University of Groningen: First round of UEF Grants for M20 PhD Program awards PhD position at Agricola School for Sustainable Development

Good news for prof. dr. Bert Scholtens, prof. dr. Klaus Hubacek, dr. Frans Sijtsma and the Rudolph Agricola School for Sustainable Development/Sustainable Society.

The UEF’s M20 PhD Program has provided a first round of grants worth 1.160.000 Euro to advance research at the UG newly launched Schools. The new grants will fund four PhD positions in support of the Schools’ interdisciplinary and innovative vision.

The Rudolph Agricola School for Sustainable Development has been awarded one of the PhD positions on the research proposal called: ‘Innovative financial instruments for sustainable landscapes, about the use of “green finance” and new financial instruments to promote the conservation of natural ecosystems and protect biodiversity’ by prof. dr. Bert Scholtens, prof. dr. Klaus Hubacek and dr. Frans Sijtsma.

This is one of the four proposals selected from a pool of 55 by a Scientific Committee for Admissions. Each project brings together perspectives from different fields around research topics grounded in socially relevant issues.

Following this first pilot round, the UEF will fund 10 additional PhD positions for the Schools each year, starting in 2023. It is the foundation’s first grantmaking project for scholarships of this magnitude. The M20 PhD Program was funded exclusively by a charitable donation from a private individual, providing a unique source of funding to candidates.