Deadline: November 15, 2025
Applications are open for the ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships 2026. Two scholarships, each lasting 9 months, targeting doctoral students from Developing Countries will be awarded. The aim is to support research that can be translated into practical solutions. The research stay options are:
- RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
- UNU FLORES (UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources), Dresden, Germany.
Applicants are encouraged to propose research projects aligned with the thematic areas of ABCD Centre Clusters I, II, and III. While the call is open to a wide range of topics, priority will be given to proposals addressing the following themes:
- Topic A: Modelling Water Infrastructure, Innovative Methods in Digitalization for Digital Twins, Habitat Modelling
- Topic B: Innovative Monitoring for Ecosystem Resilience and Nature-Based Adaptation Measures
- Topic C: Climate-Driven Water Extremes in Urban Areas
- Topic D: Sustainable Business Models for Unconventional Water Resources
- Topic E: Eco-friendly Materials and Sustainable Building Solutions for Climate Adaptation
Scholarship
The scholarship typically includes components for mobility, accommodation and living expenses, insurances, and travel. The breakdown is as follows:
- Monthly accommodation and living expenses: €1,200
- Monthly insurance allowance: max. €105
- One-time travel expense stipend: max. €1,000
Eligibility
- Applicants must be doctoral students who have commenced their PhD studies within the last three years;
- Registered as full-time PhD students at universities in Developing Countries.
Application
Applicants should compile the following documents into a single PDF file and send it to [email protected] by the application deadline of November 15, 2025:
- Personal motivation for the research stay (2-3 pages)
- A sample of a written scientific paper
- Recent Curriculum Vitae
- Two recent letters of recommendation from the home institution related to the research project
- Statement of the ability to work online if remote work is required
- Enrollment certificate and current transcript of records (not older than six months) from the home
institution - Passport copy
At the application stage, the applicant’s supervisor and the home university must agree on the following points:
- A research topic aligned with the clusters’ themes
- A detailed timeline of the entire doctoral project
- Description of the research project to be conducted in Germany, including a timetable and plans for future third-party funded research projects
- Planned contributions to the ABCD-Centre’s outreach activities
For more information, visit ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships.
