Commonwealth Professional Fellowships for Developing Commonwealth Countries, United Kingdom - 2015

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships for Developing Commonwealth Countries, United Kingdom - 2015 

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships provide an opportunity for 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 duration of the fellowships between one and three months this may be extended up to a maximum of six months. The fellowships cover the living expenses for the fellow as well as a return airfare to the UK. It also provides £800 funding support to the host organization, with a budget of up to £3,000 available for attendance at conferences, on short courses and other eligible costs. The CSC cannot accept any applications directly from prospective Fellows.

Application Deadline: 09 Jan 2015

Programmes Offered:

Fellowships are awarded for professionals working in their field for a programme of professional development. Priority will be given to applications with practical relevance in the following broadly-defined areas: 

1. Agriculture/ fisheries/forestry
2. Economic growth
3. Education
4. Engineering/science/technology
5. Environment
6. Governance and public health

Course Level: 

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships support Mid-Career Professionals to spend a period of time with a UK host organization working in their field for a program of professional development.

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 programme 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 encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.

Benefit:

Each Commonwealth Professional Fellowship provides:

1. A return economy airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK
2. A monthly (or pro rata) living allowance for the duration of the Fellowship (currently £1,563 per month regionally, £1,938 per month for those based in the London Metropolitan area). Exceptionally, depending on the programme arranged, a peripatetic living allowance may be payable. Further details if applicable will be given at the time of offer
3. An arrival allowance of up to £878.17 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing
4. A fixed amount for excess baggage for return travel only, dependent on the airport destination. The Fellow will be advised of the amount close to the date of departure
5. A flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the host organisation(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
6. 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 programme, 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 programme
7. Other fees, for which the CSC will consider requests from the nominating organisation on a case-by-case basis. However, when planning an application, nominating/host organisations should bear in mind the following restrictions:
8. Induction/evaluation programmes must be in scale with the programme.
9. Modest fees including catering, room hire, and facilitator hire for such programmes may be agreed; however, fees for facilitators for evaluation programmes will not be approved.
10. Additional accommodation costs may be recovered from the Fellow’s stipend.
11. Requests for funds for cultural events, mobile phones, laptop computer hire, professional association memberships, costs associated with visits outside the UK, and contingencies will not be approved.

Tenure:

• Fellowships should normally be between one and three month’s duration, although applications for longer periods (up to a maximum of six months) will be considered, but only when a strong case for the additional time has been made. 
• The duration of the Fellowship should, however, be long enough to allow for serious development of professional skills, so the CSC will not be able to consider applications for awards of less than one month.

 Number of Awards:

The maximum number of fellows that can be nominated by an organization in one year is six. The CSC will decide upon the actual number of Fellows chosen.

 Application Procedure:

• Prospective Professional Fellows who are nominated by a UK organisation will be asked to complete the Electronic Application System (EAS). 
• Applications without two references (one from your current employer) will not be put forward to the selection committee. 
• You must check with your referees that they have submitted these via the EAS – further information for referees on how to submit a reference. The CSC does not accept direct applications from candidates and cannot provide a list of UK organisations that are willing to host Fellows.
• 2015 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

Further Details:

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