This page has been specifically created for POLIMI students enrolling/enrolled in the MSc degree programme in Engineering Physics and interested in the Phortify Master Graduate Programme in Photonics.

What is Phortify?

Phortify - Photonics Education Network for Next-Gen Innovation and Digital Skills Excellence for Industry and Society - (https://phortify.eu/), is a new pan-European network dedicated to university education at Master level in the field of photonics.

What is the Phortify Master Graduate Program?

The Phortify Master Graduate Program is built on the integration of seven existing Photonics master programmes offered by seven EU partner universities, within which the Phortify pathway is embedded as an elective package.

The MSc degree programme in Engineering Physics at POLIMI is one of these Photonics master programmes.

Phortify does not create a new Master’s degree programme. Instead, starting from the academic year 2026/27, students enrolled in one of the seven partner Master’s programmes can extend their existing degree programme with additional academic, research and professional opportunities across the Phortify network.

In particular, Phortify allows students to:

1. access Phortify Master Programme courses offered by the seven EU partner universities;
2. access Phortify consortium’s labs & facilities for their master thesis projects;
3. develop connections with photonics companies and research centres, with opportunities for internships and Master’s thesis projects;
4. take advantage of mobility opportunities for temporary study or research periods at partner institutions, through Erasmus+ and other Phortify or local mobility calls.

Opportunities for MSc students ->access to Phortify Master Programme courses

The full list of Phortify Master Programme courses offered at the seven EU partner universities is available here. The list includes both fundamental photonics courses and courses on twelve specific photonics Topical Areas.

The list of courses is also available in this Excel file where the delivery format (in presence only, blended, on-line only) is also detailed: Phortify curriculum - Final - for MSc POLIMI students.xlsx. You can also play with the Excel by filtering courses with respect to the offering university, number of ECTS and so on.

Courses can be taken:

- in person through Erasmus+ for study mobility: Students can attend courses in person during an Erasmus+ study mobility semester. A multilateral Erasmus+ agreement has been signed to allow mobility towards all Phortify university partners (with the exception of TU/e, which is expected to sign the agreement in the upcoming months). Erasmus+ calls for study made available by POLIMI should be used for the purpose.

- Remotely – while remaining at your home university. This second opportunity is available only for those courses offered in blended mode i.e. courses that explicitly allow remote participation by students who are not undertaking a mobility period. Information on how to include a course offered by a non-local university in your POLIMI study plan is provided in the FAQs document.

Opportunities for MSc students ->master thesis project in one of the Phortify Labs & Facilities

The master thesis project (counting 15 CFU/ECTS for POLIMI students) can be carried at one of the seven universities of Phortify consortium (including your home university) or at one of the companies and research centers collaborating with Phortify.

The 15 CFU/ECTS awarded for the thesis count towards the total ECTS required to obtain the Phortify Certificate of Excellence in Photonics..

A database of master thesis projects offered by the universities in the Phortify consortium and by the companies collaborating with Phortify will soon be available on Phortify website and will be continuously updated.

Grants to support a Master’s thesis carried out fully abroad are available through both Phortify and POLIMI:

1. Phortify Master Thesis Grant: Phortify pilot calls for funding;
2. POLIMI Scholarships “Tesi all'estero”: Scholarships for theses abroad.

The Phortify Master Thesis Grant is typically supported by an industrial Phortify partner, such as a company. The POLIMI scholarship is available for theses carried out at Labs & Facilities within the Phortify consortium, subject to the conditions of the relevant call.

A Master’s thesis carried out at your home university can also include a short research period abroad, typically lasting a few weeks, through an existing collaboration between your local thesis supervisor and a Phortify research group.

Students can also apply for a grant to support the expenses associated with such a period abroad through the Traineeship Grant for Phortify students: Phortify pilot calls for funding.

Opportunities for MSc students ->Internship in one of the Phortify Labs & Facilities

A database of internships offered by the universities in the Phortify consortium and by the companies collaborating with Phortify will soon be available on Phortify website and will be continuously updated.

Funding opportunities to support internships are available through:

1. specific Phortify Traineeship Grants: Phortify pilot calls for funding;
2. the POLIMI Erasmus+ for Traineeship Programme: Erasmus+ for Traineeship.

Please note that internships do not normally count towards the academic credits of the POLIMI MSc curriculum, unless they are carried out as part of a Master’s thesis project.

Phortify grants and scholarships for MSc students

Three types of grants/scholarships are available to MSc students:

- Phortify Master Programme Scholarships (closed call, a new call will open in Spring 2027)

- Phortify Internship (Traineeship) Grants

- Phortify Grants for Master Thesis Project

These funding opportunities are subject to the conditions and deadlines specified in the relevant calls available on the Phortify webpage. A few further information is given in the FAQs document.

Phortify FAQs

FAQs on Phortify Master Graduate Track for POLIMI students (updated on September 15, 2026)

Phortify POLIMI contacts (to be completed):

Daniela Comelli, local responsible for Phortify team at Politecnico di Milano.

Paolo Gondoni, reference person for Phortify team at Politecnico di Milano.

Further information

Phortify official website: https://phortify.eu/

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/phortify.eu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phortify/posts/?feedView=all

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/phortify.eu

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabY7HEQsJDR0CY7ox2fEVA

Phortify has received funding from the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme under the Grant Agreement n*101226191.