For these types of candidates only a yearly contribution to the MARES fund has to be paid (240 euro). They also need to fulfill the MARES requirements in order to receive a MARES PhD.
These types of candidates will have equal rights in the MARES network and thus will have access to the same facilities as MARES candidates with an Erasmus Mundus grant.
A major advantage of participating in MARES without a MARES PhD grant is that these candidates will have access to dedicated MARES trainings at much lower costs than other (non-MARES) candidates.
How to participate without an Erasmus Mundus PhD grant?
- You will need academic admission from the MARES Management Board in order to be allowed to the programme. In case you have applied for MARES and been put on the “reserve list” of a specific MARES call you are automatically considered as academically admitted. In case you did not apply yet, the MARES Secretariat will check your CV and in case admitted you will receive a pre admission letter.
- By the end of February all candidates that applied for Erasmus Mundus funding will have been notified of their preliminary selection status: either they are selected for an EM grant (main list), are put on the reserve list, or are not selected at all. By the end of April, the candidates will have received the official selection news, confirmed by EU/EACEA.
- After the MARES Secretariat has received the official selection news from EU/EACEA (by the end of April) we relay this message to the candidates on the main list & reserve list. Academic eligible candidates (reserve-list candidates) can ask for a Pre-Admission Letter to the MARES Programme. This letter can be useful for the candidates’ search for funding. Note that these letters are only sent upon request of the candidate.
- By April/May an updated Subject Catalogue is published on the MARES website. Candidates will no longer be able to apply for a Doctoral subject that has already been awarded to a selected candidate. Non selected subjects and subjects that were originally not offered for Erasmus Mundus funding will be listed in this updated catalogue.
- In the First Edition of MARES we published a Subject Catalogue containing 29 PhD subjects open for Erasmus Mundus funding. Nine subjects were selected. In the updated catalogue 17 subjects were added. So reserve candidates are able to choose between 37 PhD subjects.
- In the Second Edition of MARES, the Subject Catalogue contained 21 Phd subjects open for Erasmus Mundus Funding. Nine subjects were selected. The Subject catalogue was then updated in May 2012 and contained only those subjects still unawarded to candidates.
- Optional: Contacting the promoters: End of May / Begin of June all the supervisors were contacted by the MARES Secretariat in order to know whether the unawarded PhD subjects could still be advertised on the MARES Website ; and whether their contact details may be published online. The MARES Secretariat expects to have the contact details of those PhD subjects that are still open to apply for (on the basis of self found funding) published online by June 8th 2012.
- Optional: Pre-Approval of the promoter of a certain Doctoral Subject. It is possible that - when applying at other funding sources than MARES - you require a pre-approval of the promoter of the doctoral subject you want to do research on. In this case, contact the MARES Secretariat for pre approval of the promoter, in order to know whether he/she can accept you as a doctoral student. The MARES Secretariat will contact the promoters on a bi-weekly basis. This is not the same as a formal approval.
- As soon as a candidate has found funding, and has come to an agreement with the promoter, he/she should contact the MARES Secretariat. The MARES Secretariat will then ask the promoter(s) of the subject for formal approval on acceptance of the candidate for the PhD subject. Once this is done further administrative follow up will be started by the MARES Secretariat. In order to get the formal approval of the promoter, the candidate needs to write a motivation (in the form of a letter) for that particular PhD subject he/she is applying for, wherein the candidate introduces him/herself and shows that he/she is the best person for the job.
- You need to be academically eligible
- You can ask for a pre-admission letter
- You need to find funding yourself: the MARES Secretariat is not helping all candidates in finding funding
- As soon as you have found funding, the MARES Secretariat will ask the approval of the promoter in question. You need a motivation letter for this. When we have received the approval, we will start the necessary paperwork.