UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme 2018 (US$10,000 Award)

Deadline: November 30, 2018

Are you a researcher? Are you 40 or younger? Apply to the UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme, an initiative financed by the Government of Japan. 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.

The Government of Japan offers 10 fellowships, to be awarded to deserving candidates from developing countries, special attention will be given to those who may wish pursue their research studies in Japan, to women, candidates from LDCs, Africa and SIDS countries who are eager to undertake research on one or more of the topics listed below.

Objectives

The UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme (UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme) funded under the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the capacity-building of Human Resources will aim, in particular, to impact on capacity-building and research activities in the following areas:

1. Environment (with particular attention on disaster risk reduction (DRR);
2. Intercultural Dialogue;
3. Information and Communication Technologies; and
4. Peaceful conflict resolution. No other research topics will be considered.

Benefits

The Fellowships financed by Japan and administered by UNESCO will consist of the following:

•  A Lump sum contribution of 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.

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 mentioned in paragraph D.1 below. 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 1978 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.
• Candidates must be proficient in reading and writing the language of instruction in the proposed country of study/research

Priority attention will be given to:

•  * Women candidatures
•  * Candidates from least developed countries (LDCs) and SIDS
•  * African researchers
•  * Those who may wish pursue their research studies in Japan

Requirements

• Domains of research:
  • Environment (with particular emphasis on disaster risk reduction (DRR);
  • Intercultural Dialogue
  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • Peaceful Conflicts Resolution
• Duration of proposed research:
  • minimum:  3 months
  • maximum: 9 months
• Possible date of commencing research: Any time from June 2019 onwards
• Deadline for termination of research:  end of February 2021
• Place of study: In one or two countries
• It should be understood that at the end of the Fellowship, the beneficiary must agree to return to his/her home country so that knowledge acquired may be put to good use in local research and training programmes.
•  Study arrangements: Research must be carried out under the auspices of an academic supervisor in a host institution

Application

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 Section of Participation Programme and Fellowships, UNESCO, 7, Place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP before 30 November 2018 midnight and an advance copy may be sent by e-mail: s.bantchev@unesco.org and l.zas-friz@unesco.org .

For more information, visit UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship.