Commonwealth Academic Fellowships for Mid-Career Academics in UK, 2014.

Each year, UK Department for International Development (DFID) funds academic fellowships for mid-career academics from developing Commonwealth countries. These fellowships enable fellows to spend three months to network and update knowledge and skills related to their academic subject and responsibilities at any approved UK university or higher education institution. The CSC also invites alumni who held Commonwealth Scholarships for PhD to apply directly to the CSC for a Commonwealth Academic Fellowship. All eligible alumni will be sent a letter with details of how to apply. All applications must be made through your nominating university/university body in applicants’ home country. The deadline for applications is 3 December 2013.
Study Subject(s): The purpose of the Academic Fellowships is to provide an opportunity for Fellows to network and update knowledge and skills related to their academic subject and responsibilities.
Course Level: The Fellowships are awarded for mid-career academics to spend three months at any approved UK university or higher education institution.
Scholarship Provider: UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Scholarship can be taken at: UK
Eligibility: To apply for a Commonwealth Academic Fellowship, candidates should:
-Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees, or British protected persons
-Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
-Be available to commence their Fellowship in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2014. Any other start date will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances
-Have been employed for at least five years as an academic staff member of a university in a developing Commonwealth country
-Be in the employment of the nominating university
-Hold a doctorate
-For awards to enhance clinical skills in the fields of medicine and dentistry, have qualified as a doctor or dentist before 1 October 2004.
Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: The students of developing Commonwealth country (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat , Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland , Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands (British) and Zambia ) can apply for these fellowships.
Scholarship Description: Commonwealth Academic Fellowships for mid-career academics from developing Commonwealth countries are offered to enable award holders to spend three months at a UK university updating their skills and knowledge. These fellowships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The main purpose of Commonwealth Academic Fellowships is to enhance the careers of recipients through the development of new skills and contacts, or through networking and updating knowledge and skills. Research is not the main aim of these Fellowships and discrete research projects will not be supported. However, we do welcome the publication of joint research which may follow from a Fellowship. A strong case will have to be made if a Fellowship is requested for a period of more than three months, with the aim of progressing collaborative research already underway between the home and proposed host university. All applications require an email or letter of support from an academic at the proposed host university in the UK. Any application without such support will be deemed ineligible.
Duration of award(s): Awards are tenable for three months. A small number of awards may be granted for collaborative research which is already underway between a Fellow’s employing institution and an institution in the UK. These may be made for a tenure of up to six months.
What does it cover? Each Fellowship provides:
- Approved airfare to the United Kingdom and return on expiry of the Fellowship (the cost of journeys made before final award confirmation will not normally be reimbursed, nor can fares be paid for a Fellow’s dependant)
- A research support grant fixed according to subject
-A personal maintenance allowance at the rate of £1,467 per month (£1,819 per month for those studying at institutions in the London Metropolitan area) – rates quoted at 2012-2013 levels
-A grant towards the expenses of preparing reports and other written work
-An initial arrival allowance, incorporating an initial clothing grant for Fellows from tropical countries
-A grant for expenses for approved travel within the United Kingdom or overseas
-Candidates should note that there is no spouse or child allowance available. A Fellow who is widowed, divorced or a lone parent and accompanied by children for whom she/he is solely legally responsible will receive an allowance in respect of the first accompanying child and child allowances for the second and third accompanying children. The level of financial support given towards the costs of family maintenance in the UK is under review and is subject to change in terms of both eligibility and rate availability
Selection Criteria: Applications are considered according to the following selection criteria:
-Academic merit of the candidate
-The quality of the proposal
-The likely impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country
Notification: Candidates will be notified of their provisional selection by the Commission that is selection of the award subject to the Commission agreeing the terms of admission to the university/institution. Candidates will be given a formal Notification of Award, the offer of a Fellowship, as soon as terms of admission to the university/ institution have been agreed.
How to Apply: All applications must be made through your nominating university/university body in your home country. You must check with them in the first instance for specific advice on how to make an application and for their own closing date. The CSC cannot accept any applications direct from candidates except for those alumni individually invited to apply for an Academic Fellowship. The CSC expects all Commonwealth Academic Fellowship to have completed an application form using our Electronic Application System (EAS).
Scholarship Application Deadline: The deadline for applications is 3 December 2013.