Gaining Experience Programme
“The Gaining Experience Programme (GEP) offers early career psychiatrists a unique opportunity to enhance their skills through tailor-made placements at leading clinical and research institutions across Europe. These exchanges foster peer connections, spark collaborations, and build lasting professional networks. In the crucial first five years after specialisation, GEP provides invaluable international experience and support to help shape future careers in clinical practice, academia, education, or beyond.”
Join our network of leading psychiatric institutions across Europe and offer a meaningful observership experience to talented early career psychiatrists.
Application deadline: Friday 26 June
Objectives
- Offer Early Career Psychiatrists short observership placements (2-8 weeks) in various renowned psychiatric institutions across Europe that will allow them to broaden their clinical, research, teaching skills and knowledge, and become familiar with different mental health systems in Europe.
- Improve mentoring and professional networks among experts and Early Career Psychiatrists.
- Gather more Early Careers Psychiatrists under the EPA Early Career Psychiatrists Committee (ECPC) umbrella.
2026 Winners
“My GEP experience was transformative — both professionally and personally. I gained unique clinical and research insights, built lasting networks, and felt supported every step of the way. I wholeheartedly encourage all early-career colleagues to seize this invaluable opportunity”
We are excited to announce the selected participants for the Gaining Experience Programme 2026. These talented early career psychiatrists from across Europe will engage in enriching opportunities to advance their expertise and contribute to the psychiatric field. Discover the 2026 GEP winners:
Host institutions – GEP
“The main value of the Gaining Experience Programme is seeing a different way of thinking and working. Being exposed to new structures, approaches, and clinical (and not only) cultures can really shift how you see your own practice. It’s giving back – I have benefitted myself from three different exchange programs in my training, which were pivotal in my career and how I view the field. I think that young professionals coming from elsewhere and sharing their experiences and discussing differences stimulate the discussion in our own practices”
Call for Host Institutions – GEP 2027 – Now Open!
We are now accepting applications from psychiatric institutions across Europe interested in hosting an Early Career Psychiatrist through the Gaining Experience Programme 2027.
Host institutions play a central role in the GEP by offering observership placements (2–8 weeks) in clinical, research, or academic settings — contributing to the professional development of the next generation of European psychiatrists.
To apply, your institution must:
- Be based in the WHO European Region
- Offer supervision in psychiatry or a related field
- Provide a structured learning environment (clinical, research, and/or academic)
Application deadline: Friday 26 June
Discover below the list of host institutions participating to the 2026 edition of the Gaining Experience Programme :
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust / University of Warwick, Birmingham, UK
- Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Fondazione (IRCCS) San Gerardo dei Titori, Monza, Italy
- Department of Emergency Psychiatry and Post-Acute Care, University Hospital Center of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
- Queen Mary University of London & East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, Università Politenica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
- Greek rTMS clinic of SynaΨe : European Medical Institute of Psychotherapy & Brain Stimulation, Thessaloniki, Greece
- University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia
Eligibility
- Applicants must be Early Career Psychiatrists (psychiatrists under 40 years of age and/or within 5 years after passing the specialist exam). Residents and trainees are not eligible for this programme.
- Applicants must reside in a country included in the World Health Organisation – European Region (Select your country and check if it falls in the region “Europe”) and cannot apply for a placement in the country he/she is currently living in.
- The applicant should be fluent in English and should have notions of the host country language for clinical purposes.
- The applicant must be familiar with the proposed speciality of the department/institution.
Applications close
2026 Observership Placements
Check the life-changing experiences of the 2026 winners all around Europe!
- Spyridon Balzis (Sweden): Department of Emergency Psychiatry and Post-Acute Care, University Hospital Center of Montpellier – Montpellier, France – Supervisor: Ayste Lengvenyte / Observership report
- Aysegul Bicher (Cyprus): Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust / University of Warwick – Birmingham, UK – Supervisor: Vivek Furtado / Observership report
- Egor Chumakov (Russia): Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London – London, UK – Supervisor: Mariana Pinto da Costa / Observership report
- Lisiana Demiraj (Albania): Greek rTMS clinic of SynaΨe : European Medical Institute of Psychotherapy & Brain Stimulation – Thessaloniki, Greece – Supervisor: Theodoros Koutsomitros / Observership report
- Muhyiddin Demirtaş (Türkiye): University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče – Zagreb, Croatia – Supervisor: Nikola Žaja / Observership report
- Ida Kupcova (Slovakia): Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, Università Politenica delle Marche – Ancona, Italy – Supervisor: Umberto Volpe / Observership report
- Irene Perez Sagaseta Ilurdoz (Spain): Queen Mary University of London & East London NHS Foundation Trust – London, UK – Supervisor: Nikolina Jovanovic / Observership report
- Dora Polšek (Croatia): University Hospital of Florence – Florence, Italy – Supervisor: Livio Tarchi / Observership report
- Fatma Taskin Koca (Türkiye): Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Fondazione (IRCCS) San Gerardo dei Titori – Monza, Italy – Supervisor: Ilaria Riboldi / Observership report
- Rachel Zelinka Sajdlova (Czech Republic): Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Pecs – Pecs, Hungary – Supervisor: Viktor Voros / Observership report
Want a sneak peek? Then check out what participants have to say about previous editions
Programme Requirements
- According to their profile and activities, institutions can offer clinical, academic, research-focused observerships, or a combination of these areas (see each placement descriptions above). Applicants must be familiar with the proposed specialty of the department/ institution they have chosen. For clinical purposes, applicants should be fluent in English and have notions of the host country language.
- Participants are encouraged to prepare a presentation about their work, institution and interests to be performed at the hosting institution as a way of sharing knowledge.
- As different countries have different regulations for patient confidentiality and right to clinical work, the exact level of patient contact or clinical participation during the placement should be discussed in advance with the host institutions.
- Participants will be asked to write an observership report (example of reports).
- Participants are strongly encouraged to present the experience gained during the programme at their home institution upon their return.
Application
Visit our dedicated webpage to know more about the application process.