UNU-WIDER Visiting PhD Fellowship 2026 (Funded) Deadline: 30 September, 2025

Applications for the UNU-WIDER Visiting PhD Fellowship 2026. The Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme gives registered doctoral students the opportunity to utilize the resources and facilities at UNU-WIDER for their PhD dissertation or thesis research on developing economies, and to work with UNU-WIDER’s researchers in areas of mutual interest.

Visiting PhD fellows typically spend three consecutive months at UNU-WIDER before returning to their home institution. During the programme, fellows prepare one or more research papers and present a seminar on their research findings. They may also have the opportunity to publish their research in the WIDER Working Paper Series.

Benefits

• When the fellowship is undertaken in Helsinki, UNU-WIDER provides a travel grant to cover the costs of travel to and from the location of your PhD granting institution or country of residence, medical insurance (for medical and hospital services resulting from sickness and accident during your stay at UNU-WIDER), and a monthly stipend of EUR 2,070 to cover living expenses in Helsinki during the period of their fellowship. The programme does not cover expenses related to dependents.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be enrolled in a PhD programme and have shown ability to conduct research on developing economies. Candidates working in other social sciences may apply but should keep in mind that UNU-WIDER is an economics-focused institute. Candidates should be fluent in oral and written English and possess good quantitative and/or qualitative analytical skills. Applications from suitably qualified early-career, female, and developing country researchers are particularly encouraged. The programme is especially addressed at researchers at later stages of their PhD.
• The Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme is highly competitive and only a limited number of fellows can be accepted. In recent years, one percent of all applications have been successful.

Application

Selected applicants will be informed by email of the final decision within four weeks of the closing deadline. The selected applicants must confirm their decision to take up UNU-WIDER’s offer two weeks after being contacted.

Deadline: 30 September, 2025

For more information, visit UNU-WIDER Visiting PhD Fellowship.