Kaduna State Government Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship 2019 for Young Nigerian Leaders

Application Deadline: 20th March 2019

Eligible Countries: Nigeria


To Be Taken At (Country): Nigeria

About the Award: Kaduna State Government is set to introduce its inaugural class of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellows Programme commencing in June, 2018. The programme’s objective is to develop and nurture leadership ability across Nigeria, with specific focus on the promising leaders of the future.
The one-year programme aims to create a network of high potential young Nigerians who are expected to rise to top leadership positions in the public sector and other spheres of activity over the next decade.
The overall mission of the non-partisan programme, as envisioned by His Excellency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is in his words, “to raise the next generation of leaders who will most likely be absorbed into the Nigerian public sector having had a first-hand experience of its workings and challenges”

Kashim Ibrahim Fellows Programme comprises of four components, namely;

1. Work Placement
2. Education Programme
3. Community Service
4. Fellowship

Type: Fellowship (Professional)

Eligibility: To be eligible as a Kashim Ibrahim Fellow, applicants must demonstrate a public interest orientation.

Selection Criteria:The most important criterion is to have a real commitment to put your new leadership skills into use to benefit your community, State and Nigeria upon the successful completion of the programme.
Selection Criteria Include:

• Diversity: The programme will admit sixteen (16) Fellows representing diverse ethnic, religious, and gender backgrounds, with varied educational, economic, and geographic experiences; working from all angles and with different perspectives to strengthen their communities and civic life.
• An established record of integrity and exemplary achievement.
• Commitment to engaging in crucial issues and to making a difference at the national or international level.
• Promise of a future career of leadership and notable impact.
• Special capacity for critical, creative, entrepreneurial, and strategic thinking.
• Commitment to a rigorous programme of activities, to full-time residence in Kaduna for the entire duration of the programme.
• Fellowships are available for individuals who are working to solve important public problems in creative and powerful ways.
• Proficiency in English: Fellows must be fluent in spoken and written English as all programmes will be conducted in English.
• Applicants must be Nigerian citizens between 25 to 35 years of age.
• Applicants must be graduates of a recognised university, and must have completed the mandatory national youth service.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award:

• A salary and benefits equivalent to that of Special Assistant to the Governor from the Ministry, Department or Agency for which Fellows work.
• Accommodation in a nicely furnished one-bedroom apartment for the duration of the programme, and breakfast

Duration of Program: 1 year

How to Apply: 

• Please note that application for admission to the Kashim Ibrahim Fellows Programme is entirely an online process. There are no paper forms to complete or mail.
• There is no application fee or any cost to apply.
• Prior to the deadline of 20th March 2019, you may work on your application at any time and submit it when you are ready. After creating an account and accessing the online application, you can upload materials and request your letters of recommendation.
• Applicants are required to submit a Résumé/Curriculum Vitae (maximum 3 pages), two letters of recommendation and an essay on the change and leadership in Nigeria (maximum 1000 words).

Apply Here

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Africa-China Reporting Project Grants 2019 for African Journalists

Application Deadline: 14th April 2019

Offered annually? Yes


Eligible Countries: African countries and China

About the Award: The Project is seeking applications from journalists for two different types of reporting grants:

• Audio/visual reporting grants: For audio or video reporting projects by journalists established at media houses and preferably with the necessary equipment readily available, as the grant will likely not be sufficient to cover hiring of equipment and full production costs
• Investigative reporting grants: For print and/or online investigations by journalists working at media houses as well as freelance journalists. Preference will be given to applicants able to include established publishing platforms and the involvement of investigating or other partners in their proposals

This is the first time that the Project has opened a call specifically for audio/visual reporting grants; in 2018 the Project launched the first call for investigative reporting grants. Via this call for both audio/visual and investigative reporting grants the Project seeks to promote dynamic storytelling and reporting of Africa-China investigations focusing on specific issues that are in the public interest and have a relevance to China’s and Chinese interests’ roles, activities and impact in Africa.
The Project encourages journalists to submit proposals that aim to bring to light fresh and nuanced investigations with new findings about complex Africa-China relations, and if possible that involves other partners and institutions who can collaborate on and expand the investigations (the Project can potentially assist applicants to form partnerships with investigating partners in Asia and elsewhere). Of importance is for applicants to present fresh and important ideas and a feasible plan to carry them out.

