Fully Funded KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship in Belgium

The goal of the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship program is to assist deserving students from underdeveloped nations who want to study for a doctorate at KU Leuven in Belgium. The goal of KU Leuven’s scholarship program is to support academic excellence among students from a variety of backgrounds and globalization.

Host Country	Belgium
Host Institute	KU Leuven
Level	Predoctoral/Doctoral
Eligible Nationality	Developing Countries
Fellowship Type	Fully Funded
Benefits	Stipend, Tuition fee waiver, Air tickets
Duration	2+2 Years
Closing Date	28 February 2025

Fully Funded KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship

The Fully Funded KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship is a distinguished program offered by KU Leuven to support outstanding students from developing countries in pursuing a PhD. Designed to tackle global challenges, the scholarship encourages academic collaboration, fosters innovation, and facilitates knowledge transfer, enabling scholars to drive sustainable development in their home countries.

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GM Doctoral Scholarship Duration

At least 50% of the study is conducted and funded by the scholar’s home institution, with help from a local co-promoter; at most, 50% of the research is funded and conducted at KU Leuven.

With a maximum of 24 months spent at KU Leuven, the 48-month GM Doctoral Scholarship is a “sandwich”-style award. The scholar receives the scholarship and related financial remuneration throughout this time of formal appointment at KU Leuven as a recipient of a doctoral scholarship.

Throughout the remaining twenty-four months, the scholar works at their home institution, where they are similarly officially assigned by the institution through a fully funded full-time position that includes social security coverage comparable to that of staff members at the same level and with the same qualifications. For this reason, the initiative is co-financed by both partner institutions: KU Leuven and the partner in the scholar’s home country. KU Leuven awards the PhD degree.

Benefits of KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship

For doctorate applicants, the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship presents an alluring possibility with multiple benefits:

• Financial Assistance: The scholarship offers financial aid, frequently paying for living expenses during the PhD program in addition to tuition.
  • The monthly basic amount in Belgium
  • Tuition fee Waiver
  • Airline tickets
  • For the time the scholar is at their home institution, the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship provides a supervision stipend to the local co-supervisor; similarly, when the scholar is in Belgium, the KU Leuven supervisor receives a supervision allowance.
• International Experience: The opportunity to study at a globally recognized university fosters academic diversity and cross-cultural interchange.
• Research Possibilities: KU Leuven is renowned for its robust research initiatives and partnerships. In addition to working with renowned faculty members and having access to first-rate facilities, scholars can contribute to cutting-edge research.
• Professional Development: In order to expand their knowledge and abilities outside of the classroom, scholars frequently have access to workshops, seminars, and conferences.
• Career Advancement: Getting through KU Leuven’s PhD program with the Global Minds Scholarship can greatly strengthen one’s resume and provide access to chances in industry, academia, and other fields.

	Doctoral students	Pre-doctoral students
Number of months to be spent in Belgium	24 max.	6 max.
Number of months to be spent at the home institution	24 min.	NA
Monthly basic amount in Belgium	100% of the net salary of an assistant, minimally € 2,400/month	€ 1,900/month
Monthly basic amount while at the home institution	To be decided by the home institution that pays the scholar	NA
Tuition fee	Waived	Variable
Affiliation with a Belgian Health Insurance Company	To be covered with the scholarship (only during the time spent in Belgium)	To be covered with the monthly allowance (only during the time spent in Belgium)
Professional and accident insurance coverage; third-party liability insurance (study-related matters and for professional liability)	To be covered with the scholarship (only during the time spent in Belgium)	To be covered with the monthly allowance (only during the time spent in Belgium)
Social security coverage (during the time spent in Belgium)	Coverage by Belgian social security in accordance with Belgian legislation applicable to doctoral scholarship holders	NA
Airline tickets (for the scholar)	4 return tickets in economy class covered by the scholarship	1 return ticket in economy class covered by the scholarship
Indirect travel costs (for the scholar)	NA	€ 200 (lump sum)
Supervision allowance (for the KU Leuven supervisor) while the scholar is in Belgium	€ 310/month	NA
Supervision allowance (for the co-supervisor at the home institution) while the scholar is in the home country	€ 310/month	NA

Application fee

There is no application fee to apply for KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship.

Criteria

The candidates who fulfill the following criteria can apply for the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship:

• The candidate must be a citizen of one of the nations on this list and a resident of that nation.
• European Union nationals will not be chosen as candidates. Applicants holding a long-term EU residency visa are similarly affected.
• The candidate’s most recent Master’s degree must have been granted no earlier than 2014, or more than ten years ago.
• The applicant’s academic record must have included at least a High Distinction.
• The applicant needs to show that their motive is development-oriented.
• A supervisor from KU Leuven must back the applicant.
• The candidate’s home university’s local co-supervisor must endorse her or him.
• Excellent academic quality is required for the research project, with a focus on the proposal’s development significance.
• The GM PhD Scholarship is not available to applicants who are currently enrolled in KU Leuven’s PhD program and who are supported by the university.

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Eligible Countries

Documents/Material Required to Apply

The following documents are required to apply for the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship

• The candidate’s CV,
• The candidate’s bibliography
• The local co-supervisor’s CV
• The KU Leuven supervisor’s CV
• the research proposal
• The motivation letter
• The proof of the candidate’s affiliation with the home university
• A certified copy of the candidate’s contract with the home institution
• Two recommendation letters by external, relevant referees

Deadline

28 February 2025, at 5:00 PM GMT, is the deadline to apply for the Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship.

Application Procedure

The application process consists of two steps.

1. Initially, the applicant must be accepted into a predoctoral or doctoral program.
2. Following acceptance, the candidate is eligible to submit an application for the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship.

Applications must be submitted by using the digital application form (online soon), which is to be filled out by the supervisor. Applications for the predoctoral/doctoral program are limited to those who are invited. After you locate a supervisor, you will receive a special link to the web application. Find here the detailed process of applying for the predoctoral/doctoral program at KU Leuven.

Visit here for more details, or go here to apply for the Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship.

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