€2,100 a Month UNU-WIDER PhD Fellowship

Organization: UNU-WIDER

Type: Fellowship

Location: Global

Deadline: September 30, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

UNU-WIDER, the United Nations University's development economics institute in Helsinki, hosts registered PhD students for three months to work on their thesis research on developing economies alongside its resident researchers. Fellows receive a travel grant, medical insurance and a monthly stipend of EUR 2,100 for living costs in Helsinki, and present a seminar on their findings before returning to their home university. The September 2026 round places fellows at the institute from April to June 2027. **What you get:** - A travel grant covering travel to and from your PhD institution or country of residence - Medical insurance for sickness and accident during your stay at UNU-WIDER - A monthly stipend of EUR 2,100 to cover living expenses in Helsinki for the fellowship period - A mentor assigned from UNU-WIDER's resident researcher staff - Access to UNU-WIDER's resources and facilities for your dissertation research - The possibility of publishing your research in the WIDER Working Paper Series **What you'll do:** - Spend three consecutive months at UNU-WIDER in Helsinki, April to June 2027 for this round - Work on an unfinished part of your PhD dissertation on developing economies - Prepare one or more research papers during the fellowship - Present a seminar on your research findings - Work with UNU-WIDER researchers in areas of mutual interest **Key dates:** - Application form opened 1 September 2026 - Applications close 30 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC+3 (Helsinki time) - Selected applicants informed by email approximately one month after the deadline - Selected applicants must confirm the offer within two weeks of being contacted - Fellowship takes place April to June 2027 in Helsinki - The programme runs twice a year; the next round opens 1 March 2027 and closes 31 March 2027 for a September to November 2027 visit **More information:** - Applications are online only; UNU-WIDER does not accept applications by email or post - The form cannot be saved part way, so prepare all material before starting - Your PhD supervisor must email a letter of reference to phdreference@wider.unu.edu; it also certifies your PhD enrolment - Research proposal and CV are uploaded as PDFs of at most 1MB each - The programme is highly competitive: in recent years about one percent of applications have been successful - The programme does not cover expenses related to dependents - Non-Schengen fellows need a multiple-entry Schengen visa; the UNU-WIDER HR team supports the process - Questions: phdfellow@wider.unu.edu (replies may take up to five working days)

UNU-WIDERFellowship

€2,100 a Month UNU-WIDER PhD Fellowship

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A travel grant covering travel to and from your PhD institution or country of residence
Medical insurance for sickness and accident during your stay at UNU-WIDER
A monthly stipend of EUR 2,100 to cover living expenses in Helsinki for the fellowship period
A mentor assigned from UNU-WIDER's resident researcher staff
Access to UNU-WIDER's resources and facilities for your dissertation research
The possibility of publishing your research in the WIDER Working Paper Series

What you'll do:

Spend three consecutive months at UNU-WIDER in Helsinki, April to June 2027 for this round
Work on an unfinished part of your PhD dissertation on developing economies
Prepare one or more research papers during the fellowship
Present a seminar on your research findings
Work with UNU-WIDER researchers in areas of mutual interest

Key dates:

Application form opened 1 September 2026
Applications close 30 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC+3 (Helsinki time)
Selected applicants informed by email approximately one month after the deadline
Selected applicants must confirm the offer within two weeks of being contacted
Fellowship takes place April to June 2027 in Helsinki
The programme runs twice a year; the next round opens 1 March 2027 and closes 31 March 2027 for a September to November 2027 visit

More information:

Applications are online only; UNU-WIDER does not accept applications by email or post
The form cannot be saved part way, so prepare all material before starting
Your PhD supervisor must email a letter of reference to phdreference@wider.unu.edu; it also certifies your PhD enrolment
Research proposal and CV are uploaded as PDFs of at most 1MB each
The programme is highly competitive: in recent years about one percent of applications have been successful
The programme does not cover expenses related to dependents
Non-Schengen fellows need a multiple-entry Schengen visa; the UNU-WIDER HR team supports the process
Questions: phdfellow@wider.unu.edu (replies may take up to five working days)

Who can apply

Currently enrolled in a PhD programme at an accredited university and still working on the thesis during the visit
Demonstrated ability to conduct research on developing economies
Research interests related to international development and the developing world
Fluent in oral and written English
Good quantitative and/or qualitative analytical skills
Available to spend three consecutive months (April to June 2027) at UNU-WIDER in Helsinki
Research proposal (title, description, research questions, methods, data sources, link to your thesis, and how the fellowship helps, with word limits per section) and CV as PDFs
Letter of reference from your direct PhD supervisor, emailed by the supervisor
Open to all nationalities; no age limit stated

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Good to know

+€2,100 a month for living costs in Helsinki, plus a travel grant and medical insurance for the three months.
+A mentor from UNU-WIDER's research staff, a seminar on your work, and a chance to publish in the WIDER Working Paper series.
+Open worldwide, with women and researchers from developing countries encouraged, and free to apply.

Worth checking yourself

!Only for currently enrolled PhD students researching developing economies, ideally in the later stages, at an economics-focused institute.
!About 1 percent of applications succeed.
!Closes 30 September 2026 at 11:59 pm Helsinki time, and your supervisor must email the reference letter separately.
!You must be in Helsinki from April to June 2027. Dependents' costs are not covered, and non-Schengen fellows need a visa.

Sources checked

WIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWWwww2.wider.unu.eduOfficialWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyWIwider.unu.eduApplyOPopportunitiesforyouth.orgOfficial

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