justme17

It depends on the grant! For an ETA or study grant, probably not - you're pretty much tied to their academic year. For research, take a look at what your country says under "Grant Period." Some will say something like "Research grants will begin on September 1, 2016." Others will say something like "All grantees must arrive prior to March 2017." If your grant is in that last category, there's a good chance you can work with your host country's commission to arrange a start date that works well for you.