Opportunities Abroad for PhDs

Introduction 

Doctoral students, as both students and staff, have a variety of options to apply for and participate in Erasmus+ and other funded opportunities. Some opportunities may not come with funding, but instead with other advantages, such as tuition waivers. Which, or whether, one is appropriate will depend very much on where you are going, the purpose of the trip, and the duration of your stay. Brief summaries with links to more detailed information are below.

Within Europe

Erasmus+ student mobility - studies

Five-day minimum full-time studies at a partner university in a programme country (EU/EEA). For PhD students, this can include data collection, writing, etc towards your doctoral thesis (avhandlingsföreberdande aktivitet).

Link to more information about studies abroad on the Student portal

Erasmus+ student mobility - traineeship

Five-day minimum internships at a company, university, organisation, institute, etc in an Erasmus+ programme country (EU/EEA). For PhD students this can even include thesis writing, research experience, data collection, etc.

Link to more information about Erasmus+ internships on the Student portal

Erasmus+ staff mobility – teacher exchange

Two day minimum, and eight teaching hours (per week), teaching at a partner university in an Erasmus+ programme country (EU/EEA). If combined with staff training, the teaching minimum is reduced to four hours per week. Teaching can take a variety of forms, and can even include team-teaching with a mentor.

Link to more information about Erasmus+ staff teaching

Erasmus+ staff mobility – staff training

Two day minimum, two week maximum training related to your work duties. Training can take place at a company, institute, organisation. It can also be job-shadowing, a (short) course related to your current/planned work, workshops. Examples for doctorals have included clinical or lab work/shadowing in a needed skill, short course related to needed skills or methods, job shadowing. This is training, not personal research-related.

Link to more information about Erasmus+ staff training

Erasmus+ preparation trips within Europe

Two day minimum mobility to any Erasmus+ programme country (EU/EEA) to discuss and develop Erasmus partnership or application preparation. Must be directly tied to Erasmus activity planning. Note: external funding.

Link to more information at UHR (in Swedish)

Outside Europe

University-wide agreements

These are bilateral exchange agreements with partners outside of Europe. These agreements are organized centrally through the International Centre. It is not guaranteed which ones will accept PhDs, and will depend on your research area, but we are happy to ask. The advantage with these is that there is no minimum time, and could potentially be used for studies, research, or a combination. They do not come with a stipendium. Final decisions are up to the partner.

Link to the list of partners on the Student Portal.

PhD Programme at UC Berkeley

Tuition-free research opportunity at University of California, Berkeley (USA). 

Link to more information about the Berkeley visiting PhD programme

Erasmus+ preparation trips outside Europe

Two day minimum mobility to any Erasmus+ partner country (outside EU/EEA) to discuss and develop Erasmus partnership or application preparation. Must be directly tied to Erasmus activity planning. Note: external funding.

Link to more information at UHR (in Swedish)

Networks

University membership in international networks

The University of Gothenburg is a part of several international networks and projects, some of which offer services and research connections which could be useful.

Link to the page Collaboration in different parts of the world

EAIE

The European Association for International Education (EAIE) provides access to a variety of networking opportunities, including ones aimed specifically at PhD students. If your research or dissertation involves internationalization (especially internationalization of education), you can gain access to colleagues, information and inspiration via LinkedIn and a free online tool. Read more under the heading ”Are you an internationalisation researcher?” and Research Degree Projects in Internationalisation of Education.

General grants and scholarships

For information about and links to research and other scholarship funds, see the University of Gothenburg's Grants and Scholarships pages. You can find links to internal and external financing opportunities, scholarship databases, and more. Another funding mechanism that can be of interest is Marie Sklodowska Curie Action (MSCA).

Note: the grants and scholarship pages are not maintained by the International Centre.