Apply for UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowships to undertake postgraduate research

Applications are invited for up to 20 available UNESCO Fellowships to undertake postgraduate research in one of the four areas of development of particular interest to UNESCO. Research must be carried out under the auspices of an academic supervisor in a host institution. Candidates must be no more than 40 years of age and must be persons of high intellectual promise who may be expected to make significant contributions to their country on return. Priority attention will be given to women candidatures, candidates from least developed countries (LDCs) and African researchers. Selected beneficiaries will be required to submit an interim and a final report describing the results of the research undertaken. The application deadline is 26 December 2014.

Study Subject(s): 

Fellowships are awarded in four areas of development of particular interest to UNESCO: Environment (with particular emphasis on Water Sciences, Water Issues, Climate Change, Engineering Capacity Building in the Developing World), Intercultural Dialogue, Information and Communication Technologies and Peaceful Conflicts Resolution.

Course Level: 

Fellowships are available for undertaking research under the auspices of an academic supervisor in a host institution.
Scholarship Provider: Government of Japan
Scholarship can be taken at: In one or two countries abroad

Eligibility: Applicants, a maximum of two from each applying National Commission, must meet the following general criteria:
-Candidates under this Programme must be post-graduate researchers, already holding either an M.A. or M.Sc. degree (or equivalent) and wishing to pursue research work abroad (preferably in their own region) with a view to enhancing knowledge in one of the four specific fields. Thus, those who are in the process of completing their Master’s degree must have completed it PRIOR to taking up their Fellowship.
-Candidates must be persons of high intellectual promise who may be expected to make significant contributions to their country on return.
-Candidates must be no more than 40 years of age. Thus, applicants born before 1 January 1975 will not be considered under the Programme.
-The selected Fellow must carry out the research under the auspices of an academic supervisor in a host institution. Confirmation of acceptance from the academic supervisor is imperative.
-Priority attention will be given to: Women candidatures, Candidates from least developed countries (LDCs) and African researchers
-Candidates must be proficient in reading and writing the language of instruction in the proposed country of study/research.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Candidates of Africa (Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea,  Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe), Arab States (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen), Asia and the Pacific (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Federal States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Nieu, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Vietnam), Latin America and the Caribbean (Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Sarvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela), Europe and North America (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) and Associate Member State (Tokelau) can apply for these UNESCO fellowships.

Scholarship Description: Reinforcing its belief in “people building the next era”, the Government of Japan offers 20 fellowships per year, for the twelfth consecutive year, to be awarded to deserving candidates from developing countries, especially the least developed countries (LDCs), who are eager to undertake research on one or more of the topics listed below. The aim of the fellowships is to support innovative and imaginative post-graduate research in four areas of development of particular interest to UNESCO. UNESCO designed the project “UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme” (UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme) in the framework of the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Capacity-Building of Human Resources which was established in November 2000 by the Government of Japan to enable UNESCO to give impetus to research in four areas under UNESCO’s Priority Programme Areas.

Number of award(s): Up to 20 UNESCO fellowships are awarded.

Duration of award(s): Fellowships are offered for minimum of 3 months and maximum of 9 months.

What does it cover? The Fellowships financed by Japan and administered by UNESCO will consist of the following: A maximum amount between US$6,000 to US$10,000 will be awarded to selected candidates. The amount, to be paid in two or three instalments, is intended to cover research costs only, and will not be negotiable. No other costs will be considered and grants will be neither extended nor renewed.

Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the basis of the merit of each application and of its pertinence to the UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme. UNESCO and Japan attach the greatest importance to originality and quality. Consideration will be given only to well-planned research proposals which demonstrate innovation, imagination and relevance, and which promise to contribute to knowledge in the four specific areas

Notification: Candidates who have not been informed of their selection by 2 March 2015 should consider that their applications have not been approved in the selection process.

How to Apply: All applications must be submitted with the required documentation on the UNESCO Fellowship Application Form. Each Member State may nominate a maximum of two (2) candidates. It is the National Commission’s responsibility to select the two candidates whose applications it wishes to submit to UNESCO. The application(s) should reach the UNESCO before 26 December 2014 midnight and an advance copy may be sent by fax or by e-mail: i.genevois(at)unesco.org; l.zas-friz(at)unesco.org. The application must include the following attachments:
-The UNESCO Fellowship application form duly completed in duplicate. Two recent photographs (obligatory) should be included with the form.
-Certified copies of degrees or diplomas (including transcript of grades) in duplicate. Proof of having obtained a Master’s Degree must be included.
-A letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the candidate’s work.
-A host institute’s letter of acceptance (i.e. the institute that has accepted the candidate for work should she/he be selected for a Fellowship). This letter of acceptance must indicate that the host institute confirms its willingness to provide the relevant research facilities required by the candidate in the chosen field of specialization.
-The certificate of language proficiency (on the UNESCO form) duly completed in duplicate for the language of the country of study (should this be different from the candidate’s mother tongue) issued by an official authority.
-A detailed description, one to two page(s) (maximum), in either English or French, of the research work for which the candidature is being put forward.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 26 December 2014.