RESTART Programme

Researcher A took 120 days of parental leave, which ended exactly on June 3, 2025.

In this case, the researcher reaches the 120-day mark on the first day of the eligibility window (June 3, 2025, through October 1, 2026, inclusive), thereby fulfilling the requirement set forth in point 2(iii) of the Notice of the Call and being eligible to submit an application.

Researcher B is currently on parental leave and will have taken 120 days of leave as of October 1, 2026—the deadline for the eligibility window—and will continue to be on leave for an additional 30 days.

If the researcher continues to take parental leave after the reference date, is he or she eligible?

Yes. The fact that parental leave extends beyond October 1, 2026, does not affect eligibility, since the minimum requirement of 120 days was met within the eligibility window, which runs from June 3, 2025, through October 1, 2026, inclusive.

Researcher C is currently on shared parental leave, which began on July 20, 2026, and which, with intermittent periods of leave, will extend beyond October 1, 2026.

By October 1, 2026, the researcher will have taken a total of 72 days of shared parental leave, even if in separate periods.

In this case, the researcher meets the requirement set forth in subparagraph iii of paragraph 2 of Notice of the Call, since she has taken the minimum number of 72 days of shared parental leave within the eligibility window, which runs from June 3, 2025, through October 1, 2026, inclusive.

You are therefore eligible and may submit your application.

Researcher D is currently on shared parental leave, which began on April 1, 2026. The researcher took 78 consecutive days of shared parental leave, which ended on June 17, 2026.

Although the leave began before June 3, 2026, the researcher reached the minimum of 72 days of shared parental leave on June 11, 2026—that is, within the eligibility window, which runs from June 3, 2025, through October 1, 2026, inclusive.

Is the researcher eligible?

Yes. The leave began before the eligibility window, but the minimum of 72 days was met within that window.

In this example, the mother, who is also a researcher, subsequently took 72 days of shared parental leave between June 18 and August 28, 2026.

Is the mother eligible?

Yes. The mother took at least 72 days of shared parental leave within the eligibility window.

In this example, we therefore have a situation in which both parents—who are researchers and have shared parental leave between them—are eligible for the RESTART Programme.