Fields of Research: Within the Africa-China framework there are various issues where fresh and ground-breaking reporting can be undertaken, such as the following:

• Economy: Corporate activities, criminal networks, business links, etc.
• Development and infrastructure: Ground-breaking and/or problematic projects and deals, community impact, etc.
• Social: Health, public services, etc.
• Governance: Government dealings/engagements, aid and development assistance, education and sponsorships, etc.
• Environment: Following-up on the ban in ivory trade, complexities of implementation; poaching & trafficking; pollution, etc.
• Agriculture: Ground-breaking agricultural developments/exchanges, crop yields and new strains, etc.

• And more topics such as Industrialisation; Chinese company activities; Dangerous and/or illegal industrial operations; Community engagement & mobilization; Chinese support and activities in favor of regional integration; Chinese private security in Africa and the arms trade; Activities of and engagements with Chinese communities in Africa; Anti-piracy measures; Chinese corporate social responsibility in Africa, etc.

These are suggested themes, but there could be many others, and as long as the focus is within the broad Africa-China framework the Project will consider each proposal on its own merits.

Type: Grants

Eligibility:The Project is looking for experienced investigative journalists who have new and fresh ideas and the means to deliver them.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Grants: 

• The grants are intended to provide funding for travel, accommodation and sundry daily expenses, but not car hire, purchase of equipment or professional fees, or to buy publication space
• Grants are generally as much as $3000
• Grant recipients will be paid 75% of the grant total at the outset, and the remaining 25% when (and if) the feature is published on a news media platform/publication

Duration of Grants: The reporting project should be completed and published within three months of the receipt of the grant funding unless otherwise agreed

How to Apply:  Please address an email with the heading APPLICATION: AUDIO-VISUAL REPORTING GRANT or APPLICATION: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING GRANT and containing the following items (in attachments in MS Word or PDF formats) to ACRPapplications@gmail.com by no later than 14 April:

• Applicant CV, and list of previous Africa-China reporting and/or previous investigative or audio/visual journalism reporting
• Proposal for story to be investigated, with a clear proposed headline at the start and a brief report of WHAT will be investigated and HOW, including a detailed methodology for how and where the investigation will be undertaken
• Audio/visual reporting proposals should include a draft production storyboard to support the methodology
• An indication of where the investigation will be published or aired, and which partners if any will be used or required and how this will expand the investigation
• A detailed budget with specific line items totalling as much as US$3,000

Visit Grants Webpage for details

Orange Social Venture Prize for Entrepreneurs in Africa and the Middle East 2018

Application Deadline: 30th May 2019

Offered annually? Yes


Eligible Countries: Countries in Africa and the Middle East

About the Award: The Orange Social Venture Prize rewards entrepreneurs developing products or services that use ICT in an innovative way to meet the needs of people in Africa or the Middle East in fields such as health, agriculture, education, energy, industry or trade.
Over the past five years, the thousands of projects which have been submitted for the Orange Social Venture Prize display the dynamism of entrepreneurs and the potential of the telecommunications sector in the region.
Once again this year, internet users can vote online for their favourite project on Entrepreneur Club, the entrepreneurship section of StarAfrica, the Orange portal. The project thus elected as the “favourite project” will be introduced to the jury along with ten others shortlisted by the experts, and will therefore maximise its odds of receiving one of the monetary grants.

