The VLIRUOS ICP Connect scholarship funds the TROPIMUNDO Master of Science in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, coordinated by VUB. Students start in Brussels, spend a semester at a tropical university in Kenya or the Philippines, then continue at European partners and finish with a thesis.
The current call is for study starting in the 2027–2028 academic year.
Benefits & funding
- Covers tuition fees, travel, insurance and living expenses (board and lodging).
- Two master years, one full semester of them in the tropics.
- Graduates receive a joint master’s degree from the European institutions they attended.
- Cannot be combined with any other scholarship or grant for this or another programme.
Eligibility
- Nationality of one of these countries, and residence in any of them at the time of application (the two may differ): Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
- No older than 35 on 1 January of the intake year.
- A Bachelor of Science (180 ECTS) in Biology, Natural Sciences, Environmental Sciences or equivalent from an accredited university.
- English, or English plus French and/or Spanish.
- One ICP Connect application per year; no earlier Belgian government study scholarship, and no enrolment at a Belgian higher-education institution before 1 January of the intake year.
- Preference (not a requirement) for people working in, or aiming for, higher education, government or civil society.
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 · Bolivia · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cuba · DR Congo · Ecuador · Ethiopia · Guinea · Haiti
+ 17 more
Indonesia · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique · Nicaragua · Niger · Palestine · Peru · Philippines · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Vietnam · Zimbabwe
Residence required
Benin · Bolivia · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cuba · DR Congo · Ecuador · Ethiopia · Guinea · Haiti
+ 17 more
Indonesia · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique · Nicaragua · Niger · Palestine · Peru · Philippines · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Vietnam · Zimbabwe
Education required
Bachelor
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
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Application process
- 1Apply in the TROPIMUNDO online application module and indicate the VLIRUOS scholarship.
- 2Submit between 1 October and 30 November 2026, 23:59:59 CET (the VLIRUOS page still shows last cycle’s 30/11/25 dates).
- 3Referees are emailed automatically and must submit by 3 December 2026.
Program timeline
Online application forms open
Sep 1, 2026
Submission opens
Oct 1, 2026
Scholarship deadline (23:59:59 CET)
Nov 30, 2026
Referee forms due
Dec 3, 2026