Guide for postdoctoral, visiting researcher, or visiting doctoral student applying for CSC scholarship

Matchmaking: From November to February the following year

From November to February the following year, you should identify a potential KI supervisor according to your research interests from the list of KI hosts published at China Scholarship Council (CSC) website. The list contains descriptions of research projects as well as the prospective hosts’ names, and their email addresses. The list will be published in late October.

When you find a project of interest, contact the hosts to investigate whether there exists a professional and personal match as the basis of working together. You and the potential KI mentor works out the research plan for the postdoctoral training or visiting scholars’ research at KI. 
 

Prepare your application: Before mid-March 

If a mutual agreement is reached between you and a potential host, the host will provide you with the documents needed for your application to CSC. Please also check the detailed instructions on the CSC website. Documents required for your application to CSC include:

• A detailed plan for the research training, usually 2-4 pages, dated and signed by the host.
• A dated and signed curriculum vitae (CV) from the host at KI. Please note that you need to provide the KI host with the template for the research plan and the CV as required by CSC.
• A letter of invitation, using KI’s template, provided by the host. The invitation letter should be co-signed by the head of department, and a copy of the letter of invitation must be sent to KI international office for documentation, and for KI’s endorsement to CSC. CSC will only consider applications with invitation letters included in the official KI endorsement list.

Please note that:

• If you apply for the scholarship as a visiting PhD student, there is no official eligibility assessment required if you have already been admitted to doctoral studies.
• If you apply for the scholarship as a visiting researcher, you must obtain an approval from your current employer for the application for CSC scholarships before setting up an application with a KI host.
• If you apply for the scholarship as a post-doc, you must obtain an approval from your current Chinese employer. Applicants without an employment will not be considered by CSC.
• Top-up scholarship by your hosts at KI is compulsory for post-docs, but not for visiting researchers or visiting doctoral students.

Submit your application: March 

A complete application for a KI-CSC scholarship includes two parts, an online application and a hardcopy application. ​​​​Upon completing the online application, you must also submit the hardcopy of the application, including all required documents, to your home universities/institutions for institutional endorsement/recommendation.

For the endorsement of applicants, an official list of the applicants is made from the copies of the invitation letters sent to KI International Relations Office. The list of endorsed applicants will be sent to CSC afterwards. Only applicants that have been endorsed by KI will be considered by CSC.

After the institutional endorsement procedures, the home universities/institutions will mail the hardcopy of the applications to CSC in April. Notably, CSC must receive both the online and the hardcopy applications). Hence, it is highly recommended that you complete the online application and proceed to institutional endorsement early.
 

Selection of Candidates by CSC: April - May

CSC organizes independent evaluations of all submitted applications during April - May. CSC informs applicants’ home universities/institutions, as well as KI, of the outcome of the applications in late May. KI International Relations Office informs KI supervisors/hosts of the outcomes of CSC scholarship applications upon receiving the notifications from CSC.

The KI host will then work out the research project conducted at KI with you. When the decision has been taken and the KI supervisor is informed, the KI host will send you a letter with further instructions on how to proceed.

More information for Chinese e citizens and residents to study abroad with a CSC sponsorship can be found at the CSC website.

English Proficiency Requirement by CSC

CSC requires a qualified English proficiency score of the scholarship awardees. English proficiency tests recognized by CSC include PETS-5 (全国外语水平考试, WSK), TOEFL, and IELTS.

Q&A

Can a person with a master’s degree apply for a post-doc position?

No. China Scholarship Council only regards candidates who have completed both master’s degree and doctoral degree as qualified candidates for a post-doc scholarship.

Do CSC scholarship-funded visiting doctoral students receive a partial salary or a top-up scholarship from a KI host?

No. According to the regulation of the Swedish Migration Agency, CSC scholarship-funded visiting doctoral students (exchange doctoral students) can only visit KI on a visitor’s permit (maximum 12 months, non-extendable). Therefore, it is not possible to pay a partial salary to CSC scholarship-funded visiting doctoral students. The CSC scholarship of SEK 15,000 each month is above the minimal living support set by the Swedish Migration Agency. The amount should be sufficient for a student living in Solna.

Am I eligible for a Mecenat card as a visiting doctoral student?

Yes. You can apply for a Mecenat card as a visiting doctoral student. To become a student union member, you will need to provide 1. Contact information, 2. A certificate of current studies at KI, 3. Payment of the membership fee to Medicinska Föreningen. You can find more information at the following link:

https://medicinskaforeningen.se/en/member/become-a-member/

Which type of residence permit should I apply for?

• Doctoral degree student - You should apply for a residence permit for doctoral studies: Migration Agency – Residence permit for doctoral studies
   
• Visiting doctoral student - You should apply for a residence permit for visitors: Migration Agency – Residence permit for visitors
   
• Postdoctoral fellow & Visiting researcher- You should apply for a residence permit for researchers if you are going to conduct research at KI Migration Agency – Residence permit for researchers

Where can I get the hosting agreement for the application of residence permit for researchers?

The hosting agreement should be issued by an authorized staff at KI. For example, the principal supervisor, the department’s director of studies or the head of the department. It should be signed by both KI and the researcher.
 Hosting Agreement for Visiting Researchers in Sweden

Can I extend my CSC scholarship if my study plan has been delayed due to the covid-19 pandemic?

No. You cannot extend the CSC scholarship due to the impact of covid-19 pandemic.