Offered Since: 2011

Type: Entrepreneurship

Eligibility: Any entrepreneur (aged 21 or over) or legal entity that has been in existence for fewer than three years at the time of the competition may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality. Submitted projects must be designed to be deployed in at least one of the African or Middle Eastern countries in which Orange operates (as listed in the rules) and must use information and communications technology in an innovative way to help improve the living conditions of the populations in these countries.

Number of Awardees: 3

Value of Contest: 

• 1st Grand Prize: €25,000
• 2nd Grand Prize: €15,000
• 3rd Grand Prize: €10,000

Orange experts provide the winners with customised digital mentoring and advice. These international awards complete the various prizes delivered locally to national winners.

Apply

Visit Contest Webpage

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) 2019/2020

Application Deadline: 30th April 2019

Offered annually? Yes


Eligible Countries: Nigeria

To be taken at (country): United States of America (USA)

About the Award: The Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program is a nine month non-degree course funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. The objective of the program is to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. colleges, universities, and some high schools, while providing future teachers from abroad the opportunity to refine their skills, increase their English language proficiency, and expand their knowledge of U.S. society and culture.  FLTA fellows must return to their home countries upon completion of their programs to teach English at the secondary or university level.

Type: Short courses, Job

Eligibility: All applications must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be teachers of English or in training to become teachers of English.
• Applicants must possess a university degree in English, Language Arts, or combined honors.
• Applicants must be fluent in English, demonstrated by a TOEFL score of 79-80 (Internet based testing) or 6.0 (overall score International English Language Testing System-IELTS).
• Applicants must be between 21 and 29 years old at the time of application.
• Applicants must demonstrate maturity, dependability, integrity and professionalism.
• Applicants must be physically present in their home country throughout the nomination and selection process.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: Fully-funded

Duration of Scholarship: 9 months

How to Apply:  

• Applications must be completed and submitted online.
• Applicants should request that the academic office of their institution send a stamped copy of their transcripts in a sealed envelope to: The Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Area, Abuja, Attention: Cultural Affairs Officer.
• Other documents to be submitted include academic credentials, signed and stamped letters of reference, and the photo page of a valid Nigerian passport.
• The application can be accessed at: http://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/flta.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

L’Oréal-UNESCO Sub-Saharan Regional Fellowships 2019 for African Women in Science

Application Deadline: 29th April 2019

Offered annually? Yes


Eligible Countries: Sub- Saharan African countries listed below

To be taken at (country): Sub-Saharan African Universities

About Fellowship: Founded in 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Sub-Saharan Africa Fellowships aims to promote and encourage young African women in science. Its programs reward established women scientists whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge and of its benefits to society and provide support to promising young women who are already making significant contributions in their scientific disciplines.

Eligible Field of Study: This program identifies and rewards talented young female scientists in the field of Life Sciences (such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, physiology, neurosciences, biotechnologies, ecology and ethology) as well as Physical Sciences (such as physics, chemistry, petroleum engineering, mathematics, engineering sciences, information sciences, and earth and universe sciences).

Offered Since: 2010

Eligibility: Applicants must meet the following general criteria:

• Having obtained Ph.D. degree in Life or Physical Sciences or pursuing studies leading to a Ph.D. degree
• Having the nationality of a Sub-Saharan African country
• Working in a Research Laboratory or Institution in one of the region’s countries or being- enrolled in a doctoral programme at a University in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Candidates must be no more than 40 years old by the end of the application period for- PhD and not more than 45 years for Post-doctoral.

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria of the candidate by the jury are the following:

• The candidate’s outstanding academic records (including number, quality and impact of the publications (impact factors to be submitted), conference presentations, patents…)
• The scientific quality of the research project
• The innovative nature and productivity of the research and its potential application in science

Number of Awards:

• The Program honors 15 doctorates and 5 post-doctorates every year.

Value of Award:

• €10,000 each will be granted to Ph.D. Students enrolled in- an African University.
• €15,000 each will be granted to 2 postdoctoral researchers- working in a laboratory or research institute registered in one of the region’s countries.

