History or background of award
To encourage postgraduate research Victoria offers scholarships to those about to begin their doctoral studies. These scholarships are awarded on academic merit and are open to New Zealand and international students in any discipline. These scholarships are awarded on academic merit and are open to New Zealand and international students in any discipline.

Purpose of award
These Scholarships are intended to encourage and support doctoral study (PhD) at Victoria University of Wellington. As part of the requirements of this Scholarship, the recipient is expected to contribute 150 hours per annum to the academic life of the School in which they undertake study. The purpose of this contribution is to provide them with an insight into the work undertaken by, and the expectations placed on, the academic community in the University. It also provides an opportunity to develop enduring relationships with the School. This contribution may be as a tutor, research assistant, laboratory demonstrator or supervisor, or teaching assistant.

Selection criteria
The Scholarships are open to graduates of any university within or outside of New Zealand who intend to enroll full time for a Doctorate (PhD) at Victoria University or who have commenced their doctoral study at Victoria University. It is important to read the scholarship regulations available from the link above before application.

Applicants with Victoria University 'offers of study' of who are current Victoria University doctoral students must apply on the application form available from the link at the top of this webpage.

Please note: In most cases the process for applying for doctoral (PhD) study at Victoria and applying for a Victoria Doctoral Scholarship is one process. From 1 January 2010, for new doctoral (PhD) applicants there will be one application process for admission to the doctoral programme and University and for doctoral scholarships. The combined application form is available on the Faculty of Graduate Research Website www.victoria.ac.nz/fgr/prospective-phds/scholarships.aspx

Please note: Although funding applications will be considered from full time students seeking scholarship support for a doctoral degree for which they are already enrolled at Victoria, if you have applied for a Victoria PhD scholarship in the past, you must provide updated or additional information to apply for a second round. Such applications must be accompanied by clear strong support from supervisors.

Number of awards offered
35 each round

Value
$23,500 stipend annually + tuition fees. Conditions apply see the regulations for details.

Tenure of award
Scholarships will normally be tenable for three years. For a student who has already been enrolled for a Doctorate at Victoria for more than three months at the time when the offer of a Scholarship is made, the maximum length of tenure of the Scholarship will be reduced at the discretion of the Research Scholarships Committee.

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The objective of the Canada Fund for African Climate Resilience (Canada Fund) is to support projects that will substantially improve and increase food security and/or economic growth within an African country by reducing the impacts of climate change through protection of investments and/or adaptation measures.

CIDA's Partnerships with Canadians Branch (PWCB) is launching a specialized call for proposals under a $20-million fund to support and rapidly address climate change effects and adaptation needs that are restricting or having negative impact on improving food security and/or economic growth in Africa.

This call will capitalize on Canadian expertise in addressing climate change effects and adaptation needs, as well as delivering sustainable, effective development projects in eligible developing countries in Africa. Proposals are to target achieving the objectives of the call. Proposals should also consider the opportunity to capture innovation to address critical climate change issues that require specialized expertise and technologies and integrated approaches. The proposals must be substantive in scope, self-sustaining once in operation, and achieve demonstrable results and outcomes.

A panel that will include experts in the fields of development, climate change, agriculture, and economic development will review all eligible proposals. The panel will make recommendations to the Minister for International Cooperation for final approval.

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant or a contribution and will be based on a cost-share basis, up to 85 percent CIDA and 15 percent the partner, calculated on project costs. The partner's 15 percent cost-share contribution is a baseline; a higher contribution by the partner will be factored in the proposal assessment. The level of investment (cash versus in-kind contribution) will also be considered when assessing proposals for sustainability. Only substantive projects with a minimum budget of $2 million will be considered; all projects will be subject to an evaluation against results and outputs proposed.

Eligible private sector or civil society applicants, or their coalitions, may submit up to two proposals. Each proposal will be for a project implemented in only one country among the following eligible countries in Africa:

1. CIDA countries of focus: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania

2. Other eligible countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia

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Closing Date: June 15,2012.

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce its Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing for the year 2012. The grants serve as part of the Council’s contribution to the development of the social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening of research capacities in African universities, through the funding of primary research conducted by postgraduate students and professionals. Hence, candidates whose applications are successful are encouraged to use the resources provided under the grants to cover the cost of their fieldwork, the acquisition of books and documents, the processing of data which they have collected and the printing of their theses/dissertations. As the Council is strongly committed to encouraging African researchers to engage one another on a sustained basis, recipients of the small grants will also be supported to order books and journals produced by African scholarly publishers, including CODESRIA itself. They will also be encouraged to apply for participation in CODESRIA research methodology workshops.

ELIGIBILITY: The CODESRIA Small Grants Programme is open to graduate students and professionals currently registered in African universities, and preparing their theses and dissertations in all social science fields and other disciplines involving social or economic analysis. Preference is given to those registered for doctoral studies (PhD or equivalent), though few grants are available for Masters Theses.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: Grants are awarded solely on merit, that is, on the strength of each individual application received by CODESRIA. All applicants are required to use the application forms designed by CODESRIA which is made available along with this announcement. The application forms can also be downloaded from the CODESRIA website (www.codesria.org). In filling out the forms, applicants are requested to bear the following guidelines in mind:

RESEARCH PROPOSAL: Candidates’ research proposals should each contain a clear statement of the research hypotheses, a critical review of the existing literature, the methodology to be used, the expected results of the work, and a detailed work plan and timetable. The research proposal should be based on an innovative problematic which sets out the originality of the theme in relation to on-going research in the same area.

BUDGET: Applicants should present a detailed budget with expenses clearly linked to specific phases of their research. The budget should not exceed USD 5,000 for PhD (or its equivalents) and USD 2,500 for Masters. Only trips for fieldwork in the country in which the research is actually conducted is funded under this grant.

STATEMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: A statement is required from each applicant’s institution of affiliation, giving approval to the proposed research and an assurance of continued institutional support throughout the preparation of the thesis/dissertation. This should be done on the institution’s letterhead and must carry the official stamp. Contact details of the officer issuing the statement must also be included.

LETTERS OF REFERENCE: Two letters of reference must accompany each application, one from the thesis/dissertation supervisor, assessing the applicant’s research proposal and abilities; and the other from a faculty member, assessing the applicant in relation to other graduate students, and commenting on the scientific merit and validity of the proposed research. Contact details of the thesis or dissertation supervisor must be included in the letter of reference.

CURRICULUM VITAE: Applicants must include their current curriculum vitae which, among other things, indicates their discipline and nationality, and provides a list of their recent publications and on-going research activities.

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