BRUSSELS – The Central European Free Trade Agreement Secretariat has opened the call for the CEFTA Research Award 2026, inviting Master’s thesis candidates and PhD students from CEFTA Parties to submit policy research papers focused on regional trade, regulatory convergence, and gradual integration into the EU Single Market.
According to the call, the initiative aims to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and support the implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2025-2028, as well as the objectives of the EU Growth Plans for the Western Balkans and Moldova.
Applicants are expected to submit research proposals under one of three thematic areas: trade in agri-food products, trade in industrial products, or trade in services.
The agri-food track focuses on issues such as food safety controls, veterinary and phytosanitary standards, border procedures, and the use of digital tools to facilitate trade. The industrial products theme covers conformity assessment, quality infrastructure, market surveillance, and alignment with EU standards, while the services category addresses areas such as labour mobility, tourism, e-commerce, digital services, and recognition of professional qualifications. Digitalisation is described as a cross-cutting principle across all three themes, particularly regarding interoperable systems, electronic documentation, and data exchange.
The competition will be conducted in two stages. In the first phase, candidates must submit a Concept Note of up to five pages by 30 June 2026 at 17:00 CET. Six shortlisted candidates – two per thematic area – will then be invited to develop full Policy Research Papers, which must be submitted by 31 October 2026.
The Selection Committee, composed of independent professors and senior academic experts from across the CEFTA region, will evaluate submissions based on relevance, methodology, and feasibility.
Three winners will receive awards worth EUR 4,000 each, while three runners-up will receive EUR 1,000 each. The awards will be presented during CEFTA Week in December 2026.
All information about the call, application forms, eligibility criteria, and submission guidelines is available on CEFTA Research Award.
