Belgium’s Vlamse Interuniversitaire Raad – University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS) through the University of Ghent (UGent) has awarded a scholarship to Joey Genevieve T. Martinez, faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS) of the College of Science and Mathematics, to complete a doctorate degree.
VLIR-UOS, the scholarship arm of the Belgian (Flemish) government which has forged an agreement with the MSU-IIT, aims to strengthen the academic ties between Flemish universities and those in the developing countries.
Martinez joins Dr. Ruben F. Amparado and Dr. Tom Moens of UGent in working on his PhD project starting in October on the abandoned mining site in Samar using nematodes as ecological indicators.
Martinez and Amparado are both faculty members of the department and alumni of one of Belgium’s most prestigious universities.
Aside from the financial support to the scholar, VLIR-UOS will also provide monetary assistance to upgrade the Environmental Research laboratory of the DBS. The research project collaborated in by scientists from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands will run for four years.
The VLIR-UOS awards ten PhD scholars from different countries who are excellent master graduates of Flemish universities. At present, VLIR-UOS offers one of the most generous scholarships in the world. The Cooperation does not only award master degrees to students but continues to support their alumni through competitive PhD scholarships and post-doctoral studies. VLIR scholars can also avail of funding for research projects in their respective countries, a maximum of 10 with grants worth 300,000 Euros each, or the approximate equivalent of P18M.
This year, three Filipinos were granted VLIR-UOS PhD scholarships. The other two are researchers from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Luzon and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) in the Visayas.
Topics : biology