Course description

Now in its third edition, the Migration Winter Academy offers a unique platform for participants to engage with cutting-edge research and debate pressing issues related to the recruitment, employment, and rights of migrant populations.

This five-day programme adopts a problem-oriented approach designed to foster critical engagement for junior to mid-career professionals working in the field. Through a combination of expert-led sessions, discussions, and case study work, participants will discuss the ethical and policy dilemmas arising at the intersection of migration control, labour market pressures, and the protection of fundamental rights for people on the move. Specific attention will be paid to issues of fairness, safety, rights, and protection.

Participants will benefit from access to the European University Institute’s world-class research facilities, including its renowned Library, while networking with a diverse group of peers and professionals from around the world: postgraduate researchers, civil servants, international organisation officials, NGO and civil society representatives, journalists, policy analysts, and private sector experts.

The Winter Academy will address a wide range of key themes at the intersection of migration, labour markets, and governance, including the following:

• Governance and regulation of labour migration and migrant labour markets;
• The role of migrants in meeting skills and labour shortages;
• The role of institutions (e.g. labour market regulations, welfare regimes) and key labour marker actors (including employers, trade unions, recruitment/employment agencies, and civil society) in shaping migrant labour markets;
• Labour market access and integration of refugees and other migrant groups not initially admitted for employment;
• Labour rights, protections, and access to justice for migrants, refugees, and other mobile populations;
• Social rights for migrant populations;
• Public attitudes and political discourse on migration, including labour migration;
• Irregular migrant workers, borders, and the politics of immigration and enforcement;
• Policy innovations and pressing issues in contemporary migration governance.

Who should attend

• Policy analysts
• Private sectors professionals
• International organisation officials
• Civil servants
• NGO and civil society representatives
• Postgraduate researchers
• Journalists

Information for applicants

The in-residential programme will take place in Florence on 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 February 2026. Registrants who are selected will be expected to be present on the EUI campus in Florence, Italy, on the days of the training.

Successful applications to the Migration Winter Academy will satisfy the following criteria:

• A relevant Master’s degree or equivalent experience;
• A strong professional and/or research background in international migration;
• An excellent working knowledge (speaking and writing) of English;
• The availability to attend the entire teaching sessions of the programme.

All participants are requested to organise and cover expenses for their travel to and from Florence, as well as their local transportation in Florence and accommodation.

The Migration Policy Centre prepares for selected applicants a visa invitation letter that can be used for the visa application.

Applications will no longer be accepted after 22:00 on 31 October. Please ensure your submission is completed by then.

Participation modes

Scholarships

A scholarship of a maximum of 1,200 € plus a full fee waiver will be granted to two outstanding candidates born and currently living in low-income and lower-middle-income economies, according to the following criteria:

• PhD students or early career academics, early- or mid-career professionals (e.g. in politics, civil service, media and non-governmental organisations), able to demonstrate both professional experience and potential for future excellence in the policy sphere;
• Genuinely engaged individuals involved in policy issues related to migration either through registration on a PhD programme or through demonstration of substantial relevant career experience;
• Self-motivated, able to present a clear explanation of why and how the applicant will benefit from participation in the winter school;
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Scholarships are meant to cover partially travel and accommodation costs (hotel and flight tickets will be requested as supporting documentation for the reimbursement)

Applicants with lived experience of displacement are particularly encouraged to apply.

Please note that any candidate who applies for a fee-waiver place and is unsuccessful will not be considered for a fee-paying place at the school. Fee-waivers are not intended for participants who can be funded by their own institutions.