The ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships 2027 offer an opportunity for doctoral students from developing countries to undertake a nine-month research stay in Germany. The programme is offered through the Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre (ABCD-Centre), a collaborative initiative involving RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Dresden, UNU Resource Nexus, and partner institutions in Asia.
The scholarship is designed for PhD researchers whose work contributes to practical solutions for water security, climate adaptation, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable development. Two scholarships are available for the 2027 round.
Selected researchers will undertake their research from 1 March to 30 November 2027 at one of three German host institutions: RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Dresden, or UNU Resource Nexus in Dresden. Applicants should indicate their preferred host institution in the application.
Degree Level
The ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarship is available for:
- PhD research
- Doctoral research stays
- Visiting research as part of an existing doctoral programme
This is not a scholarship for starting a new PhD in Germany. Applicants must already be registered as full-time doctoral students at a university in a developing country and must have started their PhD within the last three years.
Available Subjects
The call is open to a broad range of research topics connected to the ABCD-Centre’s research clusters.
The three main research clusters cover:
- Water security, water resources management, secure water supply, and water treatment
- Ecosystem resilience and nature-based adaptation measures
- Transfer strategies for climate adaptation, including traditional knowledge, local economies and societal acceptance
For the 2027 call, priority is given to proposals addressing:
- Modelling water infrastructure, digital twins and habitat modelling
- Innovative monitoring for ecosystem resilience and nature-based adaptation
- Climate-driven water extremes in urban areas
- Sustainable business models for unconventional water resources
- Eco-friendly materials and sustainable building solutions for climate adaptation
Applicants may propose other relevant research topics, but projects aligned with the priority themes receive preference.
Host Institutions
Successful applicants can conduct their research at one of the following German institutions:
- RWTH Aachen University – Aachen
- Technische Universität Dresden – Dresden
- UNU Resource Nexus – Dresden
Applicants must indicate their preferred host institution when applying.
The 2027 scholarship package includes:
- €1,200 per month for accommodation and living expenses
- Up to €105 per month as an insurance allowance
- One-time travel support of up to €1,000
- Up to €1,000 for research materials and equipment through the host institution
- Nine-month research stay in Germany.
- Access to the research environment and facilities of the selected host institution
- International research networking and collaboration opportunities
The research stay runs from 1 March through 30 November 2027.
The scholarship supports an existing PhD rather than financing the complete doctoral degree. Applicants therefore remain enrolled at their home university during the research stay.
Eligible Nationalities
The 2027 call is intended for doctoral students from developing countries.
The current call does not publish a separate country-by-country nationality list. Eligibility is instead described in terms of applicants being full-time PhD students at universities in developing countries.
Applicants should therefore verify their country’s eligibility with the ABCD-Centre if there is any uncertainty before preparing the application.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants for the ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships 2027 should generally:
- Be a doctoral student.
- Be registered as a full-time PhD student at a university in a developing country.
- Have started the PhD within the last three years.
- Have a research project relevant to the ABCD-Centre’s research areas.
- Have support from their home university and doctoral supervisor.
- Demonstrate academic and research potential.
- Be proficient in English.
- Be able to conduct the proposed research during the nine months.
- Indicate a preferred German host institution.
- Be willing to spend the full research period in Germany, which is preferred by the programme.
The applicant’s supervisor and home university must agree on the research topic, doctoral timeline, Germany-based research plan and planned contributions to ABCD-Centre outreach activities.
Required Documents
Applicants should compile the following materials into one PDF:
- Personal motivation for the research stay, approximately 2–3 pages
- Sample of a written scientific paper
- Recent curriculum vitae
- Preferred host university
- Support letter from the home institution
- Invitation letter from a German host scientist, preferably
- Statement confirming the ability to work online if remote work is required
- Current enrolment certificate
- Current transcript of records
- Passport copy
The enrolment certificate and transcript should not be older than six months at the application deadline.
How Winners Are Selected
Applications are evaluated by the ABCD-Centre Steering Committee.
Selection considers factors including:
- Academic merit
- Quality of the proposed research
- Motivation
- Relevance of the research to the ABCD-Centre
- Potential to translate research into practical solutions
- Suitability of the proposed German research stay
- Potential contribution to the field
- Communication and adaptability
Applicants who can undertake the complete nine-month research stay in Germany receive preference.
Successful candidates sign an agreement with the host institution and undertake the research stay from March through November 2027.
Application Procedure
Applicants should follow these steps:
- Confirm that you are eligible as a full-time PhD student at a university in a developing country.
- Review the ABCD-Centre research clusters and 2027 priority themes.
- Discuss the proposed research stay with your doctoral supervisor and home university.
- Select a preferred host institution: RWTH Aachen University, TU Dresden, or UNU Resource Nexus.
- Contact a potential host scientist in Germany and, where possible, obtain an invitation letter.
- Prepare the motivation statement and scientific paper sample.
- Obtain the required support letter from your home institution.
- Collect the enrolment certificate, transcript, and passport copy.
- Combine all application materials into a single PDF.
- Email the complete PDF to the ABCD-Centre before the deadline.
There is no separate online application portal indicated in the current call. Applications are submitted by email.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships 2027 is:
- 31 October 2026
Applications must be submitted by email to the ABCD-Centre. The current call does not publish a specific submission time or time zone, so applicants should submit well before the deadline.
Research Stay Duration
The scholarship supports a nine-month research stay:
- Start: 1 March 2027
- End: 30 November 2027
- Duration: 9 months
Applicants willing to spend the complete nine-month period in Germany receive preference.
During the stay, scholars are expected to work on their proposed research project and produce a scientific draft paper based on the research.
Important Points
- Two scholarships are available for 2027.
- The opportunity is for existing PhD students, not new PhD applicants.
- Applicants must have started their PhD within the last three years.
- Applicants must be registered full-time at a university in a developing country.
- The research stay lasts nine months.
- The stay takes place from 1 March to 30 November 2027.
- Research can be hosted at RWTH Aachen University, TU Dresden,n or UNU Resource Nexus.
- The monthly living and accommodation allowance is €1,200.
- Insurance support is available up to €105 per month.
- Travel support is available up to €1,000.
- Up to €1,000 can be allocated for research materials and equipment through the host institution.
- A host-scientist invitation is preferred.
- Applications are submitted as one PDF by email.
- The deadline is 31 October 2026.
- The scholarship supports an existing PhD rather than funding a complete PhD degree.
- Applicants should coordinate their research plan with their home supervisor and university.
