Deadline: October 12, 2017
Call for application is on for the Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship Programme in EMEA 2018. Each year, PhD supervisors from academic institutions in EMEA are invited to submit their proposals for collaborative research projects with Microsoft Research Cambridge. Applications are then peer reviewed and up to 16 projects will be selected for funding. PhD students are appointed to the selected projects and begin their research in the following academic year under the supervision of their academic supervisor, with co-supervision from a researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge.
The Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship Programme in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) was launched in 2004 and has so far supported more than 200 PhD students from more than 18 countries and 51 institutions.
Some of the Scholars may also be offered—at the sole discretion of Microsoft Research—an internship in one of the Microsoft Research laboratories. Internships involve working on a project alongside and as part of a team of Microsoft researchers. Scholars are paid during their internship—in addition to their scholarship bursary. Interested Scholars can apply through the Microsoft Research careers page.
Scholarship
- Each Microsoft scholarship consists of an annual bursary up to a maximum of three years. The monetary value of the award varies by country to reflect local differences in costs and overheads. Payment is made directly to the institution. The amount of the scholarship is the maximum amount Microsoft Research pays to the institution. In addition, every Scholar receives a fixed hardware allowance and conference allowance.
Eligibility
- Applications must not be made by students but by PhD supervisors, who must have been in dialogue with the prospective Microsoft supervisor and jointly collaborated on the proposal prior to the submission deadline;
- If their project is selected, the supervisor has until March 31, 2019 to find the best possible student for the project; otherwise, the PhD Agreement will be terminated automatically;
- Only applications from institutions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will be considered.
- For an application to be considered, the following key requirements apply:
- The institute agrees to the terms and conditions in the PhD Term Sheet and EPSRC Term Sheet where appropriate;
- The applicant must be in dialogue with the prospective Microsoft supervisor prior to the submission deadline and jointly drafting the proposal.
- The proposed research must be closely related to the research ambitions at Microsoft Research in Cambridge:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Infrastructure for the Cloud
- The Future of Work
- Biological Computation
Selection Process
A two-stage evaluation process will be implemented for all eligible applications.
- Stage 1: Applications will be reviewed and those that meet the basic selection criteria will go through to stage 2 for comprehensive review. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by the end of October 2017, but will not receive detailed feedback.
- Stage 2: Applications are sent for comprehensive review to Microsoft internal reviewers only. Ranking depends on review feedback. Other factors, such as relevance to Microsoft research topics, are taken into account for the selection of up to 16 applications. Detailed feedback will be given to all stage 2 proposals.
Application
- Submit your application here
- Application should contain the following:
- A completed online application form that includes contact details of the main supervisor together with a named secondary supervisor who will be willing to take the project on if the main named supervisor leaves.
- Evidence that the applicant has been in dialogue with the prospective Microsoft supervisor prior to the submission deadline and jointly drafting the proposal
- A project proposal of maximum six (6) A4 pages in 10-point font, including references. Accepted formats: plain text (.txt), .pdf, or Microsoft Office Word (.doc or .docx) only.
Timeline
- For the application process:
- Online submission opens: September 15, 2017
- Application deadline: October 12, 2017
- Notification of results: Stage 1 by the end of October 2017 and Stage 2 by the end of January 2018
- For successful applicants:
- PhD Agreements sent to Institutes by: February 16, 2018
- Signed PhD Agreements returned to MSR via Docusign by: June 30, 2018
- PhD students to be appointed by: March 31, 2019
For more information, visit Microsoft PhD Scholarship Programme in EMEA.
