Commonwealth Professional Fellowships support mid-career professionals from developing Commonwealth countries to spend a period of time with a UK host organization working in their field for a program of professional development.
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is one of the largest and most prestigious scholarships schemes for international study in the world. Since it was established in 1959, around 29,000 individuals have benefited – 17,000 of them have held awards funded by the United Kingdom.
This prospectus describes the Commonwealth Professional Fellowships offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC) in 2013.
Commonwealth Professional Fellowships provide the opportunity for organizations based in the UK to apply either to host key professionals from developing Commonwealth countries within their own organization, or to nominate candidates to work with other UK-based organizations with which they have links.
Study Subject:
Commonwealth Professional Fellowships aim to enhance the skills of mid-career practitioners in developing countries. Priority will be given to visits that will have practical application in the areas of:
- agriculture/fisheries/forestry
- economic growth
- education
- engineering/science/technology
- environment
- governance
- public health
Eligibility:
To be eligible for a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship, candidates should:
- Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees or British protected persons, and must be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country.
- Normally have at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the Fellowship.
- Be available to commence their Fellowship within prescribed dates as stated on the CSC website.
- Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional
- Fellowship in the last five years.
- Not be seeking to undertake an academic program of research or study in the UK. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject.
The CSC wishes to promote equal opportunity, gender equity and cultural exchange. Applications are welcome from the many different races and origins that comprise the Commonwealth’s rich variety of cultures, traditions and institutions.
Selection Criteria:
2013 applications for Commonwealth Professional Fellowships will be judged on the following criteria:
- the extent to which the proposed Fellowship will ensure the transfer of skills relevant to the needs of a Commonwealth developing country
- the extent to which those skills will lead to practical benefits for the developing country following the Fellowship
- the extent to which the Fellowship will have a ‘catalytic effect’, either within the developing country concerned, or in establishing new relationships with the UK.
Scholarship Value:
Each Commonwealth Professional Fellowship provides:
- A return economy airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK.
- A monthly (or pro rata) living allowance for the duration of the Fellowship (currently £1,467 per month regionally, £1,819 per month for those based in the London Metropolitan area). Exceptionally, depending on the program arranged, a peripatetic living allowance may be payable. Further details if applicable will be detailed at the time of offer.
- An arrival allowance of up to £824 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing.
- A fixed amount for excess baggage for return travel only, dependent on the airport destination. The British Council will advise the Fellow of the amount close to the date of departure.
- A flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the host organization(s), in respect of the administration and support of the Fellow, setting up of appropriate meetings, and any materials required, as well as costs of incidental travel for the Fellow during the award.
- Fees for any conferences or short courses attended during the period of the Fellowship, providing that these have been approved at the time when the application was considered by the CSC. Reasonable fees up to a maximum of £3,000 will be agreed in the context of the length of the program, but full justification should be given for the amount being claimed. Fees should also be included in the application to cover the cost of travel for visits to other organisations in the UK, where these form an integral part of the program.
- Other fees, for which the CSC will consider requests from the nominating organization on a case-by-case basis. However, when planning an application, nominating/host organizations should bear in mind the following restrictions:
- Induction/evaluation programs must be in scale with the program.
- Modest fees including catering, room hire, and facilitator hire for such programs may be agreed; however, fees for facilitators for evaluation programs will not be approved.
- Additional accommodation costs may be recovered from the Fellow’s stipend.
- Requests for funds for cultural events, mobile phones, laptop computer hire, professional association memberships, and contingencies will not be approved.
How to apply
Applications for Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are encouraged from a wide range of professional, charitable, public and private sector organisations based in the UK. The organization making the application need not necessarily be the body that will host the Fellow(s) while in the UK but must be UK-based, as this organisation will be the CSC’s point of contact concerning all aspects of the Fellowship(s). Where a different organisation is performing the role of host, however, the nominating organisation is responsible for securing a signed statement from the host organisation, indicating its agreement to the arrangements proposed and the formation of a detailed programme of activities from the outset, to include with the application.
An online application form is available at http://bit.ly/cscuk-professional-fellowships. The first section of the form should be completed by a representative of the host organization; the second section of the form should then be completed by the prospective Fellow(s). Closing dates for applications in 2013 will be published at http://bit.ly/cscuk-professional-fellowships. The CSC cannot accept applications directly from individual candidates and these will not be acknowledged. If you have a query about Commonwealth Professional Fellowships, please email professional.fellowships@cscuk.org.uk.
Application Deadline: 7 October 2013.
For further information: Commonwealth Professional Fellowships
