ITM-DGD Sandwich PhD Call 2026 launched!
The Individual Sandwich PhD Scholarship Programme ITM-DGD Call 2026 is now open for application!
The Sandwich PhD call has been opened for applications with deadline for submission, 15/9/2026.
In the 2026 call round, the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) at Antwerp will award maximally 4 to 6 PhD grants to outstanding PhD candidates as part of a comprehensive capacity strengthening programme supported by the Directorate General for Development (DGD), ‘The Health We Share - Strengthening Health systems through Science, Innovations and Transformative partnerships, 2027-2031’. Two of the 6 PhD grant awards are earmarked for PhD candidates embedded in a strategic or collaborating partner institution of the 2027-2031 Programme ‘The Health we share’.
With the PhD grants we aim to support the next generation of researchers in their development into independent researchers by giving them the opportunity to carry out a scientific challenging and innovative PhD project relevant to the programme’s outcomes and contributing to capacity strengthening. The PhD proposal must be aligned with the broad outcome themes as presented in the 2027-2030 ‘Health we share programme’: 1. epidemic and pandemic preparedness, 2. control and elimination of tropical infectious diseases, 3. sexual and reproductive health and rights, 4. policy support. Prospective PhD candidates embedded in a Strategic or Collaborating partner institute must explain how their PhD research is linked to the programme’s cluster activities on the related topic.
The PhD grants are of the ‘sandwich’ type, meaning that the student will spend the doctoral research time partly in the home institute/country and partly at ITM. The grant is awarded after a competitive procedure based on the evaluation of academic merit, a full PhD project proposal and the quality and relevance of the institutional and supervisory set-up.
For more information on the eligibility criteria, regulations and procedure, check the Call here attached. Or visit the ITM website here.
Application deadline: 15/09/2026