Call for the Bruinsma Scholarship 2016-2017

Gain experience and compete for a PhD position
Highly talented graduates or students in the second year of their Research Master in a discipline closely related to Criminology (among which Social Sciences, Child Development, Criminology, Psychology, Demographics, Economics, Econometrics, Anthropology, Law) can apply for a Bruinsma Scholarship. The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) will grant a maximum of three Bruinsma Scholarships each academic year.
What is a Bruinsma Scholarship?
The scholarship is named after the former director of NSCR, Gerben Bruinsma.
The Bruinsma Scholarship aims to support young academicians in obtaining a grant proposal from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Should you be awarded the NWO PhD grant, you will be employed at NSCR for four years for carrying out a 4-year PhD research. NWO PhD grants are a great way to start an academic career, but highly competitive.
NSCR offers three Bruinsma Scholarships a year.
What is the procedure for a Bruinsma Scholarship?
If you want to apply for a Bruinsma Scholarship, it is advisable to first discuss your research interests and ambitions for a PhD position with NSCR researchers who may act as supervisor or co-supervisor. If your ideas match the NSCR research programme and you meet the formal criteria, you will as a first step prepare and submit a preproposal for an NWO Research Talent grant. This preproposal contains a short description of the PhD research plans together with an extensive resume. The preproposal should be submitted before 27 September.
By December 2016 NWO will inform candidates whether they may proceed in drafting a full proposal. If you have been selected for drafting a full proposal in December, you will in principle be awarded a Bruinsma Scholarship [1].
What do you do within a Bruinsma Scholarship?
Those who are granted the Bruinsma Scholarship will be employed part-time (from January 1 to July 1, minimum 10 hours per week) as a junior researcher (for graduates) or do an (for those still enrolled in a Research Master). During the employment or internship you will firstly draft the full proposal together with a supervisor. These full proposals should be submitted 7 March 2017. In addition, you may be trained for an interview if the proposal has to be defended, take additional courses, and engage in research in collaboration with your supervisor. As NSCR regularly carries out contract research, Bruinsma candidates generally are able to complement these 10 hours with additional paid research activities.
The final NWO decision is published by mid June 2017. If your proposal is selected for funding by NWO, you will be appointed as a PhD candidate at NSCR. If not, you will have received a 6-month thorough training that significantly adds to your resume.
Who can apply for a Bruinsma Scholarship?
The conditions for applying for a Bruinsma Scholarship follow the conditions to apply for an NWO PhD grant:

• Average Ba grade of 7.5 or higher (GPA of 3.37 or higher)
• Average (first year Research Master) Ma grade 8.0 or higher (GPA 3.95 or higher)
• Proven societal or scientific extracurricular activities

What research topics are eligible for a Bruinsma Scholarship?
NSCR’s research focuses on a number of themes, such as: life-course criminology, intergenerational continuities in offending, terrorism and violent extremism, empirical legal studies, punishment, spatiotemporal patterns in crime, criminal events, wildlife crime and cybercrime. The NSCR website lists these themes as research clusters (see Research). Research topics should fall under one or more of the NSCR clusters.
How do I apply for a Bruinsma Scholarship?
Send a motivation letter together with full resume and list of grades (BA and MA) before August 24, 2016, to secretariaat@nscr.nl, in reference to “Bruinsma Scholarship 2016-2017”. Questions? Please also send your inquiry to secretariaat@nscr.nl.
[1] If in any given year more than three candidates are allowed to draft a full proposal, NSCR will select the most promising three.
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