Duration of Program: 

Eligible Countries: South Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Níger, Nigeria, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tomé & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe

How to Apply: Applications can be only made  here  by the candidates themselves.  An application is considered complete only if it includes all documents below:

• A detailed Curriculum Vitae (including outreach activities among youth, tutoring, etc.)
• Certified copies of the degrees or recent diplomas-
• A proof of having obtained a Ph.D. degree for postdoctoral candidates-
• A proof of being enrolled in an African University for doctoral candidates-
• A detailed project of maximum 2 pages, including:
  • The research project description
  • The proposed use of the grant motivating the candidature with some budget indications
• Letters of recommendation from the research supervisor and/or the director of the- scientific institution where the research project is carried or the Dean of the University under which the candidate is running her research
• The list of publications and patents

Incomplete files or received after the deadline for application, as well as candidatures that do not meet the requirements mentioned above, will not be taken into consideration.
It is important to download and go through application rules and regulations from the Fellowship Webpage below before applying

Visit Fellowship Webpage for details

Indonesian Government Scholarships 2019/2020 for Students from Developing Countries

Application Deadline: 12th April 2019 (Extended from 1st March)

Offered annually? Yes


Eligible Countries: Developing Countries

To be taken at (country): Scholarships will be taken at the following universities in Indonesia.

Accepted Subject Areas? Agricultural Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Multi-Disciplinary Studies, Social Sciences and Sciences

About Scholarship: The Government of the Republic of Indonesia is annually offering the Darmasiswa Scholarship, a non-degree scholarship program offered to all foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language), art and culture. Participants can choose one of selected universities (59 universities) located in different cities in Indonesia. This program is organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The scholarship will be awarded to 650 applicants.
The main purpose of the DARMASISWA program is to promote and increase the interest in the language and culture of Indonesia among the youth of other countries. It has also been designed to provide stronger cultural links and understanding among participating countries.


Offered Since: 2002

Type: Undergraduate, Masters

Eligibility and Selection Criteria: Each student has to fulfill these requirements as the follows:

1. Preferably Student;
2. Completed secondary education or its equivalent;
3. Minimum age 17 years and Not older than 35 years of age;
4. Able to communicate in English and additional Bahasa Indonesia is required (Proven by English Language Proficiency Certificate : TOEFL/ TOEIC/IELTS or OTHER CERTIFICATE if applicable);
5. In good health as proven by Medical Certificate;
6. Unmarried
7. Have basic knowledge of the field you’re applying.

Number of Scholarships: Several

Scholarship Benefit

• Living Allowance and accomodation
• Research and book allowances (will be given during the Master Program)
• Health insurance

Duration of sponsorship

• 8 months of Indonesian Language Program
• 4 months of Preparatory Program
• 24 months (4 semesters) of Master Programs

How to Apply: Apply Here

Visit the Scholarship Webpage for Details


Sponsors: Indonesian Government

Women in Engineering (WomEng) Africa Innovation Fellowship 2019 for Female Leaders

Application Deadline: 1st April 2019.

About the Award:The Africa Innovation Fellowship, powered by WomEng and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s  Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is a nine-month leadership and business development opportunity for female African innovators with an early stage engineering innovation or startup. The Africa Innovation Fellowship aims to develop the talent pipeline for future cohorts of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.


Type: Fellowship, Entrepreneurship

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be female individuals or small groups with a female lead applicant.
• Individual applicants must be citizens of a country within Sub-Saharan Africa*. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant must be a citizen of a country within Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The innovation must be based in a country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applicants must have an engineering innovation, though are not required to be an engineering graduate or student themselves.
• Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible to apply.
• The lead applicant must be over the age of 18. There is no upper age limit.
• The applicant’s innovation can be any new product, technology or service, based on research in engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields, including: agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering. If you are in any doubt that your area of expertise would be considered engineering, then please contact aif@womeng.org to discuss your application.

