Australian Awards Fellowships for Developing Countries (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East)

Australian Awards Fellowships (formerly ALA Fellowships)

Course(s) Offered: Several areas / sectors
Course Level: Graduate (fellowship, short course, research)
Provider: Australian Govt (AusAid)
Country to Study in: Australia

Scholarship Description
The Australian Awards Fellowships (formerly Australian Leadership Award, ALA, Fellowships) aim to develop leadership, address regional development priorities, and build / strengthen partnerships and linkages between Australian organisations and partner organisations in eligible developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.

Through Australian Awards Fellowships, Australian organizations have the opportunity to build and strengthen links with organizations in developing countries by offering professional development opportunities in Australia.

Eligibility
Australian organisations must ensure that all nominated Fellows meet the following general eligibility requirements:

• Be a citizen of and residing in an eligible country (see below)
• Not hold Australian permanent resident status or be applying for permanent residency
• Have been working in their country of citizenship, employed by the organisation supporting their application and working in areas relevant to their training in Australia, prior to the date of the proposed commencement of their Fellowship
• Be able to take up the nominated Fellowship Program at the time and for the duration proposed by the Australian organisation.

Eligible groups
Citizens of Developing countries in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Citizens of the following countries are eligible to be nominated for participation by the applying Australian organisation:

Asia Pacific:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Cook Islands, East Timor, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Wallis & Futuna.

Latin America and Caribbean:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Africa:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Republic of Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Iraq and Palestinian Territories:
Applications relating to Iraq and the Palestinian Territories are also eligible.

Participating Institution(s)
Any approved Australian university or higher or research institution. Australian organizations from a wide range of academic, research, business, industry, media, NGOs, professional groups and government have hosted ALA fellows in the past rounds.

Fields of study
Australian Awards Fellowship support a wide variety of areas and sectors. Australian organizations are encouraged to design programs that address priority areas, including disability and development, economic growth, education, environment, food security, gender, governance, health, human rights, infrastructure, regional stability, rural development and water and sanitation.

Number of Awards
Each applying Australian organisation can request funding for a maximum of 25 Fellows.

In one round of the past now defunct ALA Fellowships program, $10.5 million was provided to 31 Australian organisations to support 55 programs involving 614 Fellows (commenced in January 2013). However, note that the number of fellowships awarded may vary.

Sponsorship duration
Fellowships must be between 10 calendar days and 12 months duration.

Scholarship benefits
Australian organisations can request funding of up to AUD35,000 per fellow, to a maximum of 25 Fellows, inclusive of operational and management costs, to fund costs associated with Fellows’ participation in the Fellowship activities and some of the costs associated with delivering Fellowship activities in Australia. See the "Australia Awards Fellowships Guidelines" on the official website (link to it is below) for further details.

A maximum of $35,000 per Fellow can include:

• Return economy airfare from/to home country’s international hub
• In-Australia transport in respect of approved activities
• Short course/tuition/training course costs
• Accommodation and living expenses
• Medical insurance costs when in Australia (for award holder only)
• Special assistance/assistive devices (to support people with disability)
• Program Overhead Fee

Method of Application
All applications must be lodged online through SmartyGrants.

Applications are restricted to Australian organisations demonstrating on-going linkages with counterpart overseas organisations in eligible countries (see above). Overseas counterpart organisations and individual fellows must be sponsored by an Australian organisation, and may not apply directly for a Fellowship. They may, however, initiate contact with an Australian organisation to explore the latter’s interest in applying for Fellowship funding.

Applications are accepted from Australian organisations only; individuals are not eligible to apply. The "Fellowships submission guidelines" provide detailed information on the application process.

For complete details on the fellowship factsheet, submission guideline, application form, sample budget, how to apply and other required documents visit the official website (link to it is below).

DEADLINES:
Australia Awards Fellowships competitive grant rounds are advertised once a year (generally mid-year) for Fellowship activities to be undertaken in the following year.

Applications for Round 15 of the Australia Awards Fellowships will open on 1 August 2014. Applications will close 10 September 2014 at 17:00 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

PLEASE NOTE:
Fellowships are for current and future leaders and mid-career professionals, who will be in a position to advance priority foreign affairs and development issues.

Fellowship activities are aimed at providing high-quality training, exchange of expertise, skills and knowledge, and opportunities to enhance networks on issues of shared interest.

Application Deadline: 10 September 2014
Open to International Applicants: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Scholarships in Australia for International Students