Expanding range of countries now offering Commonwealth Scholarships

Thanks to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) Endowment Fund, Commonwealth scholarships and fellowships are now available in more countries than ever.  New awards are available in Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, the South Pacific, Nigeria and South Africa.

A CSFP Press Release notes that: “Postgraduate students in Commonwealth countries can apply to study in a range of new destinations from 2011, thanks to a range of international scholarships launched this week. The first set of scholarships, set to start between September 2011 and February 2012, are for Master’s degree study in Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, and the South Pacific. A three-month Commonwealth Fellowship for an established academic at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria is also available. In addition, two Commonwealth Scholarships for PhD and postdoctoral study are also currently available at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa. These scholarships have been made available by the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan endowment fund. The fund, established to mark the 50th anniversary of Commonwealth Scholarships in 2009, has now raised over £2 million, through contributions from alumni and Commonwealth governments. According to Fund Secretary Dr John Kirkland, the stated aim of the fund is to broaden the range of destinations in which Commonwealth Scholarships can be held: ‘In the 1960s, there was a sizeable number of international students undertaking postgraduate research at universities in developing countries – particularly in Africa. Now, after a period of decline in the 1980s and 1990s, many of these universities are actively looking to recruit international students again’.”

Scholarship holders at ICTD2010

Through the generosity of the sponsors of ICTD2010, we were able to make more than 100 offers of scholarships, most of which covered flights, accommodation and registration.  This was an absolutely central part of our agenda in putting together the conference, because we wanted to create an opportunity for all of us to learn from each other.  It was therefore great to see so many colleagues from Africa, Asia and Latin America attending, and the rich diversity of our scholarship holders is reflected in the pictures below

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Scholarships for ICTD2010

Thanks to the generous support of the conference sponsors, the ICTD2010 conference organisers have recently been able to announce a further call for scholarships.  All applications must be on the appropriate form, and need to satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

1. Have had a paper accepted, or be a speaker in an accepted session (including posters, workshops and demos) at the conference.
2. Be from a country ranked below 100^th on the latest Human Development Index (as at 1^st June 2010)
3. Be studying for a postgraduate degree
4. Be on a low income (if applying on these grounds, the most recent payslip must be attached as proof of income)

Those who submitted unsuccessful applications in the first round will automatically be reconsidered, and must not submit new applications (otherwise they will be excluded).

More than 60 scholarships were awarded in the first round (from more than 170 applications), and it is hoped that a further 20 scholarships may be offered, covering some or all of the following: registration fee, accommodation and travel.