United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Ten (10) fellowships will be awarded to post-doctoral candidates from developing countries interested in undertaking research in state-of-the-art universities/institutions in Israel. Candidates should be young professionals originating from UNESCO’s developing Member States who, through their enthusiasm and innovative research are making valuable contributions.

The UNESCO/Israel Co-Sponsored Fellowship Programme focuses on UNESCO’s premise that people are the world’s greatest resource and that innovation and excellence, especially in the young, deserve to be encouraged through the concerted efforts of the international community. The award of the fellowships constitutes a key strategy through which impetus is being given to the enhancement of the role of young women and men, in devising solutions to problems confronting humankind today and tomorrow.

B. TARGET GROUP

The programme is designed to identify and reward 10 deserving, committed and talented young women and men from the developing world, active in research in various academic fields with an emphasis on science and technology and water studies.
Candidates must be engaged in pursuing research at the post-doctoral level in all fields of academic studies.
Special attention will be given to candidatures on behalf of women and from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

C. ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet the following general criteria:

1. Be from a developing country listed in Annex II.
2. Candidates must have received within three years their PhD degree.
3. Only candidates with the necessary qualifications, who demonstrate outstanding intellectual promise and personal qualities, shall be considered under this programme.
4. Candidates must be able to integrate an on-going research programme being conducted at one of the universities/institutes listed (Annex III).
5. Candidates must be able to communicate in English and are required to provide the TOEFL scores (Test of English as a Foreign Language) obtained.
6. Applicants must be in good health, both physically and mentally.


D. CONDITIONS FOR APPLICATION:

1. Fields of study: Open to all academic subjects with priority given to engineering, sciences and water technology

2. Duration of Proposed Study/Research: 1 Academic Year (Where warranted, the fellowship may be extended for up to an additional year)

3. Closing Date for Submission of Documents to UNESCO by Applicants Approved by Israeli universities: 30 October 2009

4. Starting Date of Research: During academic year 2009/2010

5. Place of study: Israel(In one of the universities/institutes listed in Annex III)

(It should be understood that upon termination of the fellowship, the beneficiary must return to the country of residence so that the knowledge acquired is put to beneficial use in national/local research and training programmes).

6. Modality of Study:

Research must be carried out under the direction of a member of the senior academic faculty of one of the 7 host universities/institutions mentioned in Annex III

7. Application Procedures:

Approved applicants by Israeli University must submit to the UNESCO Fellowships Programme Section (Address: 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris, France) the required documentation with the prescribed application form not later than 30 October 2009. The candidates should provide UNESCO an acceptance letter from one of the Israel Universities in the attached list. Each interested candidate will specify in the application the university/institute in Israel where he/she intends to work. After ensuring that the dossiers are complete, UNESCO will then transmit the candidatures received to the Vice President for Research of the chosen university as soon as possible.


Potential candidates are invited to visit the internet website of the various universities/institutes shown in Annex III where they will find pertinent information on Research and Development facilities and centres, research activities, and on senior academic staff, etc.

IMPORTANT: Each host university/institute in Israel must transmit the list of candidates received from UNESCO under this programme by October 2009 to the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council of Higher Education.

Potential candidates are encouraged therefore, to submit their applications as soon as possible, as each participating university/institute may reach its quota and close the enrolment for this programme before this date.

The application must have the following attachments in duplicate:

i) The completed post-doctoral fellowship application form.

ii) Curriculum vitae.

iii) Certified copies of degrees or diplomas (including transcript of grades), including proof of having obtained a PhD degree (or its equivalent).

iv) Two letters of recommendation from leading personalities in the candidate’s field of study/research (at least one not from candidate’s own university) or from someone familiar with the candidate’s work.

v) Title and summary of the Ph.D. dissertation/thesis written by the candidate including official record of studies towards graduate degree.

vi) Name, title and remarks of the principal advisor on candidate’s doctoral dissertation/thesis.

vii) A short description of one page of the research work the candidate would like to pursue during the post-doctoral training period.

viii) Duly completed UNESCO medical examination form.

ix) A letter of endorsement from the National Commission for UNESCO of the candidate’s country.


