter #17: Please familiarise yourselves with EES and ETIAS!
Your weekly guide to writing better EU projects!
Hello,
We cannot express how happy we are that you took the time to reply to our survey about this comprehensive newsletter! We will publish the results in May. If you still haven’t replied to this very, and we mean it, very short survey, you can do it here: THEPS Survey.
Now that Easter is over and we are all back to work, let’s say it like it is. Working on European projects is a sweet job. We need to protect it. Some governments work hard to humiliate NGOs. Did you know that in Bulgaria, for example, there is an active campaign against the NGO sector? And that employees in such organisations are called "Sorosoids", people who receive money from Soros and are therefore supposedly a threat to the security of the country. Ridiculous.
Let’s work harder for a more united Europe. Talk to everyone you educate. Voting is a must.
Enough with the doom and gloom, dear THEPSies! Let’s enjoy this issue, it’s so varied, you’d be surprised!
After you’ve filled in the survey, check out these:
- EES and ETIAS
- MSCA 2026 Call
- The Plants Travel Award
- Local Funding Opportunities for Albania and Ukraine
- What the Future Holds
EES and ETIAS
Back in Issue 8, we warned you that 2026 would be the year when Europe’s border‑management systems finally shift from theory to reality. We covered the Entry/Exit System (EES), which is the long‑delayed biometric border database designed to replace passport stamping for non‑EU travellers. At the time, it was still “coming soon, later in the year.” Now, EES is officially operational, and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is next in line and is expected to begin on 12 October 2026.
We’re interrupting the piece of news for a second, but…did the EU actually do something faster?!
Anyway, EES is now live, marking one of the biggest changes to Schengen border control in decades. Instead of border guards stamping passports, the system collects fingerprints and facial images, logs entries and exits automatically, and tracks overstays with far greater precision. For travellers, this means longer processing times during the transition period, and for border authorities, it means a complete overhaul of procedures, infrastructure, and data flows.
Let’s compare EES and ETIAS <3
EES happens at the border!
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a biometric border‑control system. It replaces manual passport stamping for all non‑EU nationals, whether they are visa‑exempt or visa‑required. When a traveller arrives at the border, EES records:
- facial image,
- fingerprints,
- passport details,
- exact time of entry and exit.
Its purpose is operational: speed up checks, detect overstays, and modernise border management.
EES = mandatory registration at the border.
ETIAS happens before the trip!
ETIAS is a pre‑travel authorisation, similar to the U.S. ESTA. It applies only to visa‑exempt travellers, who are people currently entering the EU with just a passport. Before travelling, they will need to:
- apply online,
- pay a small fee,
- receive approval to board their flight/bus.
ETIAS screens travellers before they arrive, checking security, health, and migration‑risk databases. It does not replace visas and does not guarantee entry.
ETIAS = permission to travel to the border.
In short: ETIAS happens before the trip. EES happens at the border.
Why does this matter for Erasmus+, CERV, Creative Europe, and all mobility programmes? These programmes are built on cross‑border mobility, meaning staff, students, teachers, youth workers, volunteers, researchers, artists, and trainees constantly move across borders. When Europe changes how borders work, it inevitably changes how mobility works.
EES affects incoming mobility from outside the EU, so if you have participants from:
- the Western Balkans,
- the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine),
- the Mediterranean countries,
- Africa,
- Asia, or
- Latin America
…they will now face new procedures, longer processing times, and stricter checks.
Universities and project coordinators will need to update mobility guidance, adjust timelines, and support participants through the new system. Also, don’t forget to add special costs in your flows!
Now, the important ETIAS clarification! And you know we hate emojis, but in this case, we allow ourselves:
ETIAS is not a visa.
ETIAS applies only to visa‑exempt travellers.
Visa‑required travellers will not need ETIAS.
This is where many misunderstandings happen.
