Discuss possible vacancies for assistants or scholarship opportunities with your supervisor(s). Ask how much support they can give you during your scholarship application and how they see your chances of getting a scholarship. You can also find out more about the scholarships available and the application procedures.​

Remember that scholarship application procedures can take several months, so it is important to start on time.

Funding of the PhD research can be done through: 

  • an assistant mandate - salaried assistant; 
  • an appointment to a research project that was requested by a promoter and funded by internal (BOF) or external (international, national, regional, local) research resources; 
  • a personal doctoral fellowship (e.g. FWO-aspirant and analog mandates, SB-grant for strategic basicresearch, temporary mandate ('opvangmandaat') of the Special Research Fund (called 'BOF'), specific funds that grant scholarships); 

Each of these statutes is associated with a particular application process, a special form (of appointment) like scholarship or contract and to particular regulations (eligibility conditions, duration, etc.). Some of these statues are designed to specifically allow the candidate to solely prepare a PhD and can therefore not be combined with another activity or training. 

More information about funding can be found on the website of Research, Innovation & Valorisation Antwerp (RIVA).

For your information: You are not obliged to search for funding. You can also prepare your PhD on your own funding.