Juno, I work at the MPI for Chemical Ecology, dept. of molecular ecology in Jena (for Ian Baldwin) - where're you and who's your supervisor...? (there are 30-something max planck institutes, its not just one...)

Do you not agree that this rule is at least a bit odd, compared to other EU states?
I have no clue how things are regarded to age in The Netherlands to be honest, as I'm only 24... (In Germany being 33 would not be an obstacle, thats all I know).

The point about taxes and profiting from this is also not completely correct (though there's a bit to say for it as well), as the scientists will mainly produce work at a UK university and publish there as well, therefore 'helping' the university, as the output you generate as a scientist is, at least in my field, mainly publications.
You will also spend most of the stipend in the UK, as it is really not enough to save :P

So obviously also get taught skills and the like, but if there're more people from other country who seem to be better, than maybe you should revise your university system... if you simply generate better students than in the rest of the EU, you wouldn't have this problem.

To finish the story, I've found a PhD position at a Max-Planck Institute in Germany, so ended up at an ok place in the end of the day - but I must say that I miss the UK somehow - Germany is alright, but can imagine myself getting back eventually.

"As for citizenship, I don't think that has anything to do with it. At then end of the day, if you and you're family have not been paying taxes in this country, you cannot expect to be eligible to see any of that money payed back to you."

But you forget that you're a member of the EU - I found it by the time (this thread was started quite some time ago) just frustrating that I, as EU citizen, could get a place in nearly every country in the EU, apart from the UK - even though I would have liked to stay there. This is not voluntarily from these country's, its the EU-law, but the BBSRC and NERC use a hole in the law by splitting the research funding and the stipend - this doesn't happen in any other country in the EU I've heard from, and therefore it just seemed a little unfair to me, hence the rant.

Ok, thats a fair point. But still no explaination why other country's don't do difficult about EU PhD students, and the UK does. If this wasn't the case, it wouldn't piss me off so much.

Anyway, I've just found a site with PhDs in my field all over the rest of Europe, so will probably apply to Germany or Switserland.

Ow, and botanybod, I am not eligeble (sp?) for a Marie Curie studendship as you need to have lived in the uk SHORTER than 12 months in the past 36 months. And after my MSc I have lived here for about 1,5 year...

You're completely missing the point here. Of course its not a right to get a stipend, but I am talking about sneaky ways to go pass EU laws.

Can you Explain why a British student can apply for a PhD in The Netherlands or Germany without any problems (I don't know about other country's. I expect France to be difficult as well), and here an EU student can't? That is at least unfair in my humble opinion.

Besides, I have lived here now for 1,5 year, pumped money into this country by doing a masters' degree... and then they say that time spend here while doing full-time research doesn't count as 'living in Britain' - that is just plain b*llocks!

Besised, I am as likely to stay here as any other UK national, I really like the country... that's why I want to stay! And you don't force a British scientist to stay in the UK after he finished his PhD, do you? Most scientists I know have travelled/lived at differend places around the world, so this argument is not very strong...

Muvi, I'm sure you're right that it is harder for you, but here the UK is just screwing over EU students.

In my country, EU students DO get full funding if they get a PhD position, in compliance with the European law that government organisations are not allowed to discriminate between home and EU students.

I don't have much hope for funding from my home country as a PhD is seen there as a job, not as being a student (you need to pay tax, etcetc).
Funding is allocated from funding body's to researchers, who put out an application.

You good luck with finding an position! It must be possible to find one here as int. student, I've seen (in plant-biotechnology) a few places that were especially for people from developing country's!!

Hi,

I'm a plant-biotechnology student from the Netherlands, but currently doing an MSc in Lancaster, and looking for a PhD in the UK.
However, I found that the main funding body's in the UK (biotechnology councel, BBSRC and the environment councel, NERC) will only pay for the research, but no maintenance fees for EU students. (You must've lived in the UK for longer than 3 years in the past 5 years, but full-time studying doesn't count)

Why do they discriminate this way agianst non-UK applicants, is this legal?
I am quite upset about it, as it shouldn't be too hard to find a place, as everyone tells me there are more places than good students, but this makes it nearly impossible for me to find a place!!

Now after this rant a slightly more constructive question:
Are there funding body's who would be happy to 'top up' the funding of a project?

Cheers,

Arjen