• Applicants should have an early stage engineering innovation and/or startup that:
  • Will bring social and/or environmental benefits to a country/countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan which is near-ready or has been tested for commercial viability
  • Has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: 

• The prize for the winning idea will be an all-expenses paid trip to London to attend the Global Grand Challenges Summit in September 2019.
• Fellowship candidates who apply and are subsequently shortlisted for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation will additionally receive individual coaching and mentoring to support to get them pitch ready.

Duration of Programme: The Africa Innovation Fellowship (AIF) kicks off with an in-person training week in Kampala, Uganda from the 2 – 5 June 2019, focused on idea and business incubation, leadership development, networking and getting pitch-ready. The Fellowship training week is followed by nine months of personalised virtual support with regular check-ins and milestones, ending in March 2020.

Eligible countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland/eSwatini, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

How to Apply: APPLY NOW

Visit the Programme Webpage for Details

European Development Days Young Leaders Programme (Fully-funded to Brussels, Belgium) 2019

Application Deadline: 24th March 2019 at 1pm CET.

Eligible Countries: All


To be taken at (country): Brussels, Belgium

About the Award: Are you playing an active role in the fight for gender equality and women empowerment at the local, national or regional level? Do you want to share your vision of the future with other influential development actors? The time has come to make your voice heard: Apply for the Young Leaders Programme and grab the chance to be invited to Brussels to share your ideas!
Under the main thread of ‘Addressing inequalities: Building a world which leaves no one behind’ the EDD 2019 agenda will be framed around three major themes: Why inequalities matter for sustainable development, Understanding the structural causes of inequalities and Working better together through more effective policies to address inequalities.

Type: Conferences, Training

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be between 21 and 26 at the time of the forum (June 2019).
• Applications are open to young adults from all around the world, without restriction of nationality.
• Applications must be submitted in one of the following official European Commission languages: English / French / Spanish. The candidate must be able to speak clearly and comprehensively in one of these languages, as well as have a mandatory intermediate level of English.
• Applicants must be able to travel to and participate in EDD 2019 in Brussels (Belgium) in June 2019.

Selection Criteria: We will evaluate your application based on three criteria:

• 40% Your knowledge of your chosen topic and the relevance of your active engagement. We encourage candidates to show how their activities have had an impact on the community.
• 30% Your role as a representative of an organisation, other youth or community, and your leadership experience or potential.
• 30% Your public speaking skills and ability to speak at a high-level panel.

Number of Awardees: 15

Value of Program: The 15 selected Young Leaders will be invited to Brussels, Belgium, and all expenses (Visa, travel, accommodation) will be covered by the European Commission.
During their visit to Brussels, Young Leaders get the chance to visit European institutions, participate in workshops, meet key policymakers and interact with other young people driving change around the world. They will speak at various sessions and enjoy full access to the whole conference. Travel and accommodation is covered by the European Commission.

Duration of Program: 10 days

How to Apply: You will find the application form below then instructions for applying on the Program Webpage. Don’t forget that you should submit a completed form before 24 March 2019!

Apply here.

Visit Program Webpage for details

KDI School GKS-KGSP (Korean Government Scholarship Program) 2019 for International Students

Application Deadline: 20th March 2019
Each embassy and university will send the 1st round successful candidates’ applications and related documents to NIIED by April 4th, 2019.


Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): South Korea

Type: Masters, PhD Research

Eligibility: 

-Be non-Korean citizens whose parents are also non-Korean citizens*.

-Be physically and mentally healthy

-Be under 40 years of age as of September 1st, 2019

-Hold a bachelor’s or an equivalent degree prior to August 31st, 2019

-Have a GPA higher than B or 80% from the previously attended institution
*Applicants must be from designated countries (see NIIED application guideline)

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: Full tuition, monthly stipend, round-trip airfare

Duration of Scholarship: Total 3 years:

-First year: Korean language training

-Second & Third year: Master’s program

How to Apply: Apply Here

Please be sure to check both application guidelines in Link below before applying

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Western Union Scholars Program for Undergraduate International Students 2019

Application Deadline: 30th April 2019
Selection & Notification to all Applicants: July 2018


Eligible Countries: All. Mostly developing countries

Fields of Study: Science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business/entrepreneurship.

