Deadline: 30 September 2025

The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) is now accepting applications for its Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to utilise the resources and facilities at UNU-WIDER for their PhD dissertation or thesis research on developing economies and to collaborate with UNU-WIDER researchers in areas of mutual interest. If selected, you will have the opportunity to spend up to three months at UNU-WIDER (Helsinki, Finland) with all expenses covered.

Topics

Applicants must be enrolled in a PhD programme and have demonstrated the ability to research developing economies. Candidates working in other social sciences may apply; however, they should note that UNU-WIDER is an economics-focused institute.

Funding

The fellowship includes a travel grant to cover the costs of travel to and from the location of the applicant’s PhD-granting institution, medical insurance (for medical and hospital services resulting from sickness and accident during the stay at UNU-WIDER) and a monthly stipend of €2,070 to cover living expenses in Helsinki during the period of their fellowship. The programme does not provide services or cover expenses related to dependents. The monthly stipend mentioned below applies only to the period of stay in Helsinki, not to online activities.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must be enrolled in a PhD programme. Candidates should be fluent in oral and written English and possess good quantitative and/or qualitative analytical skills. Applications from suitably qualified early-career researchers, particularly those from female- and developing-country backgrounds, are particularly encouraged. The programme is especially addressed to researchers at later stages of their PhD.

Duration

Fellows typically spend three consecutive months at UNU-WIDER before returning to their home institution.

How to apply

The link to the applications is available on UNU-WIDER opportunities page.  As part of your application, you will be asked to upload your curriculum vitae. Your PhD supervisor will need to provide UNU-WIDER with a letter of reference, which should be emailed (by your supervisor) to the following address: phdreference@wider.unu.edu. The reference letter will also be used to certify that you are enrolled in a PhD programme at your university.

Supporting material

You can read about previous experiences from the programme, here. The Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme is highly competitive, and only a limited number of fellows can be accepted. In recent years, only 1% of all applications have been successful. For tips on writing the proposal, consult the Q&A page.

Additional information can be found here.