UM China Team
The UM China Team brings together delegates from all faculties within the university. Our efforts are primarily focussed on recruiting qualified Chinese students (BA, MA, and PhD candidates), as well as managing different partnerships with academic institutions in China. The team meets regularly and discusses all (new) opportunities related to academic exchanges towards China.
Members of the UM China Team also join the yearly PhD workshop in China. It's an important opportunity to meet qualified and motivated PhD candidates. Additionally, we support science and educational projects, facilitate research projects between UM and academic institutions, organise events with current Chinese students and their supervisors, and provide additional support where necessary.
Main contact
CSC scholarship officer: Luc van den Akker
UM-China@maastrichtuniversity.nl
All faculties have a representative in the UM China Team. They can be contacted if you have any questions about China or Chinese students in a specific faculty or research field.
| Who | Position |
|---|---|
| Luc van den Akker | CSC scholarship officer |
| Dr. Aneta Spendzharova | Coordinator Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
| Prof. dr. Thomas Krafft | Coordinator Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Primary Care and Public Health |
| Prof. dr. Niels Philipsen | Coordinator Faculty of Law |
| Mr. Marcel Giezen | Coordinator Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience |
| Dr. Nico Roos | Coordinator Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Dr. Peiran Jiao | Coordinator School of Business and Economics |
UM and China Scholarship Council
The most important Chinese partner for UM is the China Scholarship Council (CSC). This organisation provides scholarships to Chinese PhD candidates, as well as postdocs and other students to a lesser extent, so they can conduct research at UM.
Most Chinese candidates get government funding from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) since UM and the CSC have a cooperative agreement. Within this framework, UM annually provides 40 to 60 research scholarships to qualified Chinese Master students from universities or research institutions. Beyond the guaranteed spots, you're welcome to apply through the CSC General Programme as well.
Research cooperation with China
As a research and innovation powerhouse, China is an important partner for the EU in tackling global challenges. At the same time, China's position as an economic competitor and a systemic rival calls for a rebalancing of research and innovation cooperation. The EU launched discussions with China on a joint roadmap to establish framework conditions and guiding principles for cooperation. This will not only provide us with a level playing field, but also showcases reciprocity while respecting fundamental values, high ethical and scientific integrity standards.
On this basis, research fields in which cooperation could be mutually beneficial will be identified such as climate science and biodiversity protection, circular economy, health, food, agriculture, aquaculture, and ocean observation. Creating a level playing field and showing reciprocity will be crucial to developing our cooperation with China. The aim is to encourage universities and research institutions to ensure a higher degree of reciprocity and mutual benefit in their cooperation with Chinese partners.
CSC application roadmap
You can check out our overview of CSC PhD projects on this webpage. Once you've agreed with your supervisor(s) and/or promotor(s) to apply for the CSC-UM PhD Programme, you'll need to fill out this application form (printed version) and return it by email to our office.
Throughout the process there are several deadlines and steps to remember.
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Collecting and uploading the projects
Collecting and uploading the projects September-October OffIn September and October, all projects for the next round of UM-CSC applications will be collected at the central level. From early October onwards, PIs should send an e-mail with their project outlines to um-china@maastrichtuniversity.nl no later than 1 October. The outlines will be uploaded to SurfDrive and subsequently published on our website.
We put our projects under different faculties, but many have an inter- or multidisciplinary approach. Additionally, some projects may be describing a more general theme or field of research, whereas others are very specific.
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Composing a candidates list
Composing a candidates list Mid-January OffAll applications are collected at the central level at the beginning of each calendar year. Any newly submitted projects and candidates after this first deadline will be automatically referred to the General Programme and thus peer-reviewed by the CSC. For the Cooperative Programme, faculties will prioritize candidates and projects as requested by their respective vice-deans.
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Registration on the CSC website - Requirements
Registration on the CSC website - Requirements Early March OffThe final list of UM-CSC applicants within the Cooperative and General Programme will be available at the beginning of March. All candidates will then be informed so they can mark in their submission under which programme (cooperative or general) they are applying.
Candidates can submit their application to CSC starting from 10 March till 31 March, 2023 to our office.
The candidates are responsible to provide a complete set of the relevant application documents by email to our office:
- Completed application Form for Study Abroad by China Scholarship Council
- Recommendation letter from candidate’s home university (in case still enrolled in the MScs program or applying for joint supervision)
- Copy of official invitation letter/admission letter (to be provided by UM supervisor)
- Research Plan (1500-3000 words) -> template attached (to be completed in collaboration with UM supervisor and if applicable counterpart in China for joint PhD projects)
- CV of the supervisor signed on every page, including signature from the promotor
- Copy of foreign language proficiency certificate (if any), otherwise a reference from the PI that the candidate’s English is sufficient as assessed during the interview(s).
- Copy of valid ID card, indicating that candidate holds Chinese citizenship.
- Copy of highest degree/degree certificate
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Assessment and final results
Assessment and final results April-May OffThe Chinese jury makes a final decision after the assessment and publishes the list of approved students by mid-June. The final outcome will be sent to the applicant, as well as to the UM China Team.
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Visa and finalizing the application
Visa and finalizing the application July onwards OffOnce everything is confirmed, the candidate will have to take care of the visa application and book plane tickets and get it approved by the CSC. Afterwards, the CSC agreement will have to be signed and the deposit paid. Generally, CSC PhD candidates start on 1 September.