UNESCO/Czech Republic Co-Sponsored Fellowships Programme – Academic Year 2017-2018

What is it about?

In order to promote human resource capacities in the developing Member States and to enhance friendship among peoples of the world, the Government of the Czech Republic has placed at the disposal of UNESCO three long-term fellowships for undergraduate studies (which comprises the Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes for the academic year 2017-2018) for the benefit of certain developing Member States. Neither a citizen of the Czech Republic, nor a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, nor any other foreign national with a permanent residence permit on the territory of the Czech Republic may therefore be granted this type of scholarship.

Invited Member States entitled to submit candidatures:

- Uzbekistan;

- Yemen and

- Zimbabwe

Programme and Field of Study

In line with UNESCO and Czech Republic’s commitment to maximize capacity-building, candidates who wish to study in the fields of natural resources and environment, forestry water and landscape management, technology and environmental engineering, economics and finance would be given priority.  Note:  There is no possibility to change the field of study/study programme once the fellowship is awarded.

These fellowships are tenable in a selected number of universities in the Czech Republic for a maximum duration of 3 to 6 years. The studies being conducted in Czech language, the candidates to benefit from these fellowships will be required to take a special language and preparatory course before starting their studies. The Czech language course will be provided by the Charles  University in Prague.

Qualifications Required

Requirements:  English / French

There is no possibility to change neither the field of study nor the study programme once the fellowship is awarded. The donor country highly recommends the following field of studies: Natural Resources and Environment, Forestry Engineering, Tropical Agriculture, Water and Landscape Management, Economics and Finance, Environment, Ecology and Environmental Protection, Informatics, Engineering Informatics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering. Preference will be given to students who will take these fields of study.

Documents to be submitted

All applications should be endorsed by the relevant Government body (such as the National Commission or Permanent Delegation), must be made on a Czech fellowship application form, filled out in English in electronic form until 30 September 2016 (http://registr.dzs.cz/registr.nsf/unesco).

The registration will be open for application until 30 September 2016 (Midnight Paris Time). After filling out the application, the candidate is requested to submit an online motivation letter and take a test.

Detailed information on the terms and conditions of scholarship awards is provided in the binding "Guidelines for Granting Scholarships of the Government of the Czech Republic", issued in English and French (click below to download in the PDF format):

• English: Guidelines for Granting Scholarships of the Government of the Czech Republic
• French: Dispositions portant sur l'octroi des bourses du gouvernement de la République Tchèque

Facilities offered by the Government of the Czech Republic

1. Tuition is free of charge
2. A monthly allowance of 14,000 Czech Crowns (1 euro = approximately 25 crowns) for students undertaking bachelor and master’s study programmes (Should this allowance be considered insufficient, the applying Member State may consider granting a partial contribution, or, the candidate may have to seek other funds from private sources to complement this allowance)
3. Accommodation at the student dormitories at reduced rates (to be paid by the fellow from the monthly allowance mentioned in (2) above)
4. Access to meals (to be paid with the monthly allowance) in the student dining halls
5. Access to discounts for urban transportation
6. The Ministry of Health provides medical care to fellows.

(Note: The facilities [3] are provided under the same condition as for Czech students, i.e. at a relatively lower price.)

Facilities offered by UNESCO

1. UNESCO will cover international travel expenses within the framework of the Fellowships Programme under the Regular Programme.  Upon selection of the candidates, UNESCO will undertake the necessary action to authorize tickets to the beneficiaries before their departure for the Czech Republic.  And,
2. A special one-time allowance of US$200 to cover transit and other miscellaneous expenses.

Deadline for the Submission of Application online 30 September 2016

EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE IS NOT POSSIBLE.

The Czech authorities will make the final selection of the candidates.

Selection will be made on a competitive basis and priority will be given to applicants who, apart from meeting the academic qualifications required, opt for the fields of study enumerated above. It is important to note that there is no possibility to change the field of study or the study programme once the fellowship has been awarded.  We would also wish to emphasize that only applications with complete documentation shall be considered for evaluation. 

Dates and Duration

The academic year in the Czech Republic is divided into two semesters: winter semester and summer semester. Winter begins in September, and the summer semester starts in February. undergraduate studies (Bachelor's study programme) take 3 to 4 years to complete, and a master's study programme from 4 to 6 years long.

Visas

All foreigners who are to study in the Czech Republic are required to obtain a long-term residence permit. Details of the procedures to be followed to obtain this visa will be provided to selected candidates.

(Selected candidates will be required to provide a certificate attesting a clean criminal record)

IMPORTANT: No provision to finance or lodge family members can be made. It is the National authorities' responsibilty to ensure that all candidates are duly informed of the above conditions prior to submission of their applications for these fellowships.