As one of its contributions to Global Development, every academic year KU Leuven selects exceptional scholars from institutions in the Global South as doctoral scholarship candidates to obtain their Ph.D. from the largest university in Belgium.
The aim of the GM Scholarship is to give scholars the opportunity to conduct 4 years of Ph.D. research in a ‘sandwich’ system, which means that a maximum of 50% of the research is financed by and takes place at KU Leuven, whereas at least 50% takes place and is financed by the home institution of the scholar, supported by a local co-promoter. Thus, as partners, both KU Leuven and the home institution co-finance the research. KU Leuven, however, additionally offers a supervision allowance to the local co-promotor at the home institution and to the promotor at KU Leuven.
Eligibility conditions
1. The applicant must be a citizen of one of the countries included in this list.
2. Candidates who hold citizenship in the EU will not be selected. The same applies to applicants with a long-term EU residence permit.
3. The candidate’s latest Master’s degree must have been awarded no more than ten years prior to 1 October 2023 (including the ongoing calendar year).
4. The candidate must have been awarded an academic grade equivalent to High Distinction or higher. Degrees obtained with a final score equivalent to second class second/lower division will not be taken into consideration.
5. The research project must be of excellent academic quality, with a special focus on the development relevance of the proposal.
6. The research project must have a clear time frame indicating how the research periods at KU Leuven and at the home institution will alternate (a maximum period of 12 months at the home institution should alternate with a maximum period of 12 months at KU Leuven).
7. The candidate must be formally affiliated with a university in the home country. In case the candidate has no such affiliation yet, she/he is eligible to apply to this scholarship program but will only be granted the scholarship once such an affiliation is obtained.
8. The applicant’s home university must demonstrate sufficient financial support for the doctoral project, guaranteeing that the candidate receives financial means, through a fully funded full-time position including social security coverage similar to that of staff members at the same level and with the same qualifications within the home institution. The home institution must also guarantee, in writing, that the candidate can dedicate himself/herself sufficiently to conducting doctoral research during the periods spent at the home institution. As will be stipulated in the contract, at least 80% of the time spent at the home institution should be dedicated to conducting doctoral research. Candidates who are not yet affiliated with a university in their home country should present a Letter of Intent from the home institution signaling that the candidate will be recruited and given the assignment to conduct doctoral research at that institution. The scholarship will only be granted once the candidate is formally affiliated with a university in the home country and when, consequently, that university can demonstrate sufficient support.
9. Candidates who are already enrolled as PhD-students at KU Leuven and who are financed by KU Leuven are not eligible for this programme. They may be eligible for the PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the South though.
10. Candidates who have been employed before in an EEA country other than Belgium are not eligible for this scholarship. They may be eligible for the PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the South though.
full conditions in this link: https://www.kuleuven.be/global/global-development/funding-possibilities/research-possibilities/phdcalls/general-conditions
Application
procedure
There are two steps in the application procedure. (1) First the candidate should obtain admission to a doctoral or predoctoral programme. (2) Once this admission has been obtained, the candidate can apply for the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship. As a result, being admitted to a doctoral or predoctoral programme does not automatically imply one has also obtained a scholarship.
Time
After having obtained admission to a doctoral or predoctoral programme, the candidate can apply for a KU Leuven Global Minds PhD Scholarship. The deadline for submitting a scholarship application is March 09, 2023, at 05.00 PM GMT. Applications received after this date will not be accepted.
Visit the official website for more details.
