Scholarships for preparing a PhD proposal

Have you graduated from one of the six KNIR partner universities in the Netherlands and are you preparing a PhD-project to be conducted at one of these universities, or elsewhere? Or have you graduated elsewhere and are you preparing a PhD-project to be conducted at one these universities? Then you are eligible for a KNIR scholarship for preparing a PhD-project.

The scholarship consists of

1. free lodging at the KNIR for a period of 10 weeks;
2. a weekly allowance of up to € 175,- for your general expenses during your stay in Rome;
3. a one-time reimbursement of € 100,- for your travelling expenses to Rome (or €125,- for those who travel by train).

Application requirements

1. You have graduated from one of the following Dutch universities: University of Groningen, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, VU University Amsterdam, and Radboud University Nijmegen and you are preparing a PhD research project, that you intend to conduct at one of the above mentioned universities or elsewhere OR you have graduated from another (Dutch or foreign) university and you are preparing a PhD research project, that you intend to conduct at one of the above mentioned universities;
2. you intend to apply for research funding for this project (e.g. at the NWO, Faculty positions);
3. you have made arrangements with an (associate) professor at the university/universities or your choice, who is willing to act as your PhD supervisor OR with someone who is willing to supervise you in the trajectory towards an application;
4. you do not have other funds or income and are available full-time during the period of your scholarship (if you do have other funds or income, the weekly allowance and reimbursement for travel will be adjusted accordingly);
5. you can demonstrate that a stay at the KNIR will benefit your research.

Please note that if you fall within this category, you may also be eligible for the Ted Meijer Prize.

How to apply?

You can now apply for a fall scholarship (Semester 1, cohort 1) for preparing a PhD proposal via the button below. The deadline for the fall semester is 15 May 2026, 23:59 CEST.

This scholarship will be for 10 weeks, from 17 September to 26 November 2026.

You will be asked to provide/answer:

• the (provisional) title of your research project
• a short summary (max. 120 words)
• whether you already received a KNIR scholarship for this project
• if you receive other (research) funding for this project

And to upload the following documents:

• a research proposal form (download here)
• a recent academic cv (max 2 A4)
• a letter of motivation for this scholarship (max 1 A4)
• Certificate of your university Master's degree or a letter from your thesis supervisor confirming the date of your graduation
• letter of intent from your prospective supervisor

When selecting applicants, we look at your motivation, the benefit of a stay at the KNIR for your research, the quality of your research proposal, your CV, and your contribution to the KNIR academic community. At KNIR we believe diversity enriches debate: different perspectives contribute to the quality of our work. We therefore value and highly encourage applications from students and researchers with diverse backgrounds and identities.

The results will follow no later than one month after the deadline. Please note that the decision of the selection committee is final and no correspondence will be entered into. If your scholarship is granted, you are asked to confirm acceptance of the grant and the conditions that come with it within 1 week.