2026 - BOF DOCTORAL GRANTS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE AND HASSELT UNIVERSITY

Research

Funding organisation:

Bijzonder OnderzoeksFonds

What?

The UHasselt BOF Doctoral Fund and the ULiège Joint PhD Programme provide funding for PhD fellowships in the framework of the cooperation between University of Liège and Hasselt University. 

Both universities provide funding to cofinance 2 fulltime PhD-fellowships in close collaboration leading to a joint doctoral degree (2 separate diplomas, referring to the collaboration).

The fellowships have an initial duration of two years and are renewable for a second period of two years after a positive evaluation at the end of the second year. This evaluation will be based upon the progress report, produced by the candidate, for the doctoral committee and the doctoral committee’s advice. The candidate will be appointed at both universities for 50% during the entire PhD.

The call of 2026 is limited to applications within following faculties, schools or sectorial research:

• UHasselt:
  • Faculty of Business Economics
  • Faculty of Sciences
  • School of Transportation Sciences
  • School of Educational Studies

• ULiège:
  • HEC Liège School of Management
  • Faculty of Sciences
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences
  • Faculty of Psychology, Speech Therapy and Education Sciences

Who?

• This programme is open to all applicants¹ without restriction to gender, nationality or age.
• Graduates with a relevant Master degree and excellent grades.
• Motivated and determined researchers possessing first-rate analytical and writing skills.
• Final-year (master) students are (likewise) encouraged to apply if they have proven research skills.

¹ This call is open to candidate PhD students, without restriction to gender, nationality or age. Since this concerns mandates in the scholarship statute, the circular of the Belgian Ministry of Finance regarding the exemption conditions of doctoral scholarships applies. This states, among other things, that employment contracts may not be replaced by a doctoral scholarship.

Exclusion criteria

• A person can only be appointed as a PhD fellow (“doctoraatsbursaal”) for a maximum period of 48 months in total across all Belgian universities. Should you have been appointed as "doctoraatsbursaal" at a Belgian university in the past, you're are excluded from applying in this call.
• BOF UHasselt only accepts applications from candidates at the start of a doctoral trajectory: candidates that are already appointed as “doctoraatsbursaal” or that have a doctoral file are excluded.
  

Application?

• Applicants belonging to one of the faculties or sectorial research domain for which the call is open, must submit their application for a joint PhD within this joint call with ULiège and are not eligible to submit within the UHasselt doctoral scholarship programme or within the joint call with UNamur or UM.
• The applications must be submitted by the PhD-candidate signed by both an UHasselt promoter (cf. UHasselt doctoral regulations) and an ULiège promotor
• Application form + annexes: https://www.uhasselt.be/en/research/research-funding/funding-programmes/bof-programmes#anch-b92-mandate-funding 
• Send to BOF@uhasselt.be and recherche@uliege.be
• Deadline: 02.03.2026, 23h59.

Regulations?

Regulations UHasselt 
Cooperation between the University of Liege and Hasselt University (uliege.be) 

Assessment criteria?

• Scientific quality of the candidate:
  • study results
  • motivation and relevant competences

• Scientific quality of the proposal:
  • scientific quality of the proposal
  • quality of the research approach (methodology) and feasibility of the project
  • quality of the research environment including excellence of lab (infrastructure, supervision, past experience, …)

• Quality of collaboration:
  • embedding of proposed project in research policy of the hosting research institute/group/school
  • explain how the project will enhance the collaboration between both universities
  • indicate prospect of more sustainable collaboration
  • equal involvement of both sides

The applications will be assessed by a selection committee appointed for that purpose by both Research Councils. 
The evaluation will be based on a scoring grid. 
Applications submitted with promoters that do not have an existing collaboration within this programme receive precedence over other applications.
In case of an ex aequo (or very similar) scoring, candidates with promoters from different research groups/faculties receive precedence.

Timing?

• 2 March 2026, 23h59: Deadline submission of applications
• May 2026: Evaluation
• June 2026: Final decision 

Support with regard to the application form  will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.

More information?

Contact ULiège:
E-mail: denys.jeandrain@uliege.be 
Tel: +32 4 366 52 31

Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be 
Tel.: +32 11 26 90 53

Deadline

02.03.2026

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail elke.bos@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269053