Research Opportunities

The following activities encourage research and allows students to explore in-depth specific issues within the wider context of the microfinance and financial inclusion sectors.

Scholarships

The UMM Scholarships program offers scholarships to support student field experiences in financial inclusion related-topics. Scholarships of up to 1500 EUR are granted to Bachelor, Master and PhD students enrolled at universities in the European Union who plan to conduct internships and/or field research in developing countries. The scholarships are granted to cover travel and / or accommodation expenses during the field research.

Awards

The UMM Awards program recognizes outstanding Master theses and PhD articles in the field of financial inclusion. The winning candidates will be recognized at a public ceremony and will receive prize money of 500€. The winning Master thesis will also be published in an academic journal and the complete thesis will be made available online.

Field Research & Exposure Program (FREP)

The UMM Field Research & Exposure Program brings together excellent students from European universities and practitioner organizations active in the field of financial inclusion - with a fruitful exchange and beneficial outcome for both sides.

Mentorship

UMM offers mentorship to students pursuing research on financial inclusion themes. Mentorship opportunities are available for a wide variety of topics under these general themes, and can be general or more specific.

Scholarships & Awards Application Deadlines

Please check the UPCOMING APPLICATION DEADLINES for Scholarships here & for Awards here. Every year, there are four opportunities to submit applications to the UMM Scholarships & Awards program. Application forms are made available one month before each deadline.
The upcoming deadlines for Scholarship & Award applications can also be viewed by downloading the 2015 Call for Scholarships & Awards:

Past Winners

Previous reports authored by students who received a UMM Scholarship or Award can be found on the Publications page.

Selection Committee

Each Scholarship and Award application is evaluated by at least one practitioner and one academic member of the UMM Selection Committee. The final evaluation is the average of the two scores.

The UMM selection committee is currently composed of 60 academics from 40 universities and 80 practitioners from 40 organizations. To learn more about the list of organizations who are members of the UMM Selection Committee, please visit the Selection Committee page.