In September 2017, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) will offer six CONFINTEA Research Scholarships for a period of one month each to researchers from UNESCO Member States and/or Associate Member States.
Prospective scholars will be able to benefit from using UIL’s knowledge base and resources for their research in the area of lifelong learning with a focus on adult and continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education.
Since the UIL Research Scholarship Programme was launched in 2012, a total of 43 scholars have taken part. Participants are selected on the basis of their potential to produce articles, research papers, programme tools or policies that can be shared with decision-makers and that will have an impact on the education sector in their home countries. UIL particularly welcomes applicants from the Global South.
We encourage this year’s scholars to use background data from the third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) in their research, including comparative studies of data from GRALE I, GRALE II and GRALE III.
UIL began publishing UNESCO’s Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) in 2009 in order to monitor development on adult learning and education in UNESCO Member States. GRALE reports are reference and advocacy documents, providing information for analysts and policy-makers, and reminding Member States of the commitment they made at the 2009 Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) in order to assist in monitoring the implementation of the Belém Framework for Action (BFA).
The third edition of GRALE assesses global progress in implementing the Belém Framework for Action (2009) based on monitoring surveys completed by 139 UNESCO Member States. Bringing international partnerships together ensured that existing data sources – such as the UNESCO Institute for Statistics data on literacy – were employed to devise 75 questions covering the five areas of action outlined in the Belém Framework for Action: policy; governance; financing; participation, inclusion and equity; and quality. The survey questionnaire was available in the six UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).
GRALE III monitoring survey data is available in SPSS (quantitative dataset only) and Excel (quantitative and qualitative dataset) formats; knowledge of data analysis methodology and experience in the use of statistical software packages (such as SPSS, STATA, and R) is therefore an advantage.
UIL will provide each scholar with a workstation and access to the considerable resources of its unique library. In addition, scholars will have a chance to exchange knowledge with other scholars, UIL staff and its external partners. They will work under the supervision of a UIL specialist, but they should also be prepared to work on their own initiative.
Scholars will be expected to present the research they have undertaken at UIL. Furthermore, in the months following completion of their scholarship, they must report on follow-up activities and the results of their research. Upon completion of their scholarship, participants will be eligible to join UIL’s Alumni Network.
UIL will arrange and pay for health insurance, accommodation close to the Institute, and a return economy ticket to Hamburg, Germany. Additionally, scholars will receive a lump sum of €500 contributing to other costs incurred before, during and after their research stay at UIL (such as visa costs, transport, and daily subsistence).
In order to apply, please submit the following:
- A cover letter
- Your research proposal
- An up-to-date CV
Interested candidates are asked to submit their application by 31 May 2017 to UIL Research Scholarship Coordinator Ms Lisa Krolak, at: uil-lib@unesco.org.
Postal applications may be sent to:
Mr Arne Carlsen
Director
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
UIL Research Scholarships
Feldbrunnenstr. 58
20148 Hamburg
Germany
