According to a new agreement between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 140 students/scholars from the developing world will be sponsored to travel to China for PhD studies for up to four years.

This CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme provides students/scholars from developing countries (other than China) an opportunity to pursue PhD degrees at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) or Institutes of CAS around China. 

Under the terms of the new CAS-TWAS agreement, travel from their home countries to China will be provided to the fellowship awardees in order to begin the fellowship in China (one trip only per student/scholar). Visa fee will also be covered (once only per student/scholar). 

Thanks to generous contribution of CAS, fellowship awardees will receive a monthly stipend (including accommodation and other living expenses, local travel expenses and health insurance) of RMB 7,000 or RMB 8,000 from CAS through UCAS/USTC, depending on whether he/she has passed the qualification test arranged by UCAS/USTC for all PhD candidates after admission. All awardees will also be provided tuition waivers.

Any fellowship awardee who fails the qualification test twice will face the consequences including:

• Termination of his/her fellowship;
• Discontinuity of his/her PhD study at CAS institutions;
• Being conferred a diploma of completion instead of a PhD degree; 
• All the procedures will adhere to UCAS/USTC regulations and rules.

The funding duration of the fellowship is 4 years, divided into: 

• Maximum 1 year study of courses and participation in centralized training at UCAS/USTC, including 4 months compulsory courses in Chinese Language and Culture.
• Practical research and completion of degree thesis at colleges and schools of UCAS/USTC or CAS institutes. 

General conditions for applicants:

Applicants must:

• Be maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2014;
• Not take up other assignments during the period of his/her fellowship;
• Be a citizen of a developing country other than China;
• Not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in China or in any developed country;
• Be financially responsible for any accompanying family member.

Applicants for PhD study should also:

Meet the admission criteria for international students of UCAS/USTC (http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=78 or http://en.ustc.edu.cn/admissions/international_students/).

Hold a master degree before the beginning of the fall semester: September, 2014. 

Provide evidence that s/he will return to their home country on completion of their studies in China according to CAS-TWAS agreement. 

Provide proof of knowledge of English or Chinese language.

Note: Applicants currently pursuing PhD degrees at any university/institution in China are ineligible for this fellowship.

STEP BY STEP GUIDELINE ON HOW TO APPLY FOR CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship 

It is important to note that applicants currently pursuing PhD degrees at any university/institution in China cannot apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship.

In order to successfully apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship each applicant is requested to follow a few key steps that are indicated below:

1. CHECK ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: 

You should verify that you are eligible and meet ALL the eligibility criteria specified in the “General Conditions for applicants” section of this call (e.g. age, nationality etc) See page 2.

2. FIND AN ELIGIBLE HOST SUPERVISOR AFFILIATED WITH UCAS/USTC UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS OR CAS INSTITUTES. See here for a list of eligible centres and supervisors. 

UCAS: http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/discipline.aspx (for more details about UCAS and CAS institutes as well as the supervisors affiliated, please see here:http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/CASInstitutesforInternationalPrograms.aspx)or 

USTC: http://en.ustc.edu.cn/faculty/

Once you have found the host supervisor, you must contact him/her via e-mail and inform that you wish to apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship. Please send him/her an explanatory e-mail together with your CV and research proposal.  

3. IN THE MEANTIME, PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE: 

A. Download and fill in the “Admission Application Form for International Students”(attachment 1) ; 

B. Download and fill in the “Application Form for CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme” (attachment 2);

C.REFERENCE LETTERS: You must ask two referees (Preferably TWAS members, but not a mandatory requirement) familiar with you and your work to provide their scanned reference letters (signed, dated and on official headed paper). Reference letters in the body of e-mails will NOT be accepted! Please include the reference letters in your application package.

D. Other documents:

The following documents are also required:

a) Notarized photocopy of the certificate of highest university degree held (graduates having just completed their degree can provide a pre-graduation certificate);

b) Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese;

c) Notarized photocopy of transcripts of previous higher education;

d) Complete CV;

e) Detailed research proposal;

f) Copy of your passport (only pages showing personal and validity details);

g) Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of any published academic papers;

h) Foreigner Physical Examination Form (Attachment 3);

Note:

1. All the above materials in your application package should be in English or Chinese.

2. If you are awarded, you must submit originals your university certificates AND transcripts to the UCAS or USTC office upon your arrival in China.

