Call for Applications
Introduction
According to a new agreement between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the academy of sciences for the developing world (TWAS), up to 140 students/scholars per year from the developing world will be sponsored to travel to China for up to four years of PhD study and research.
The CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship Program provides students/scholars from developing countries with the opportunity to pursue PhDs at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and/or institutes of CAS around China.
Successful applicants will receive a monthly stipend (covering living expenses, local travel expenses and health insurance) of 7,000 yuan (approximately $ 1,100) or 8,000 yuan (approximately $1,250) from CAS through UCAS, depending on whether or not the applicant passes a qualification test administered by UCAS to all PhD candidates after admission.
Any Fellowship awardee who fails the qualification test twice within one year will face consequences including: termination of his/her Fellowship, and discontinuity of his/her PhD study at UCAS. Awardees will, however, still recieve a certificate of completion.
Awardees of the Fellowship will be exempted from tuition fees.
The funding duration of the Program is four years, divided into:
1. Maximum one year study of courses and participation in centralized training at the International College of UCAS (IC-UCAS) Beijing campus, including four months of compulsory courses in Chinese language and culture.
2. Practical research and completion of degree dissertation at UCAS colleges, schools and CAS institutes.
General conditions for applicants
Applicants must:
1. Not take up other assignments during the period of his/her fellowship;
2. Be a national of a developing country other than China;
3. Must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in a developed country; and
4. Be financially responsible for any accompanying family members.
Applicants for PhD Study Scholarship should also:
1. Meet the admission criteria for international students set by UCAS (please refer to http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=78, and be no older than the age of 35 years on December 31 in the year of application;
2. Have had a master degree before the beginning of the fall semester;
3. Provide evidence that he/she will return to their home country on completion of their studies in China in accordance with CAS-TWAS agreements;
4. Provide proof of knowledge of English or Chinese language; and
5. Provide recommendation letters from two professors in a relevant field.
How to apply for the Fellowship
1. Download and fill in the "Admission Application Form for International Students of UCAS" (http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=78) and "Application Form for the CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship" (See the attachment), and submit these two application forms (Supervisor's Comment Pages not to be included) with the following materials to the Office of CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship Program at UCAS (the "Office");
2. Notarized photocopy of certification for the applicant's highest degree (Pending graduates may provide a pre-graduation certificate);
3. Notarized photocopy of transcripts from all undergraduate or graduate study;
4. Curriculum vitae and detailed research proposal;
5. Photocopy of the first page of a regular passport;
6. Photocopies of the title pages and abstracts of all published academic papers;
7. Foreigner Physical Examination Form; and
8. Certification proving payment of the application processing fee of (600 yuan ($96) (see the "Admission Application Form for International Students of UCAS" for more details).
Note:
1. Applicants may submit scanned copies of the required application documents via email. After receiving a scholarship offer, applicants are required to send the original notarized photocopy of their highest degree certificate and the original notarized photocopy of the transcript of their undergraduate or graduate study to IC-UCAS.
2. Contact professors affiliated with UCAS colleges, schools and CAS institutes (http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Academics) and find a professor willing to act as the applicant's tutor (supervising professor).
3. Send the Supervisor's Comment Pages in the "Application Form for the CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship" to your host supervisor/tutor (supervising professor in China), and ask him/her to fill in the comment pages. Make sure that your host supervisor/tutor (supervising professor) will send the completed "comment pages" directly to the Office.
4. Applicants must obtain recommendation letters from two professors in a relevant field.
5. Applicants who need financial assistance for international travel to and from China should provide a separate written request and send the request together with the Application Form to the Office.
Application deadline
June 15, 2013
Early applications are preferred.
Contact information
Office of CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship Programme
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, China
Tel: +86 10 88256424; 88256206
Fax: +86 10 88256207
Email: president-fellowship@ucas.ac.cn
Relevant information
CAS is a national academic institution in China consisting of a comprehensive research and development network, a merit-based learning society and a system of higher education, focusing on natural sciences, technological sciences and high-tech innovation in China.
Read more about CAS: http://english.www.cas.cn/
UCAS is a research-intensive university with around 40,000 postgraduate students, supported by more than 100 institutes (research centers, laboratories) of CAS, which are located in 25 cities throughout China.
Read more about UCAS: http://www.ucas.ac.cn/
TWAS is an autonomous international organization, founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the South.
Read more about TWAS: http://twas.ictp.it/ |