With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University is calling interested scholars to apply for their Doctoral Scholarships offered to Candidates from the Global South (Developing Countries).
These grants take the form of a so called “sandwich” scholarship: the candidate obtains from Ghent University a scholarship for 24 months to work (within a span of 48 months) on the PhD at Ghent University. The candidate must take up this 24-month scholarship at Ghent University in minimum two separate stays: one at the start and one at the end of the PhD. Only for the periods the scholarship holder works at Ghent University the scholarship holder will receive a monthly income from Ghent University. The rest (24 months) of the PhD research will be carried out at the partner university in the 'South', for which no funding is provided through this scholarship.
Ghent University is a top 100 university and one of the major universities in Belgium. Its 11 faculties offer more than 200 courses and conduct in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains.
Scholarship Summary
Duration: 24 months | 2 separate stays
Host Institution: Ghent University
Study Level: Doctorate (PhD)
Funding: Full Scholarship; covering tuition fees, research, and living expenses
Deadline: 19 February 2025
Funding Details
PhD scholarship at Ghent University (in total 24 months), during which The Ghent University promoter receives a bench fee of € 310/per month of research in Ghent + € 8.000 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.
The amount of the scholarship is approximately €2,500 per month for the part of the PhD done at Ghent University.
Eligibility and Requirements
Candidates need to come from - and have the nationality of – one of the selected Global South countries (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 within the North-South context;
Only degree students (students who intend to obtain a (joint ) PhD degree at Ghent University) can apply. Exchange students cannot apply for this scholarship;
This program is meant for students at the beginning of their PhD. To a limited extent, PhD students are allowed to have already completed preliminary research. At the time the fellowship starts (1/10/2025), a minimum of 36 months of doctoral research must still be required to complete the PhD;
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 both of a different gender.
Co-funding Provisions
Co-funding is mandatory with this scholarship. Consult the call documents for more info. on what co-funding is allowed.
In general, the following conditions must be guaranteed by the partner in the South:
There must be a local PhD supervisor at the partner university or research center in the South;
A written statement from the partner university is requested stating that the candidate will receive a fulltime local PhD scholarship or salary for a period of 24 months when working on the PhD at the partner university in the South AND
will be sufficiently exempted from teaching or other assignments as to be able to fully concentrate on the PhD research in the South. Applicants can dedicate maximum 10 % of their time (fulltime appointment) to other tasks (teaching and other tasks)
Mobility scheme of the scholarship
The following mobility scheme is mandatory:
Students need to start and end with a research stay of 3 -12 months in at Ghent University.
The first research stay at Ghent University needs to be started between 1 October 2025 and 28 February 2026.
At least 24 months of locally funded research in the South must be scheduled in between the first and last research stay at Ghent University.
ℹ️ For a list of Exceptions for above provisions, visit this webpage.
How to Apply
Prior to their scholarship application all applicants need the explicit commitment of a Ghent University professor who will act as their personal PhD supervisor. If you need to approach a Ghent University professor, browse the list of faculties and research topics available on this research directory.
Application
Candidates must fill Application forms (see downloadables section) and submit them (in English) electronically to (BOFapplication@ugent.be)
➢ In addition to the application form, the Ghent University supervisor must also submit the following 2 documents:
An advice on the candidate, stating the supervisors opinion on the capability of the candidate as a future researcher.
An advice on the ethical and biosafety context of the proposed research project
🗓️ Application Deadline: 19 February 2025
🗓️ Scholarship Results: From 21 May 2025 onwards, the result of the selection will be announced online.
Downloadable documents
➢ All information on the call: Call2025
➢ For the candidate: Application form 2025
➢ For the promotor: Advice on the candidate
➢ For the promotor: Advice on the ethical and biosafety context
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