Observatoire des politiques culturelles - OPC Support to Doctoral Research

OPC Support to Doctoral Research

You will receive 15,000 EUR for a PhD project on cultural policy in the French-speaking part of Belgium (the Wallonia-Brussels Federation). The amount will be paid in three equal instalments of 5,000 EUR each. You will receive the first instalment within three months of the grant being awarded. You will receive the second instalment after you have submitted an interim report with a positive assessment from your supervisor. You will receive the third instalment as soon as you have successfully defended your thesis and written an article of between 30,000 and 60,000 characters for the OPC’s ‘Ph.D. Review’ series. You must apply for the last two instalments within five years of the grant being awarded. You will also present a summary of your research work at the Federation’s annual public research day. The best PhD student presentation there may be awarded a further 1,000 EUR. Funding is provided by the Observatoire des politiques culturelles (OPC), the cultural policy research institute of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Who can apply

• Level: You are a PhD student.
• Where you study: You are enrolled at a university or other higher education institution in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking Belgium).
• Research topic: Your project must focus on the cultural policy or cultural practices of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Work relating to other regions or countries will only be considered if you clearly explain how the findings can be applied to this policy.
• Language: You are writing your research paper in French.
• Field of study: All subjects in the humanities and social sciences are eligible, for example sociology, political science, law, cultural economics, history, philosophy, psychology, anthropology, communication studies and public policy management.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Repeat applications: You may submit the same project up to three times, provided you outline the project’s development. If you have already won once, you may apply again with a different project in a different discipline.
• Not eligible: Projects that have already received funding from the OPC as part of a public contract.

How to apply

Please submit your application using the provided form by email to the OPC. The application deadline for the 2026-2027 round is 18 January 2027. A panel comprising academics and OPC researchers will assess the projects in terms of their quality, originality, anticipated impact on cultural policy, your academic achievements and your funding requirements.

How realistic are your chances?

Only one project is awarded a grant each year. The jury may also decide not to award a prize at all if no project is deemed convincing enough, as was the case in the year 2021.

You can find more scholarships in our guide Scholarships in Belgium.