M20 PhD Scholarship Programme attracts great interest

As many as 94 PhD proposals were submitted to the M20 Programme offered by the Ubbo Emmius Fund (UEF). Registration closed Wednesday 28 June. There appears to be a lot of interest in this Programme, which, thanks to a large donation from an alumnus who wishes to remain anonymous, funds ten PhD positions for the new UG Schools for Science & Society each year. Eligible projects, just like the Schools, must be multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary in nature. After a comprehensive assessment, 10 out of 94 projects will be awarded grants by the UEF Board in September.

The UEF-M20 Programme is expected to run for several decades. In total, it is likely to involve around €106 million and more than 350 researchers who will receive funding as a result and get a start as academics. In doing so, the UEF makes an important contribution to the broad development of academic and societally relevant knowledge, the personal development of young researchers, as well as to the UG’s strategic goals for a very long period of time.

The M20 Programme began in 2022 with a pilot involving four PhD positions.