4. ONCE YOU HAVE PREPARED YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE, AND HAVE FOUND A HOST SUPERVISOR THAT AGREES TO ACCEPT YOU:

You must send him/her an electronic copy of your WHOLE application package in one zipped file and ask him/her to fill in the comment pages in “Application Form for CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme” and the “Admission Application Form for International Students”. Your supervisor will then send your whole application package including his/her comment pages to UCAS Fellowship office or USTC Fellowship office. Please Do NOT send your application package directly to UCAS or USTC Fellowship office. 

DEADLINE FOR ALL MATERIAL AND APPLICATIONS: 

28 FEBRUARY 2014

5. WHERE TO DELIVER MY ENQUIRIES ABOUT MY APPLICATION 

Please be free to send your enquiries about your application to:

CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme UCAS Office (UCAS)

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

19A Yuquanlu, Beijing, 100049, China

Tel: +86 10 88256424/6206

Fax: +86 10 88256207

Email: president-fellowship@ucas.ac.cn

Or

CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme USTC Office (USTC)

University of Science and Technology of China

96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 China

Tel: +86 551 63607981

Fax: +86 551 63607982

Email: presidentfellow@ustc.edu.cn

Note: It is important to remember that your supervisor can be helpful in providing answers to your enquiries. Please keep in close touch with your supervisor in the process of the application. 

Relevant Information

CAS is a national academic institution in China consisting of a comprehensive research and development network, a merit-based learned society and a system of higher education, focusing on natural sciences, technological sciences and high-tech innovation in China. It has 12 branches, 2 universities and more than 100 institutes with around 60,000 staff and 50,000 postgraduate students. It hosts 89 national key labs, 172 CAS key labs, 30 national engineering research centers and about 1,000 field stations throughout China. As a merit-based society, it has five academic divisions. CAS is dedicated to addressing fundamental, strategic and farsighted challenges related to the overall and long-term development of China. CAS and TWAS have had a close and productive relationship for many years, often involving TWAS's Regional Office for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific (http://www.twas.org.cn/twas/index.asp). 

Read more about CAS: http://english.www.cas.cn/

UCAS is a research-intensive university with around 40,000 postgraduate students, supported by more than 100 institutes (research centers, laboratories) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which are located in 25 cities throughout China. Founded in 1978, it was originally named the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first graduate school in China with the ratification of the State Council., UCAS is headquartered in Beijing with 4 campuses and is authorized to grant doctorate degrees in 39 primary academic disciplines, offering degree programs in ten major academic fields, including science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, education and management science. UCAS is responsible for the enrollment and centralized management of the PhD candidates of the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme admitted by UCAS. 

Read more about UCAS: http://www.ucas.ac.cn/

USTC is the first university established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958. It is a comprehensive university including science, engineering, management and humanity science, oriented to frontier science and high technology. USTC took the lead in launching Graduate School, the School of Gifted Young, large national scientific projects, etc. It is now a prominent Chinese university and enjoys high reputation worldwide, and therefore is the member of the China 9 Consortium consisting of the top 9 universities in China. USTC is one of the most important innovation centers in China, and is regarded as “the Cradle of Scientific Elites”. USTC provides both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It has around 1500 faculty members, 7200 undergraduates, and 9000 graduate students (2600 PhD candidates). There are 14 faculties, 27 departments, graduate school and software school on campus. According to the world acclaimed university rankings, USTC has always been ranked among the best universities in China. USTC is responsible for the enrollment and management of the PhD candidates of the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme admitted by USTC.

Read more about USTC: http://www.ustc.edu.cn/

TWAS is an autonomous international organization, founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, by a distinguished group of scientists from the South to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the South. In 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) assumed responsibility for administering TWAS funds and personnel on the basis of an agreement signed by TWAS and UNESCO. In 2004, the Government of Italy passed a law that ensures a continuous financial contribution to the Academy's operation. Read more about TWAS: http://twas.ictp.it/