The EGS Europe-wide Glaucoma Fellowship Programme aims to provide candidates with high-quality training and a recognised professional title. The project establishes and organises a structured, high-standard glaucoma fellowship programme within UEMS member countries, in accordance with EGS requirements, standards, syllabus, and logbook. This one-year programme is designed to ensure excellence in clinical and surgical glaucoma training, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of glaucoma care across Europe and fostering the development of future leaders in the field.

Due to the heterogeneity of languages, as well as medico-legal and administrative regulations across continental Europe, international fellowships and exchanges between countries and centres remain challenging. To address these constraints, the EGS initially implemented the Fellowship Programme at a national level, offering training opportunities to candidates who are resident in the same country as the accredited training EGS centres (see candidate requirements). At present, a nationally based Europe-wide Fellowship Programme is the only feasible model in most UEMS member countries to ensure comprehensive clinical and surgical glaucoma training.

Accordingly, the EGS identifies and certifies glaucoma centres within individual UEMS member countries that meet EGS standards and are capable of providing a high-quality, one-year training programme to candidates from the same country. By matching candidates with training centres within their country of residence, medico-legal, linguistic, and administrative barriers are effectively overcome (see the list of national training centres).

Following the successful establishment and completion of three consecutive cycles of the National Fellowship Programme, the EGS is now considering expansion to an international dimension, provided that all requirements and quality standards are fully met. A key prerequisite for international fellowships is full accreditation allowing access to clinical care and the performance of clinical and surgical fellowship activities in the host country.

The primary barrier for international candidates remains the acquisition of a licence to practise in the host country. Although UEMS member states mutually recognise medical diplomas, a prerequisite for licensure, possession of a recognised diploma alone does not automatically grant a licence to practise. Licensing procedures vary by country and are governed by national regulations.

Therefore, applications for an international EGS Fellowship will be considered only if the candidate provides documented evidence of full eligibility for registration with the national medical board of the host country, including the ability to obtain a licence to practise at both the national level and within the host institution. In addition, candidates must demonstrate fluency in both the national language of the host country and in English. Language proficiency, which is a prerequisite for medical licensure, will be assessed by the relevant national authorities during the licensing process.

Once all these requirements for international Fellowships are fulfilled, applications may be accepted for EGS Fellowship Programmes in EGS-certified glaucoma centres within UEMS member countries that meet EGS standards.

In cases of provisional acceptance by the EGS, candidates who seek an international fellowship must complete registration with the national medical board and obtain the required licence to practise in the host country and institution before the official start date of the Fellowship. EGS funding support will not be released until these conditions are fully met.

For the purposes of standardisation, both national and international EGS Fellowship Programmes are based on the official EGS syllabus and logbook.

In Summary
In 2026, the EGS is providing the opportunity for two types of clinical Fellowship within UEMS countries in EGS accredited training centres:

1. A national EGS fellowship for candidates from the same country as the Training centre (see list of candidate’s requirements, list of EGS training centres )
2. An international EGS fellowship for candidates who fulfil the following requirements:
   (see list of candidate’s requirements, list of EGS training centres )
• an official licence to practice established by the authorities of the host country
• an official approval from the EGS training centre of the host country
• fluency in the national language of the host country and host training centre (official prerequisite for obtention of the license to practice, tested by the countries authorities.