Hi there,
Just a simple question. On the continent, especially in Benelux and Germany, there are more PhD-projects than interested and serious candidates. How is this situation in the UK? How would my chances be with a MSc (cum laude) in (Evolutionary) Microbiology?

In general there are more projects available in the UK than in other European countries. In some circumstances only partial funding is available for EU nationals, but many projects have full funding available for all EU students. A PhD in the UK is funded for three years and it is expected that a thesis will be submitted within four, which is a shorter time period than in Benelux, where a PhD is an even more serious and long term undertaking.

You are right, in the Benelux, most PhD projects take at least 4 years. I know of one which took a little over 9. However, you get payed a lot more, because the new system (starting this academic year) enables the universities to draw the best students, using the paycheck as a bate (possible up to 1800 GBP a month, taxes have to be payed though, being about 40%). Germany is different there. The projects take about 3 to 5 years, and you get about 600 GBP a month (tax free).
Thanks for the info!

I am french female resident under 25 but studied previously in the Uk, now willing to do a phd there in biology/psychology but cannot get any funding, who should i contact?