Ubbo Emmius Fund finances over 50 extra University of Groningen PhD scholarship positions

The University of Groningen (UG) and the Ubbo Emmius Fund (UEF) are establishing a new programme, entitled the ‘M20 PhD Scholarship Programme’. This multi-annual programme will create extra PhD scholarship positions for research projects embedded in the new UG Schools. The funding has been made possible by a donation from the UEF. A few years ago, the UEF received a substantial donation from an anonymous alumnus. Previously, €30 million had already been donated towards the research programme led by the Groningen Cognitive Systems and Materials Center (CogniGron).

President of the Board of the University, Jouke de Vries: 'I am very happy that, through this programme, we will be able to provide young, ambitious academics with the opportunity to further shape their academic careers. This is completely in line with the wishes of the generous donor.'

50 positions in five years

To fund the programme, the UEF and UG are concluding a five-year agreement. It has been decided that 10 PhD scholarship positions, embedded in the Schools, will be funded by the UEF per year. This is the first time that the UEF is issuing subsidies of this scale. The programme is intended to begin in 2023.

Pilot

In 2022, the UG and UEF will start a joint pilot for four PhD scholarship positions, one for each School. The pilot will be used to gain experience with the process on a limited scale, from the application stage to the awarding, payout, and accountability stages.

UG Schools

The Schools participating in the programme are:

1. The Wubbo Ockels School (energy transition and climate adaptation)
2. The Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health (healthy ageing)
3. The Jantina Tammes School (digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and technological development)

4. Agricola School for Sustainable Development (governance, politics, and sustainable processes)

M20 Fund

The donation is being managed by the Ubbo Emmius Fund. The UEF is supervising the careful and correct allocation of the donation in accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donor. The donation has been accumulated into the M20 Fund by the UEF.