Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Australia : ALA Fellowships for Developing Countries

Brief description:

Australia Leadership Awards Fellowships are now Australia Awards Fellowships. The Australian Awards Fellowships are a component of a regional program that aims to develop leadership and build partnerships and linkages with developing countries.  They are intended for those who are already leaders or have the potential to assume leadership roles that can influence social and economic policy reform and development outcomes.
ALA Fellowships are for short-term study, research, and professional attachment programs in Australia delivered by Australian organizations.
Host Institution(s):
Applications are restricted to Australian organizations demonstrating on-going linkages with counterpart overseas organizations in eligible countries.   Australian organizations from a wide range of academic, research, business, industry, media, NGOs, professional groups and government have hosted ALA fellows in the past rounds. See Organisations funded under previous rounds [PDF 92kb].
Field of study:
ALA Fellowships are available across a broad range of fields relevant to Australia’s foreign policy agenda or development outcomes.
Applications addressing the priority areas of disability and development, economic growth, education, environment, food security, gender, governance, health, human rights, infrastructure, regional stability, rural development and water and sanitation are particularly encouraged.
Number of Awards:
In ROUND 4 of the ALA Fellowships $5.09 million was provided to 15 Australian organisations to support 24 programs involving 252 Fellows.
Editor’s Note: The number of fellowships awarded may vary for each round.
Target group:
Citizen of developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, and Palestinian territories (see the complete list below).
Asia Pacific:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kiribati, Laos, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Wallis & Futuna.
Latin America and Caribbean:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Republic of Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Applications relating to the Palestinian Territories are also eligible.
Scholarship value/inclusions:
A maximum of $35,000 per Fellow is available which can include:
• Return economy airfare from/to home country’s international hub
• In-Australia transport in respect of approved activities
• Short course/tuition/training course costs
• Accommodation and living expenses
• Medical insurance costs when in Australia
• Special assistance/assistive devices (to support people with disability)
• Program Overhead Fee
Eligibility:
To be eligible, fellows should:
• Be a citizen of, and residing in, an eligible country (see above).
• Have been working in their country of citizenship for four years immediately preceding the date of their nomination.
• Be able to take up the nominated Fellowship Program at the time and for the duration proposed by the Australian organization
Application instructions:
Overseas counterpart organisations and individual fellows must be sponsored by an Australian organisations; individuals cannot apply directly for an ALA Fellowship. They may, however, initiate contact with an Australian organisation to explore the latter’s interest in applying for Fellowship funding.  The ALA Fellowships submission guidelines provide detailed information on the application process.
ALA Fellowships are awarded twice yearly through a competitive selection process.  Applications for Round 13 have now closed. Round 14 will open on 13 May 2013 and close on 19 June 2013.
It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.
Website:
Official Scholarship Website: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/australia-awards/Pages/alafellow.aspx

Deadline: 19 June 2013 (bi-annual)
Course starts 2014