IRO PhD Scholarships for Developing Countries at K.U. Leuven University

Brief description:

As one of its contributions to development co-operation, K.U. Leuven offers IRO (Interfaculty Council for Development Co-operation) scholarships to deserving students from developing countries to do their PhD in the largest university in Flanders, Belgium.

Host Institution(s):

Katholieke Universiteit in Flanders, Belgium

Level/Field of study:

Doctoral or pre-doctoral programmes in the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and Technology, or Biomedical Sciences.  The research topics proposed by the KU Leuven Doctoral Schools can be found on their respective websites.

Number of Awards:

Not specified.

Target group:

Citizens of countries on the OCDE DAC table that are considered as: Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries or Low Middle Income Countries.

Scholarship value/inclusions:

The scholarship includes waived tuition fees, monthly allowance, installation allowance, health insurance, accident insurance, and return flight tickets.

Eligibility:

1. The applicant must be a citizen of one of the countries on the OCDE DAC table that are considered as: Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries or Low Middle Income Countries.
2. The applicant may not possess a citizenship from an EU country. The applicant may not posses 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 2017 (including the ongoing calendar year).
4. The candidate must hold an academic qualification at least equivalent to a high distinction. Degrees obtained with a final score equivalent to second class second/lower division will not be taken into consideration.
5. The research project must have excellent academic quality, with a special focus on the development relevance of the proposal.
6. The vacancies that are published on the KU Leuven website are already funded and thus, cannot participate for this scholarship.
7. The candidate must demonstrate a development-oriented motivation.
8. The candidate must be supported by a KU Leuven promoter.
9. The candidate must be supported by a local co-promoter at the candidate’s home country to ensure embeddedness of the research within the country’s context.
10. The candidate must be supported by excellent recommendations from relevant referees.
11. The candidate must follow the application procedure and complete his file before 13 November 2016. Please make sure to fill up the application form with the following instructions.

Application instructions:

Applications open on 1 September 2016.

If you meet the eligibility conditions, you will need to complete the online application form following the online application instructions not later than 13 November 2016.

It is important to read the application procedure and visit the official website (link found below) to access the application form and for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website:  http://www.kuleuven.be/english/international/funding/iro