Apply for the Sustainable Society Grants 2022

Are you a PhD student at the University of Groningen? Do you need to carry out fieldwork? Or are you organising an (online) workshop or training? To spur young researchers to work on societal challenges, Sustainable Society offers a grant for University of Groningen PhD candidates. This grant enables PhD candidates to broaden their horizon and give their research output an extra push.

Type of grant

PhD students from the University of Groningen can apply for the Sustainable Society PhD Grant. This grant is intended to enable PhD candidates to gain relevant experience during their doctoral programme, to broaden their network and to further promote their research. The aim is to enable them to acquire additional experience on top of their regular activities.

The grant proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee, consisting of:

• Dr. Kees van Veen (Chair), Scientific Director Sustainable Society
• Dr. Başak Bilecen, Rosalind Franklin Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences
• Dr. Joram Tarusarira, Assistant Professor Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies
• Selen Eren, PhD reseacher Campus Fryslân
• Drs. Jolijn Creutzberg, Owner of Vanhulley and alumna of the Faculty of Economics and Business

The committee members will assess the applications based on the predefined criteria (see below).

Worth of grant

We award 8 grants of 2000 euros. The grants will be awarded during the Grant Ceremony on 24 November 2022.

When the selection committee has decided on the 8 winners, the PhD candidates are asked (and expected) to prepare a pitch to present their research during the Grant Ceremony. During this ceremony, not only will the grants be handed over, but on top of that, the PhD candidate with the best and most persuasive pitch will also receive a bonus prize, to be spend within one year: the possibility to visualize his/her research by a professional designer. This visualization is worth 1000 euros and will serve the goal of increasing and stimulating the visibility and impact of PhD research.

Application process

Conditions for grant eligibility:

• The PhD candidate is doing a doctoral research (including scholarship candidates, in Dutch: Bursaal) at the University of Groningen. Applicants have a) a PhD contract (employees) at the University of Groningen, b) have a scholarship from the University of Groningen or c) a scholarship from another university.
• The PhD candidate started their doctoral research at least one year before the deadline of the PhD Grant
• The PhD candidate has a supervisor from the University of Groningen
• The PhD candidate has not yet obtained their doctoral degree at the time of the activity
• The grant funds will be spent on an activity that brings added value to the PhD candidate’s research
• When a grant application focuses on (local) traveling, the grant may be used to cover accommodation expenses and tickets for traveling. The budget does not cover expenses for food and beverages
• Before applying, the PhD candidate needs to get approval by their supervisors
• Assessment criteria - requirements and applications
• Proposals need to show explicit contributions and/or solutions towards societal challenges
• Proposals need to give a good overview of the research/travel activities that need to be covered and to what goal the grant will be spend
• The applicants must be highly motivated to broaden their research and network and to enlarge the added value and impact of their research and explain this motivation with conviction

Procedure:

Grant applications must be submitted using the application form below:

• All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application shortly after the meeting of the selection committee. Selection will take place early November
• Grant winners will pitch their research during the Grants Ceremony. This festive afternoon will take place on 24 November 2022 in Groningen
• The selection of the Grant winners is at the discretion of the selection committee, appeals are not possible
• The grant funds need to be issued before the end of the contract of the PhD student

Deadlines:

• Deadline for the application is 25 September 2022
• The Grant Ceremony takes place on 24 November 2022