Quick guide
Quick guideGeneral eligibility conditions Research topics Application procedure Legal & financial framework What is included Timeframe & selection procedureScholarship Application FormFrequently Asked QuestionsOther PhD scholarshipsGender balanceCommunity
The major steps to apply for the scholarship are the following:
1. Find a potential KU Leuven supervisor. To do so, you can use the university's research portal or the organisation chart.
2. Send an outline of your research proposal, your CV and a short motivation letter to the potential supervisor. Include the name of a local co-supervisor. Once the KU Leuven supervisor is willing to support your application, proceed to the next step.
3. Ensure that you get the support of your local home institution. Your local home institution has to prove that you have an assignment that allows you to conduct PhD research, and that you will be funded during the two years you will spend there. It also has to sign a commitment to guarantee that you can dedicate at least 80% of your time to research related to the PhD project. In case you cannot prove this yet, please include a 'letter of intent', in which your home institution states that - if granted the PhD scholarship - it will fund your assignment.
4. With this information and these guarantees, the KU Leuven supervisor will submit your proposal to the KU Leuven Doctoral Committee/Doctoral School so that you can obtain admission to the predoctoral programme or doctoral programme of the faculty. The supervisor will do so via his or her HR delegate. This procedure should be initiated as soon as possible, at the latest 2.5 months before the deadline - that is, preferrably in the month of November or December 2024.
5. Once admission has been obtained, the supervisor and the candidate can start preparing the application for the scholarship.
6. The supervisor will submit the scholarship application by using the application form (online soon). Deadline: February 28, 2025.
7. Be aware that the scholarship does not include a budget for research costs, and it's important to reflect on strategies to deal with this situation.
Good luck!