Additional Information:

Additional information and assistance can be obtained by contacting directly either the university/institute in Israel where placement is desired, or, the Embassy (or the representatives) of Israel in the candidate’s country. Only the listed universities/institutes in Israel can provide ample information on study/research being currently conducted by them. The name of the Vice President for Research in the participating universities/institutes is included with a view to facilitating communication between interested candidates and the host institute.

UNESCO and Israel attach the greatest importance to originality and quality. Consideration will be given only to well-planned projects where the necessary contacts with the host university/institute in Israel have been made and that demonstrate innovation, imagination and relevance, and, which promise to contribute to knowledge in science and technology and water studies.

Files which are incomplete or which are received after the deadline for application, as well as candidatures that do not fulfil the requirements mentioned above, will not be taken into consideration.


E. FACILITIES OFFERED BY ISRAEL

The fellowship, generously financed by the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education of Israel and the Israel National Commission for UNESCO, shall consist of the following:

An all inclusive lump-sum contribution equivalent in local currency to US$20,000 per year for each selected beneficiary to support her/him during study/research in Israel. The amount offered should cover the international travel costs for the approved itinerary, accommodation, meals, books, local transportation, telephone expenses, medical insurance, and, incidentals, etc.

(Note: No provision to finance or lodge family members is made. Facilities will not be available to provide appropriate living conditions, and, the amount of the fellowship is adequate only for the living expenses of the fellow himself/herself.)


F. SELECTION OF BENEFICIARIES

Each of the seven participating universities/institutes in Israel will make their own direct final selection of the most deserving candidates and will transmit the names of those selected to the Israel National Commission for UNESCO, who will then request the Fellowships Programme Section to issue the letters of award.

As UNESCO is an inter-governmental organization and, therefore, bound to respect equitable geographical distribution, no more than one (1) fellowship should be awarded to any Member State.

Candidates not informed of their selection by 30 October 2009 should consider that their applications were not retained during the selection process.


List of Invited Member States (98)

AFRICA (32 Member States)

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African, Chad, Comoros, Docratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, Swaziland, Zambia

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (16 Member States)

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu

EUROPE (21 Member States)

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lirthuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine


LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (27 Member States)

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, 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, Uruguay, Venezuela


ARAB STATES (2 Member States)

Mauritania, Yemen


Host Universities in Israel

1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem -Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905
Prof. Hervé Bercovier, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.info.huji.ac.il)
E-Mail: herve.bercovier@ard.huji.ac.il
Telephone: 972-2-6586628/Fax: 972-2-5664740

2. The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – Haifa 32000
Prof. Oded Shmueli, Vice-President for Research Development
Web: www.technion.ac.il
E-Mail: oshmu@cs.technion.ac.il
Telephone: 972-4-8292527/Fax: 972-4-8294609

3. Tel-Aviv University – P.O. Box 39040, Tel-Aviv 69978
Prof. Ehud Gazit, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.tau.ac.il
E-Mail: ehudg@post.tau.ac.il ; gazitadm@tauex.tau.ac.il
Telephone: 972-3-6409030/Fax: 972-3-6409407/5448

4. Bar-Ilan University – Box 90000 Ramat-Gan 52900
Prof. Harold Basch, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.biu.ac.il
E-Mail: birnd@mail.biu.ac.il
Telephone: 972-3-5318441/Fax: 972-3-5356088

5. The University of Haifa – Haifa 31905
Prof. Majid Al-Haj, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.haifa.ac.il
E-Mail: m.alhaj@univ.haifa.ac.il
Telephone: 972-4-8240930/Fax: 972-4-8249865

6. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – POB 653, Beer Sheva 84105
Prof. Moti Herskowitz, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.bgu.ac.il
E-Mail: herskow@bgu.ac.il
Telephone: 972-8-6472421-4/Fax: 972-8-6477745

7. The Weizmann Institute of Science – P.O. Box 26,Rehovot 76100
Feinberg Graduate School
Web: www.weizmann.ac.il/feinberg
E-Mail: postdoc@weizmann.ac.il

8. The Open University of Israel - Raanana
Prof. Miriam Souroujon Constantini, Vice-President for Research and Development
Web: www.openu.ac.il
E-Mail: miriso@openu.ac.il
Telephone: 972-9-7781758/Fax: 972-9-7780661

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