TAIWAN - KU LEUVEN
Scholarship Programme
Overview
In August 2016, KU Leuven signed an agreement with the Taiwanese Ministry of Education (MOE) to launch the Taiwan KU Leuven Scholarship Programme.
The programme will commence in October 2017 and will provide tuition fees and stipends for up to 25 incoming Taiwanese students to undertake PhD studies at KU Leuven over the course of the five-year agreement – up to five students each year. The scholarships will be jointly funded by KU Leuven (namely the promotor of each project) and MOE, and will be tenable in all fields of study.
The Taiwan KU Leuven Scholarship includes an annual stipend to cover living expenses and tuition fees. It is awarded for a period of three (3) to four (4) years.
Eligibility
A scholarship is awarded on the condition that the candidate is a Taiwan national who has been admitted to and will continue to pursue a full-time programme leading towards a PhD degree at KU Leuven. Applicants should be ROC citizens normally resident in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Ma Tsu, although those currently residing outside Taiwan are not excluded.
Students selected for the Taiwan KU Leuven Scholarships must be exemplary students who have demonstrated merit through consistently achieving high academic results. They have to meet the academic requirements of the PhD programme to which they seek admission, as well as the published English language proficiency standards. Students already registered for a PhD programme at KU Leuven are not eligible.
Application procedure
- From 2 November 2016 until 15 January 2017, a call for applications will be open at KU Leuven. Students will have to select a PhD project in which they take a keen interest from this list and follow the instructions to apply as explained in the description of the job opening.
- Simultaneously candidates should apply to the Ministry of Education (MOE, Taiwan), using the online application form available at the MOE Scholarship website, between 8 December 2016 and 17 January 2017 (dates subject to change). Applicants will need to provide documents proving they have applied for admission at KU Leuven.
Selection procedure
- After the application deadline at KU Leuven, the best-qualified applicants will be selected by the supervisors and their credentials will be checked subsequently. The doctoral commissions will take the final decision; they will hand over the list of selected candidates to MOE, where the final decision will be taken.
- The names of the laureates will be published on 31 March 2017 by MOE, Taiwan.
- 1 October 2017: commencement of the PhD programmes for the selected candidates at KU Leuven.
Urban Development in Taiwan: an Urban Political Economy apoproach
The connections between real estate (both residential and non-residential), finance and states are under-researched and under-theorized. This research project aims to map and explain and the interconnections between real estate, finance and the state in Taiwan. The research of the PhD student would consist of two main phases: one national, one local. In the first, ‘national’, phase, the PhD student would have to do mostly literature reviews, document analysis and semi-structured in-depth interviews with key figures in real estate, finance and state, including lobby groups, think tanks, social movements and research institutes. The PhD student’s country mapping will be followed by case studies of how the complex works locally, that is in key cities and urban (re-)development projects in Taiwan (which the candidate will select together with the PhD supervisors). At the local level, the same methods will be used, although likely with more use of local media sources. These case studies will not be another example of growth coalitions/machines but will have a central focus on the inclusion of financial institutions in urban change, as this dimension has so far been under-researched. The PhD student will write at least one paper on the national complex and at least one paper on the local case studies. The PhD student will also be encouraged to write comparative papers, either with other members of the research team in Leuven or with Taiwanese academics working on related issues.
If funded, this research project would be part of the research programme ‘The Real Estate/Financial Complex’ which is predominately funded by the European Research Council, internal funds of the KU Leuven and Joint PhD agreements with universities in Spain and Italy. The group currently consists of 6 PhD students, 2 Post-docs and 1 Associate Professor (Dr. Manuel B. Aalbers) who leads the group. We also work with academics in other countries who do related research. We currently doing research in several European countries as well as in Russia, China, Brazil and the United States.
The research group is part of the Division of Geography and Tourism. The successful candidate will work towards a PhD in Geography and will be supported by the Division as well as by the Arenberg Doctoral School at KU Leuven.
More information:
https://icts.kuleuven.be/apps/