Ghent University PhD Scholarships for Candidates from Developing Countries 2023

With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from developing countries who wish to carry out half of their PhD research at Ghent University ('North') and half at a university in a developing country ('South').

Ghent University only finances the part of the research that will be carried out in Ghent (24 months), the candidate must have full-time funding for the other 24 months of research to be carried out in the South.

About Ghent University

Ghent University is a top 100 university and one of the major universities in Belgium. Our 11 faculties offer more than 200 courses and conduct in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains. Ghent University Global Campus is also the first European university in Songdo, South Korea.

PhD Scholarships

Aim and Benefits of PhD Scholarships

• hD scholarship at Ghent University  (in total 24 months).

• The Ghent University promoter receives a bench fee of € 310/per month of research in Ghent + € 8000 travel budget to cover (part of) the operational costs, as well as part of the travelling costs of the student and both the Ghent University and the local promoter.

Requirements for PhD Scholarships Qualification

• Candidates need to come from – and have the nationality of – a developing country (see country list)
• The proposals must be jointly submitted by a candidate, a supervisor (promoter) at Ghent University and a supervisor at the partner university (South)
• No restrictions are imposed on the field of research, nevertheless  preference will be given to topics that are relevant for development
• Only degree students (students who intend to obtain a (joint ) PhD degree at Ghent University) are welcome to apply. Exchange students cannot apply for this scholarship
• Ghent university wants to encourage more female researchers to apply for this scholarship. That is why a Ghent University supervisor can support maximum 2 candidates per call on condition they are of a different gender.

Interview date, Process and Venue for PhD Scholarships

Mobility scheme of the scholarship

• The following mobility scheme is mandatory:

1. Students need to start and end with a research stay of 3 -12 months in Ghent.
2. The first research stay in Ghent needs to be started between 1 October 2023 and 29 February 2024.
3. At least 24 months of locally funded research stay in the South must be scheduled in between the first and last research stay in Ghent.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Application forms must be submitted (in English) electronically via e-mail to [email protected]. 
• Alongside the application form, the Ghent University supervisor must also submit the following 2 documents:
  1. An advice on the candidate, stating the supervisors opinion on the capability of the candidate as a future researcher.
  2. An advice on the ethical and biosafety context of the proposed research project

For more details, visit Ghent University website.