Scholarships for scientific study visits on biodiversity in African Zoology and Wood Biology
Course(s) Offered: African Zoology, Wood Biology
Course Level: PhD, Postdoctoral
Provider: Belgian Development Cooperation, RMCA
Country to Study in: Belgium
Scholarship Description
Through an agreement with the Belgian Development Cooperation, the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) at Tervuren (Belgium) has each year a number of scholarships available for scientific study visits to the RMCA collections.
These scholarships contribute to the sharing of biodiversity data to African institutions, as stipulated in the Convention on Biological Diversity signed by Belgium. The RMCA curates more than 10 million biological specimens from Africa. The Xylarium of the RMCA also counts on a very important collection of more than 60,000 wood specimens and 14,000 different types of wood.
The RMCA wants to share the data on African biodiversity of its collections and in this view created on its own initiative the African Biodiversity Information Center (ABIC). This initiative allows each year visits of African scientists to the Museum.
Eligibility
Only applications from candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa (and residing in this region) from the following countries: Bénin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopie, Guinée, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Ouganda, Rwanda, Sénégal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, working for a public institution: university, ministry or research institute, will be taken into consideration. Independent experts or consultants are not eligible for the scholarships.
Priority will be given to applicants who did not yet benefit from other scholarships in Belgium in the last two years.
Academic background or professional experience:
For doctoral research projects, the academic qualities of the applicants will be examined on the basis of diplomas, classes taken, academic results, on-going or past research activities and eventual publications.
For scientific visits, professional experience in relation with the application and relevant publications will be taken into consideration.
Language skills:
A good command of English or French is requested in case it would not be the mother tongue or the language of education of the applicant. Please note that most of the available documents or reference books in the RMCA are in English or French. Reading comprehension of French is thus an asset for English speaking applicants.
Gender equality:
The RMCA grants special attention to the participation of women in its study visit programs.
Target group
The scholarships target two categories of scientists:
- Young African PhD students with doctoral work well defined and preferably well advanced.
- African scientists (experts) with a substantial curriculum specialised in African biodiversity and on the subject proposed.
Citizens of the following countries:
Bénin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopie, Guinée, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Ouganda, Rwanda, Sénégal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Participating Institutions
Candidates from any public institution: university, ministry or research institute
Fields of study
Scientific fields taken into consideration include: Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology (lacustrine), Ichthyology (riverine), Mammology, Non-insect invertebrate, Ornithology, Wood Biology,
Sponsorship duration
Visits for doctoral research is from 2 to 8 weeks. Expert visits is from 2 to 4 weeks. Study visits will take place between February 01, 2012 and December 21, 2012 according to the availability of curators.
No prolongation of the scholarship duration can be authorized once the scholar started his/her stay at the RMCA
Scholarship benefits
These include:
- Travel expenses: The RMCA will provide one round-trip ticket (economy class). Some expenses related to visa obtention will be reimbursed.
- Allowances: The RMCA takes care of the accommodation. The daily allowance of 40€ will cover board, individual transport and personal expenses of the selected applicant.
- Insurance: All RMCA scholar will benefit from a medical and accident insurance for the duration of his/her stay at the RMCA.
The selection process consists of: 1). the submission of a motivation letter + application form completed; and 2). the submission of a detailed research project (if project selected in the first phase). Only complete application files will be taken into consideration. No additional information communicated afterwards will be accepted, unless upon specific request from the RMCA.
It is important to read the call for applications and also visit the official website (link to it is below) for complete information on how to apply
DEADLINES:
Deadline for submission of applications is October 14th, 2011
PLEASE NOTE:
All applicants will be personally informed of the results of the selection process in December 2011.
The RMCA curates more than 10 million biological specimens from Africa, and holds by far the most important zoological collections in the world from central Africa. These collections originate for more than 80% from Congo, Rwanda and Burundi (see more at www.africamuseum.be). The Xylarium of the RMCA also counts on a very important collection of more than 60,000 wood specimens and 14,000 different types of wood. It is an essential reference center with a huge amount of documentation on wood and tropical trees.
Application Deadline: 14 October 2011
Open for International Students: Yes
Further Scholarship Information and Application
Related: Scholarships in Belgium for International Student
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