In 2027, three Amsterdam UMC PhD Scholarships will be awarded to excellent students in (and limited to) Medicine, Medical Informatics, Biomedical Sciences or Social Sciences.
The Amsterdam PhD scholarships are financed from core government funding. The amount of the scholarship (in 2027: 370kE) covers most of the costs of a four-year appointment as Research Trainee (Onderzoeker in Opleiding) at the Amsterdam UMC.
Nominations can be submitted between 1 September and 1 October 2026.
Watch Myrthe Simon's movie if you are curious on her experience. She received a Scholarship in 2024.
Requirements, application, submission, selection
To be eligible for the 2027 Amsterdam UMC Scholarship:
- You hold a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Medicine, Medical Informatics,
Biomedical Sciences or Social Sciences from the University of Amsterdam or VU University Amsterdam, which you obtained after 1 January 2026 or will obtain before January 2028,
or
- You hold an MSc degree from another Faculty or University, which you obtained after 1 January 2026 or will obtain before 1 January 2028, and you have completed a scientific internship (wetenschappelijke stage) at Amsterdam UMC, through one of the UvA or VU University Faculties mentioned above, or in one of their affiliated research institutes, NKI, Sanquin, NIN-KNAW, or GGD Amsterdam as part of your curriculum.
And all of the following:
- An Amsterdam UMC professor will act as your PhD supervisor (promotor), which is confirmed by an official (support) letter;
- Your research will be performed mainly at the Amsterdam UMC, or in an Amsterdam UMC affiliated research institute (at least 75% of the time);
- Your research will lead to a PhD dissertation to be defended at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Amsterdam or at the VU University of Amsterdam;
- You will start or have started to work on your PhD trajectory no earlier than 1 June 2026 and no later than 1 March 2028;
Application
To apply for an Amsterdam UMC PhD scholarship, you must submit various documents in a prescribed order, bundled into one PDF document. Please use the available checklist and the application form:
The research proposal can be prepared jointly with your intended PhD supervisor, who must sign it for approval. The application form includes a description of your research project, the name of the Amsterdam UMC department at which you will perform your work, the name of the PhD supervisor, and a budget with the estimated total costs of your research, including the proportions to be met from the scholarship and from elsewhere, such as the department or external sources.
Note: The Amsterdam UMC PhD Scholarship is a personal grant. If the PhD candidate leaves the Amsterdam UMC or abandons the approved research before the end of the contract term, the scholarship lapses.
Submission
Nominations for the PhD Scholarships 2027 can be submitted between 1 September and 1 October, 2026. Please send your submission by e-mail to the Doctoral School.
Note: After sending in your submission, you will receive a confirmation of receipt from the Doctoral School within two weeks. If not, please contact us!
Selection
The committee members review all applications and select which candidates will be invited for a half-hour interview.
By 20 December at the latest, candidates will be informed whether or not they will be invited for an interview and, if so, when they are expected.
Please note that the interviews will take place in the afternoon of 15 January and in the morning of 18 January, 2027 at the AMC location.
Based on the interviews, it is determined which candidates will be nominated to the Executive Board for a PhD Scholarship. The Executive Board decides on the awarding of the Scholarship to these three candidates.