Global Minds Doctoral Scholarships program at KU Leuven Annually chooses exceptional individuals as scholarship candidates, and this has been regarded as one of the contributions of development association candidates from different developing countries who are being allowed to obtain Ph.D. scholarships from the largest University of Belgium.
The global Minds Doctoral Scholarships programme is headed by the IRO which is the University’s interfaculty council for development corporation.
Scholarship Overview
The two host institutions are K.U.Leuven and home institution.
The objective of the program is to equip and give students easy access to research in a ‘sandwich’ system, which implies 50% of research commences at the K.U Leuven and 50% is conducted at the home institution, supported by the co-promoter.
The PhD degree is awarded by KU Leuven. Countries eligible for these Scholarships are Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the the Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Must be an EU citizen or by any means be an EU citizenship holder. That includes Applicants with long-term EU permits. Applicants that fall under this category will not be selected.
- The applicant must have obtained a grade equal to distinction or higher. Candidate awarded degree grade equal to second class/second class lower will not be selected.
- Applicants must be a citizen of selected developing countries.
- Master’s degree awarded must not be more than 10 years back eg. 2015
- Project topics must be relevant and resonate around development relevance to the proposal.
- The project must have a time frame guiding the research.
- The applicants must provide evidence of financial support home institution for doctoral projects indicating the candidate will receive fully funded resources through a fully funded source.
- Candidates who are already enrolled into PhD at KU Leuven and are funded by KU Leuven are not eligible for this scholarship. Might be eligible for PhD researches from South.
Application Procedure
Applicants process involves:
1. Apply for KU global Minds Doctoral Scholarships: Candidates must be first accepted and admitted before a candidate is regarded as a doctoral student at KU Leuven.
2. Scholarship Application: Once the admission is obtained, candidate can apply for Global minds doctoral Scholarship through the official website.
Required Documents:
- Partnership agreement between KU Leuven and the home institution
- Detailed research proposal
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates
- Two letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
3. Evaluation: A careful assessment process is used to analyze the applicant’s academic excellence, research plan, and partnership feasibility.
4. Selection: Selection is based on academic excellence, research potential, and the development impact of the proposed research.
Benefits of Global Minds Doctoral Scholarships at KU Leaven
Financial Support:
- Monthly stipend
- Tuition fees
- Health insurance
- Travel allowance for research visits
- Research allowance
Academic Support:
- Supervision by both KU Leuven and home institution supervisors
- Access to KU Leuven’s research facilities and resources
- Integration into the KU Leuven academic community
Application and Deadline
Applicants who have obtained admission as a doctoral student and are eligible for the scholarship can head over to the official website to apply for the scholarship
Deadline: The deadline to apply for this scholarship is 28 February 2025, 5:00PM GMT.
Link to Apply: https://www.kuleuven.be/global/global-development/funding-possibilities/research-possibilities/phdcalls