VLIRUOS and Belgium’s DGD fund this ICP Connect scholarship for KU Leuven’s two-year Master in Sustainable Development. Scholars study at KU Leuven’s Leuven campus and choose Ecology or Space and Society.
The research-based programme combines interdisciplinary coursework with an internship, thesis and fieldwork through the Sustainable Development Living Lab. It is designed for applicants who can use and transfer sustainability knowledge in their home country or region.
Benefits & funding
- Ten scholarships are available for this programme, covering its full two-year standard duration.
- The scholarship provides a €1,400 monthly allowance covering tuition, living and accommodation costs, health insurance, installation costs and indirect travel costs.
- It also provides an economy ticket to Belgium at the start and a return ticket to the scholar’s country of residence at the end.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant natural-science, social-science or applied environmental field and meet KU Leuven’s programme admission requirements.
- Applicants must be nationals of and reside in any of these eligible countries at application: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Indonesia, Palestine, Philippines, Vietnam, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua or Peru; nationality and residence need not be in the same listed country.
- Applicants must be no older than 35 on 1 January 2026.
- English proficiency must be shown through the programme’s accepted tests unless the stated country-of-study or Belgian-diploma exemption applies.
- Applicants may submit only one ICP Connect scholarship application per year and must not have previously received a Belgian-government study scholarship or enrolled at a Belgian higher-education institution before 1 January 2026.
- Work experience is not mandatory; relevant employment or a career goal in higher education, government or civil society is a preference, while strong recent graduates and private-sector applicants can still be considered.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Benin · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · DR Congo · Ethiopia · Guinea · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique
+ 17 more
Niger · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Zimbabwe · Cambodia · Indonesia · Palestine · Philippines · Vietnam · Bolivia · Cuba · Ecuador · Haiti · Nicaragua · Peru
Residence required
Benin · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · DR Congo · Ethiopia · Guinea · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique
+ 17 more
Niger · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Zimbabwe · Cambodia · Indonesia · Palestine · Philippines · Vietnam · Bolivia · Cuba · Ecuador · Haiti · Nicaragua · Peru
Education required
Bachelor
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
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We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Check both the ICP Connect scholarship rules and KU Leuven admission requirements, then choose either Ecology or Space and Society.
- 2Submit the KU Leuven online programme application by 1 February 2026 and indicate that you are applying for the ICP Connect scholarship.
- 3Include the standard master’s documents, the ICP Connect scholarship document, proof of the application-fee exemption and two recommendation letters in the required format sent from official recommender email addresses.
- 4If an English test result was pending at submission, ensure KU Leuven received it by 1 March 2026.
- 5Track the programme admission stage online; unconditionally or conditionally admitted applicants then enter the scholarship-ranking stage.
Program timeline
Applications opened.
20 October 2025
Programme and scholarship application deadline.
1 February 2026
Final date for pending English-test results to reach KU Leuven.
1 March 2026
Programme starts in Leuven.
September 2026
Two-year programme ends.
September 2028