Thursday, February 10, 2011


The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) was established by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) in 1966 primarily "to provide to the participating countries high quality graduate study in agriculture; promote, undertake, and coordinate research programs related to the needs and problems of the Southeast Asian region; and disseminate the findings of agricultural research and experimentation."  The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) invites applications for its graduate scholarship (MS and PhD) in agriculture and related fields (including biological sciences, social sciences, economics and statistics, forestry and fisheries, environmental sciences, agro-industrial technology and engineering, biochemistry, and development management). There are two types of SEARCA scholarship grants available to citizens of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam:


1.Regular MS and PhD Scholarships
2.PhD Research Scholarship

Regular MS/PhD Scholarships
This graduate scholarship was initiated in academic year 1968-69 and aims to ensure the relevance and responsiveness of Southeast Asia's agricultural scientists and professionals to global sustainable development issues. The program provides support for advanced studies leading to the MS and PhD degrees in agriculture, forestry, and related fields. SEARCA aims to prepare highly qualified professionals working in agricultural and rural development for positions of leadership in SEAMEO member countries. As of School Year 2009/2010, SEARCA has granted 1,250 scholarships, of which 1,056 study programs (448 PhD, 608 MS) had been completed. Over the decades, the Graduate Study Program has expanded its scope to include institutional development and networking activities and services to enhance graduate education in the region. SEARCA also provides services for administration of scholarship funds under the sponsorship of institutions other than SEAMEO.

Graduate Scholarships for Timor-Leste
Since 2003, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has tapped SEARCA to implement a special scholarship project for Timor-Leste nationals. Timor-Leste is the newest independent nation in the world as well as the 11th and newest SEAMEO member country. Although Timor-Leste was not yet a member of SEAMEO in 2003, SEARCA implemented the collaborative  project with DAAD as an assistance to the Government of Germany, which is an associate member of SEAMEO. As of School Year 2009/2010, the DAAD has supported MS scholarships awarded to 24 Timor-Leste nationals to pursue master's degree in agriculture and related sciences. Of the 24 scholars, 11 already completed their MS programs.

PhD Research Scholarship
Launched in November 2005, the SEARCA PhD Research Scholarship provides financial support to a limited number of qualified PhD students whose researches are relevant to the priority thrusts of SEARCA.

This scholarship program aims to:
1. Provide PhD students the opportunity to use the resources and facilities available at SEARCA and its network of universities for their research;
2. Produce quality research papers for publication; and
3. Enable them to work with SEARCA's R&D personnel on mutually identified areas of concerns/interests in agriculture and rural development.

Eligibility for the Grant
Any graduate student who is a citizen of any of the 11 SEAMEO member countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) and pursuing a PhD in agriculture or related sciences from any university in the world is eligible to apply for the scholarship. The applicant must have already completed his/her course work with an approved dissertation proposal and is ready to conduct the dissertation research.
The applicant’s research must focus on any of SEARCA’s priority thrusts under the broad themes of natural resource management and promotion of agricultural competitiveness.

Application Requirements
The application requirements are:
1. Filled out Application Form (see below);
2. Letter of application for the research scholarship;
3. Recommendation letter from the Dean of Graduate School of the university where the student is pursuing his/her degree program;
4. Dissertation research outline/proposal approved by the Advisory Committee and Dean of Graduate School;
5. Budgetary requirement for the entire research duly attested and recommended by the major adviser and Dean of Graduate School;
6. Certified transcript of academic records for all courses taken at the PhD level;
7. Curriculum vitae;
8. Letter from the student certifying that he/she is not receiving any other research grant from any other institution. If partial funding has been obtained from other sources, a certification from the funding agency indicating the amount of grant and the items in the research that are covered by the grant; and
9. Research timetable indicating the activities involved in the research, the expected date of defense and expected date of seminar paper presentation.

Application deadlines are 1 April and 1 September.
Applications should be addressed to:

Dr. Editha C. Cedicol
Manager
Graduate Scholarship Department
SEARCA, Los Baños 4031 Laguna, Philippines


More info: http://www.searca.org/web/scholarship/regular_scholarships/index.html

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