Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship Program 2020/2021 for PhD Students in Developing Countries – KU Leuven, Belgium

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ย As one of its contributions to development cooperation, every academic year KU Leuven selectsย exceptional students from developing countries as scholarship candidatesย to obtainย their PhD fromย the largest university of Belgium.

Application Deadline:ย 15th January 2020

Eligible Countries:

  • Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Niger
  • Asia: Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Palestinian Territories, Vietnam
  • Latin America: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru

To be taken at (country): Belgium

About the Award:ย The aim is to give students the opportunity to conduct PhD research in a โ€˜sandwichโ€™ system, which means thatย 50%ย of the research takes place at KU Leuven andย 50%ย at the home institution of the scholar, supported by a local co-promotor. The PhD-degree is awarded by KU Leuven.

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The scholarships are offered to excellent proposals that deal with a development-relevant research topic, preferably linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Having obtainedย their doctoral degreeย from KU Leuven, the PhD-holders are expected toย utilise their expertise at theย university in their home country.

KU Leuven is situated at aboutย twenty kilometers from Brussels, the capital of both Belgium and Europe. Itย is the oldest university of the Low Countries. As such, it has a long-standing tradition of hospitality towards students and scholars from abroad. Currently, almost 7,000 international students (about 15% of the total number of students at KU Leuven) have found their home away from home in Leuven.

Type:ย Doctoral

Eligibility:ย 

  1. The applicant must be a citizen of one of the countries includedย in theย VLIR-UOS scholarship country list.
  2. Candidates who have citizenship of the EU will not be selected. The same applies toย applicants with a long-term EU residence permit.
  3. The candidate’s latest Masterโ€™s degree must have been awarded no more than ten years prior to 1 October 2020 (including the ongoing calendar year).
  4. The candidate must have been awarded an academic gradeย equivalent toย 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 ofย excellentย academic quality, with a special focus on the development relevance of the proposal.
  6. The research project must have a clear time frame thatย indicatesย 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 to a university in the home country as an employee. In case the candidate has no such affiliation yet, he/she is eligible to apply to this scholarship programme but will only be granted the scholarship once such an affiliation is obtained. All parties involved in the PhD proposalย (candidate, KU Leuven promotor, local co-promotor and the home university of the candidate)ย should be able to comply with the stipulations contained in the scholarship contract, which can be consultedย here.
  8. The applicantโ€™s home university must demonstrate sufficient support for the doctoral project, guaranteeing that the candidate can dedicate himself/herself sufficiently to conducting doctoral research during the periods spent at theย home institution. Candidates who are not yet affiliated to a university in their home country do not yet have to demonstrate the support of the home university. However, the scholarship will only be granted once the candidate is formally affiliated to a university in the home country and when, consequently, that university can demonstrate sufficient support. All parties involved in the PhD proposalย (candidate, KU Leuven promotor, local co-promotor and the home university of the candidate)ย should be able to comply with the stipulations contained in the scholarship contract.
  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. However, they might be eligible for theย PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the South.
  10. Candidates who have been employed before in an EEA country other than Belgiumย are not eligible for this scholarship. They may be eligible for theย PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the Southย though.
  11. The candidate must demonstrate a development-oriented motivation.
  12. The candidate must be supported by a KU Leuven promoter.
  13. The candidate must be supported byย aย local co-promoter at his/herย home university.
  14. The candidate must be supported by excellent recommendations provided byย relevant referees.
  15. ย The candidate must followย the application procedureย and completeย his/her file beforeย 15 January 2020.ย Please make sure to fill in the application formย with the following instructions:
    • First name and last nameย EXACTLYย as written on the passport.
    • Type of programme:ย Doctoral Programmeย (diploma contract) orย Predoctoral Programme. Select the doctoral or predoctoral programme in your field of study.
    • Academic year:ย  please select 2020-2021.
    • Is this application also intended as a scholarship application? Yes.
    • Name of the scholarship agency: Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship
  16. The candidate has read and agreedย to theย Regulations, Obligations and Conditions for Terminating the GM PhD Scholarship.
  17. Candidates are asked not to submit theirย application unless itย fulfills the conditions enlisted above. Incomplete or late applications will not be taken into consideration; no exceptions will be made.

Number of Awards:ย Not specified

Value of Award:ย The scholarship covers ALLย related expenses (full cost).

Duration of Program:ย The Doctoral programmes will last for one or two academic years while the shorter predoctoral programmes will last 14ย to 90 days.

How to Apply:ย 

  • The candidate must followย the application procedureย ย and completeย his/her file beforeย January 15, 2020.ย Please make sure to fill in the application formย with the following instructions:
  • It is important to go through ALL Application instructions and requirements on the Program Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
  • GOODLUCK!

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

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