If someone enters the EU today without a visa → they WILL need ETIAS. Examples:
- UK
- USA
- Canada
- Australia & New Zealand
- Japan, South Korea, Singapore
- Western Balkans
- Many Latin American countries
These participants currently enter with just a passport, so they will need an ETIAS. This includes many Erasmus+ actions:
- International Credit Mobility
- Erasmus Mundus
- Youth exchanges
- Volunteering teams
- Staff mobility from partner countries
If someone already needs a visa → they will NOT need ETIAS. Their visa process stays the same.
EU citizens do NOT need ETIAS!
Students, teachers, youth workers, volunteers, researchers from:
- All EU Member States
- Schengen Associated Countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein)
…travel freely with an ID card or passport. No ETIAS, no EES registration.
We will talk about this again, especially once ETIAS is fully operational. Please send this email to your staff so they are up to date on the changes. This is huge, and it absolutely needs to be reflected in your future project budgets, info packs, etc.
MSCA 2026 Call
The European Commission has officially opened the 2026 Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships call, backed by an impressive €399.05 million. These fellowships support PhD‑holding researchers who want to conduct research abroad, gain new skills, and collaborate across disciplines and sectors. Applications are open now and will close on 9 September 2026.
Since its launch in 1996, the MSCA programme has supported over 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel laureates, cementing its role as one of Europe’s most influential engines of scientific excellence and international cooperation. The 2026 call is part of a broader €1.25 billion MSCA budget under Horizon Europe, aligned with the Choose Europe initiative to strengthen Europe’s research ecosystem.
Beyond the Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Commission will launch two additional MSCA calls later this year:
1. MSCA Doctoral Networks
28 May – 24 November 2026
€593.03 million to recruit and train doctoral candidates across academia, industry, business, and public administration. Includes Joint Doctorates and Industrial Doctorates.
2. MSCA Choose Europe for Science
8 December 2026 – 6 April 2027
€51.25 million to improve research career conditions, address precarity, and turn Europe’s brain drain into brain gain. Builds on the 2025 pilot, with results expected soon.
Two other MSCA calls from late 2025 are also underway:
3. MSCA Staff Exchanges
Closes 16 April 2026
€97.92 million for international, inter‑sectoral, and interdisciplinary research exchanges.
4. MSCA COFUND
Closed 8 April 2026
€105.46 million to help organisations create or strengthen their own doctoral and postdoctoral programmes.
Read more here.
The Plants Travel Award
The Plants Travel Award is an international grant designed to support early‑career researchers in plant science who want to present their work at major scientific conferences. The award provides CHF 800 to help cover travel expenses for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who have been accepted to give an oral or poster presentation at a plant‑science‑related event in 2027. Its goal is to boost the visibility of young scientists, help them build international networks, and encourage the exchange of ideas within the global plant research community.
The applications are open until 31 October 2026, and three winners will be selected. Candidates must demonstrate the relevance of their research, the importance of the conference they plan to attend, and how the award would support their professional development. The award is competitive but highly valuable for early‑career researchers looking to strengthen their CV, gain international exposure, and connect with leading experts in plant biology.
Read more here.
Local Funding Opportunities
-> UNDP Albania is offering grants of up to 1,200,000 Albanian Lek (ALL) to support civil society organisations working on social protection, disability inclusion, Roma and Egyptian community empowerment, participatory governance, and community‑based monitoring. The projects may run for up to 12 months and must be led by Albanian CSOs, specifically Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) or Roma/Egyptian organisations, depending on the lot.
Deadline: 27 April 2026
Read more here.
-> This call supports local Ukrainian CSOs with flexible small grants to strengthen community resilience, civic engagement, transparency, and local‑level democratic participation. The programme focuses on grassroots initiatives that help communities navigate recovery, support vulnerable groups, and reinforce civil society structures during wartime and reconstruction.
Maximum Grant per Project: €10,000
Total Allocation for Ukraine: €40,000
Deadline: 2026 cycle now open
Read more here.
What the Future Holds
We asked you to participate in the very short survey at the beginning of this issue to help us improve. Here’s the link again: click here. We will run this survey for the next few weeks, and then the big survey on your thoughts about the EU funding will hit you like an opportunity you’ve never heard of!
Thank you for joining us and for checking out the numerous funding opportunities in the EU (and beyond).