2026 Ghent University BOF Doctoral Scholarships for Global South Candidates

Location: Belgium

Program: Postgraduate (PhD Degree)

Eligibility: International students

Duration: 4 years

Deadline: February 17, 2026

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Through its Special Research Fund (BOF), Ghent University provides PhD “sandwich” scholarships to accomplished doctoral candidates from Global South nations who aim to conduct half of their doctoral research at Ghent University in Belgium and the remaining half at a university in their home region. This innovative scholarship model recognizes that meaningful research addressing global development challenges benefits from bidirectional knowledge exchange between Northern and Southern academic institutions.

Ghent University, established in 1817, stands as one of Belgium’s leading research universities and Europe’s major academic institutions, known for excellence in teaching, pioneering research, and strong international partnerships. Located in the historic city of Ghent, the university hosts over 49,000 students including significant international representation and offers comprehensive doctoral programs across all academic disciplines.

The institution finances exclusively the research portion conducted at Ghent University, totaling 24 months. Candidates must secure comprehensive full-time funding for the additional 24 months of research activities to be undertaken at their home institution in the Global South. This co-funding requirement ensures genuine partnership and sustained connection with the candidate’s home academic community while providing access to Ghent University’s world-class facilities, expertise, and resources.

Benefits of the Scholarship

This scholarship will provide the following support to recipients:

Bench fee of €310 per month (for each month of research in Ghent) provided to the Ghent University supervisor to cover operational costs
Travel budget of €8,000 to offset travel expenses for the student and both supervisors
Access to world-class research facilities and resources at Ghent University
Supervision by experienced researchers from both Ghent University and home institution
Joint or single PhD degree from Ghent University upon successful completion
International research experience combining Northern and Southern academic perspectives
Networking opportunities with global research communities
Other benefits

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Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must:

Originate from and hold nationality of one of the designated Global South countries
Submit jointly prepared proposals involving the candidate, a supervisor at Ghent University, and a supervisor at the partner university in the Global South
Be degree-seeking students intending to obtain a (joint) PhD degree from Ghent University
Be at the beginning of their PhD journey –
Limited preliminary research may have been completed, but majority of doctoral work must lie ahead
Secure mandatory co-funding for 24 months of full-time research at the home institution in the Global South
Have a local PhD supervisor at the partner university or research center in the Global South
Provide written confirmation from the partner university stating the candidate will receive:
- Full-time local PhD scholarship or salary for 24 months while working at the home institution
- Sufficient exemption from teaching or other assignments to concentrate fully on PhD research (maximum 10% time allocation to other tasks)
Propose research topics with North-South contextual relevance (preference given to proposals addressing development priorities)

Note: Kindly check the official webpage for full and detailed requirements.

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Selection Criteria

Applications are evaluated based on academic excellence, research potential, quality and feasibility of the proposal, North-South relevance, candidate’s future researcher capability, supervision quality, ethical considerations, co-funding viability, alignment with home region development priorities, and potential for meaningful dual-context research outcomes.