Pre-announcement Call for proposals PhD Scholarships for Caribbean Researchers
Are you living in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands or born on one of the six islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten) and thinking of pursuing a PhD? If you want to contribute to scientific or scholarly knowledge that can help tackle important challenges in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we invite you to submit a Statement of intent!
This May, NWO is expected to launch a new Call for proposals for PhD scholarships as part of the Programme Caribbean Research: a multidisciplinary approach. The Call is tailored to researchers with a master’s degree who want to carry out PhD research that is directly related or relevant to the Caribbean islands of the Kingdom.
About the programme
The Caribbean Research Programme was established by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in 2013. It supports high-quality research with the goal to strengthen the knowledge base, build research capacity, and help address urgent societal issues in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Caribbean region).
This Call for proposals will offer PhD scholarships for research that:
- Increases and strengthens scientific and scholarly knowledge production on and about the Caribbean region.
- Has scientific and societal impact on the islands.
- Is carried out primarily in the Caribbean region, ensuring local relevance and connection.
- Contributes to the long-term development of research capacity and infrastructure in the Caribbean region.
This is a great opportunity if you:
- Want to pursue a PhD degree at the University of Aruba, University of Curacao, University of St. Martin or in the European part of the Kingdom?
- Are born on or currently living on one of the six Caribbean islands of the Kingdom*.
- Hold a master’s degree or equivalent.
- Are motivated to pursue a PhD degree that benefits the Caribbean region.
By supporting more PhD graduates from and in the Caribbean region, NWO aims to help strengthen local universities, research organisations, and knowledge networks.
* This is a requirement if you intend to pursue a PhD degree at a research organisation in the Netherlands. All conditions can be found in the Call for proposals.
Budget
Per project, a grant amount of at most €350,000 can be applied for. The maximum duration of the proposed project is 48 months/four years (or equivalent part-time).
Deadlines
- The deadline for submitting statements of intent is 24 June 2025, before 17:00:00 CEST/11:00:00 AST.
- The deadline for submitting pre-proposals is 16 September 2025, before 17:00:00 CEST/11:00:00 AST.
- The deadline for submitting full proposals is 24 February 2026, before 17:00:00 CET/12:00:00 AST.
If you have not submitted a Statement of intent, it is not possible to submit a pre-proposal.
What is a Statement of intent?
An application starts with a Statement of intent, followed by a pre-proposal phase, a full proposal phase and an interview. With a Statement of intent, you indicate that you intend to submit an application for this Call for proposals. The Statement of intent allows NWO to establish the expected number of applications. This Statement of intent is not part of the assessment procedure, however, is compulsory and must be submitted before the submission deadline (see paragraph Deadlines).
In this Statement of intent, we ask further information about the intended research organisation and supervision (responsible PhD supervisor (promotor), co-promotor and/or other (daily) supervisors) in relation to the intended research proposal. Please note that you are allowed to make adjustments in your intended research and supervisory team in the pre-proposal. If you have not submitted a Statement of intent (and compulsory annex), it is not possible to participate in the application process.
Funding page
This Call for proposals, including eligibility criteria, additional conditions and application procedures, will be published on the NWO website at the end of May. More information will soon be available on the funding page. Go to the funding page.
Disclaimer
This is solely an announcement of an intended NWO research programme. The possibility to apply for funding will open after the Call for proposals has been published in the Staatscourant (Government Gazette). All conditions can be found in the Call for proposals.