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The Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship Programme recognises
and supports exceptional students who show the potential
to make an outstanding contribution to science and computing.
The programme supports PhD students in computing and
those working at the intersection of computing and the
sciences. Joint applications by two supervisors from
different disciplines are especially encouraged.
Eligibility Criteria
We will usually only consider one application per university
department or per laboratory of a national research institution.
Only applications from the following countries will be
considered: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia,
Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, Ukraine, and the United
Kingdom. Some additional criteria
apply in some of these countries (please see special
notes in the Application Process section).
Only
applications in research areas relatively close to the
ones researchers at Microsoft Research in Cambridge
focus on will be considered. These areas, which are
described in details on the respective pages, are:
Except otherwise stated,
applications may only be submitted through the
online application system.
Application Process
Applications will be accepted in English and in electronic
form only through the online application system at
http://microsoft.redwhale.com/. After you create an
application in the online application system, you can modify
it at any time before the application deadline.
Applications will only be accepted through a
student’s institution, such as from the PhD supervisor
or a departmental secretary. We will not accept
applications from students directly.
Applications should contain the following:
- An online Web form
that includes contact details of supervisor(s) and
possible reviewers. Ideally, one of the suggested
reviewers should be from Microsoft Research. If no
suitable Microsoft researcher can be identified, it
may mean that the proposed research project is too
far from our areas of interest.
- A project proposal of
maximum
four (4) A4 pages in 10-point font,
including references. Accepted formats: plain text or
Microsoft Word only.
The research project proposal should address the following
points:
- Evidence that the
research supervisor would be suitable to supervise
of a PhD student for the proposed research project;
this may include a short list of recent and relevant
publications of the supervisor.
- Evidence that the department
or laboratory offers a suitable environment for research
in the proposed area.
- Basis for the research
(motivations and brief state-of-the-art, including key
references).
- Hypothesis under investigation
and main aims.
- Research strategy with
significant milestones if identified.
- Methods of research (for
example, main techniques, experiments, and trials).
- Details of any collaboration
with other departments/research bodies.
- Expected outcomes (for
example, software tools).
Applications must be received no later than Wednesday,
17 September 2008 midnight (GMT). Applications must
be complete and received by the deadline to be considered.
Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.
France
In France, we would like to encourage,
when appropriate, the use of “Conventions
CIFRE”. Applicants will still need to apply as described
on this page, and will need to tick the appropriate box
on the application form.
Germany
In Germany, some PhD scholarships are
offered to some students of the
International Max Planck
Research School for Computer Science. For other institutions,
please follow the instructions on this page.
Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, PhD
Scholarships are offered through the
Post Graduate Research Scholarship Scheme of the
Irish Research Council for
Science, Engineering and Technology.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, we are able to
offer co-funding with the UK Research Councils through the
Dorothy Hodgkin
Postgraduate Awards. Interested applicants simply need
to tick the appropriate box on the application form.
Selection Process
Applications are on a competitive basis and we anticipate
a high level of demand for scholarships (the average
selection rate has been around 17% over the last 4
years). Following receipt
of such applications, each will be carefully reviewed by
researchers from universities and from Microsoft Research
and the best proposals will be selected. (View
a copy of the review form.)
Decisions will be made solely at the discretion of Microsoft
Research and all decisions are final.
We aim to make the awards by Friday,
28 November 2008.
Supervisors will then have up to one year (from the day of
notification) to propose the best and most suitable student
possible to carry out the proposed research project.
The student, who can be of any nationality, should not
have started his or her PhD before September 2008.
After a student is identified, we will request a CV and
two strong letters of recommendation (in English and preferably
not from the supervisor) from professors familiar with the
student’s work and we may decide to interview the student
by phone.
The
terms of the agreement between successful applicants
and their university with Microsoft Research have been developed
over the course of the last few years with input from numerous
research organisations around Europe to ensure that they
are appropriate and equitable.
Awards
Each Microsoft Scholar will be awarded a bursary of up
to 33,000 euros/22,000 pounds per year up to a maximum of three years.
The award will be made automatically the following years
after the first one, provided the scholar meets the requirements
of the university. Payment will be made to the university.
The amount of the scholarship is the maximum amount Microsoft
Research will pay to the university. For more details, see
our terms and conditions. In addition, every scholar will
receive a laptop with a selection of software applications.
During the course of their PhD, Scholars will be
invited to Microsoft Research in Cambridge for a Summer
School that includes a series of talks of academic
interest and posters sessions, which will give the
Scholars the opportunity to present their work to
Microsoft researchers and a number of Cambridge
academics (for example, see the
2008 Summer School programme).
Some of the scholars may also be offered at Microsoft
Research’s sole discretion an
internship in one of the Microsoft
Research laboratories. Internships will involve working
on a project alongside and as part of a team of Microsoft
researchers. Students will be paid during their internship
on top of their scholarship bursary. Interested Scholars will need to apply themselves
through the
Microsoft Research Internship website.
Privacy Statement
The information provided in the application will be used
for making our decision for the Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship
only. We may pass this information to external academic
reviewers who have agreed to help us review the applications.
All information contained in this application shall be considered
by Microsoft to be non-confidential. Universities should
not submit information that is confidential, restricted,
or sensitive in any way and Microsoft will assume no responsibility
for protecting or disclosing any such information, once
submitted. Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy.
For more information, see the full
Microsoft
Online Privacy Statement.
Contact us
If you have questions that are not answered on this page,
please contact msrphd@microsoft.com.
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