Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The WHO Summer School 2027 is free to attend. There is no tuition fee, and the school provides lunch and coffee breaks every day plus a welcome dinner, for a four-day in-person course in Nice, France, run by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
The course teaches systems thinking for preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease, and for supporting healthy ageing. It is designed for PhD students and early and mid-career professionals in public health, research, healthcare and policy. Only 30 places are available, and you pay your own travel and accommodation.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Host country | France (Nice) |
| Organiser | WHO Regional Office for Europe, with Université Côte d’Azur and Ulysseus European University |
| Dates | 20 to 23 July 2027 (4 days, in person) |
| Funding | Free tuition, daily lunch and coffee breaks, welcome dinner. Travel and accommodation not covered. |
| Who can apply | PhD students and early and mid-career health professionals |
| Places | 30 participants |
| Application fee | None mentioned |
| Deadline | 23 November 2026 |
What is the WHO Summer School?
The summer school is organised by the Division of Prevention and Health Promotion of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, together with the WHO Collaborating Centre at Université Côte d’Azur and Ulysseus European University. Its full title is “Systems thinking and innovation for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and a healthy ageing population in the WHO European Region.”
Systems thinking looks at how many factors connect. For example, food prices, advertising, government rules and habits all work together to shape what people eat and how healthy they are. The course shows you how to map those links and use them to design better health policies.
What you get
- Free tuition for the full four-day course
- Lunch and coffee breaks every day
- A welcome dinner on 21 July 2027
- Teaching from WHO experts and international specialists in systems thinking, NCD prevention and healthy ageing
- Hands-on workshops using real cases, and time to apply the methods to your own project
- A certificate of participation
Participants cover their own travel, accommodation and other costs in Nice.
What you will study
- Systems thinking concepts and methods for NCD prevention and control
- Systems archetypes and building policy scenarios
- Systems thinking tools in practice
- Designing studies informed by systems thinking
- Decision-making tools
- Policy innovation in public health
- Using AI for public health
- Innovation ecosystems
Who can apply
- PhD students
- Early and mid-career professionals, including researchers, postgraduate students, health practitioners and policy-makers
- People interested in using systems thinking to improve health policy, teamwork across sectors and policy delivery
- Able to follow a course taught in English
Is there an age limit?
No age limit is listed. The course is aimed at PhD students and early and mid-career professionals.
Is it open to every nationality?
The official call does not list any nationality limit. The course content focuses on the WHO European Region.
Do I need IELTS or TOEFL?
No test is named. The course is taught in English, so you need to be comfortable working in English.
Is there an application fee?
No fee is mentioned. The summer school itself is free of charge.
Required documents
You apply through WHO’s online form. Selectors look at:
- Your education
- Your professional experience in public health, innovation, healthy ageing, NCD prevention or NCD risk factors
- A personal statement
- Your potential for future collaboration
How to write your personal statement
- Start with the health problem you work on, in one or two sentences. Be specific: “rising diabetes among older adults in my district.”
- Explain why a systems approach would help. Show you see the problem has many linked causes.
- Name the project you’d bring to Nice. The course lets you apply the methods to your own work, so a real project makes you a stronger choice.
- Say how you’ll use what you learn after July 2027, and who you’ll share it with.
If you’re early in your career, that’s fine. The course is built for early-career people. Show curiosity and a clear plan.
How to apply, step by step
- Read the full call for applications on the WHO Europe website.
- Prepare your education and work details and draft your personal statement.
- Open the WHO online application form and complete it.
- Submit before 23 November 2026.
- Watch your email. Successful applicants are told by 18 December 2026.
Selection process
A selection panel reviews all applications. It looks at relevant professional experience, education, your personal statement and your potential for future collaboration. Thirty participants are chosen for the in-person course.
Deadline
Deadline: 23 November 2026
Results come out by 18 December 2026. The course runs from 09:00 on 20 July to 14:00 on 23 July 2027 in Nice, France.
Have a question?
Ask in the comments and we’ll help where we can.
Related reading
- WHO Internship Programme 2027 (Paid, Switzerland and Worldwide)
- WHO Ethics Internship 2027 in Geneva, Switzerland (Paid)
- EPFL Life Sciences Summer Research Program 2027 in Switzerland (Funded)
- MOPGA Fellowship 2027 in France (Funded Climate Research Fellowship)
- Eiffel Excellence Scholarship 2027 in France (Funded)
Follow us so you never miss an opportunity
We post new free courses, internships and scholarships every day. Join our WhatsApp channel or follow us on TikTok so the next one reaches you first.
Apply now