About the Award: The WU Scholars program was created to help give young people a boost toward a better life. The Western Union Foundation believes education is the surest path to economic opportunity. Educational pursuits to gain knowledge and skills for in-demand, 21st century careers are helping people all over the world climb the economic ladder.
To us, a better education means better employment opportunities. And with better employment opportunities comes improved earning potential. As Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek says, “Education is powerful. It is the key to change and one key to financial dignity for all.” That financial dignity is what drives a better life for individuals, families, and communities around the world.

Type: Undergraduate

Eligibility: 

• Scholarships must be used at an accredited post-secondary institution seeking an undergraduate degree.
• All applicants must be pursuing a degree/field of study in one of the following categories: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business/entrepreneurship.
• All applicants for scholarships must be between the ages of 18 – 26 years of age on June 1, 2019.
• Application must be submitted in English. Translation services may be used to help non-English speakers submit. You will not be penalized for basic errors.
• Must be able to demonstrate admittance to an accredited post-secondary institution or have applied for admittance.
• Must provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher or professor. If a teacher or professor is unable to submit a recommendation on your behalf, you may also use someone who has supervised you in a youth/community group, volunteer position, job/employment situation, etc.
• Scholarships must be used on programs resulting in an undergraduate degree. Specialized academic programs (study abroad term, stand-alone language acquisition course, service learning, etc.) are not permitted.
• Scholarships may not be used for advanced degrees, such as Masters, PhD, JD, etc.
• Scholarships may be used for tuition or school fees during the academic term immediately following scholarship winner selections (estimated in July). Funds cannot be used for room and board or for school supplies.
• Immediate family members of controlling officers in Western Union, any of its affiliates and non-affiliated nonprofit entities, or its Agents are not eligible to participate in the scholarship program.
• All other employees and their family members who meet the other eligibility requirements may apply.

Selection Criteria: Candidates will be selected based on criteria relating to the program’s three pillars: Perseverance, Aspiration, and Community.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: Selected scholarship recipients will receive USD $2,500 each to contribute toward tuition or school fees at an accredited post-secondary institution.

Duration of Scholarship: One-time

APPLY NOW

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Albert Einstein Global Fellowship 2019 for Researchers

Application Deadline: 15th May, 2019

Eligible Countries: All


To be taken at (country): Germany

About the Award:  The purpose of the fellowship is to support those who, in addition to producing superb work in their area of specialization, are also open to other, interdisciplinary approaches – following the example set by Albert Einstein.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: Candidates must be under 35 and hold a university degree in the humanities, in the social sciences, or in the natural sciences.
At the end of the fellowship period, the fellow will be expected to present his or her project in a public lecture at the Einstein Forum and at the Daimler and Benz Foundation. The Einstein Fellowship is not intended for applicants who wish to complete an academic study they have already begun.

Selection Criteria: A successful application must demonstrate the quality, originality, and feasibility of the proposed project, as well as the superior intellectual development of the applicant. It is not relevant whether the applicant has begun working toward, or currently holds, a PhD.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value and Duration of Fellowship: The fellowship includes living accommodations for five to six months in the garden cottage of Einstein`s own summerhouse in Caputh, Brandenburg, only a short distance away from the universities and academic institutions of Potsdam and Berlin. The fellow will receive a stipend of EUR 10,000 and reimbursement of travel expenses.

How to Apply:The applications for the year 2020 should include a curriculum vitae and an outline of the project (both in English) and two scientific references, to be submitted by 15 May 2019 .

Visit Fellowship Webpage for details

Israel is Playing a Big Role in India’s Escalating Conflict with Pakistan

Robert Fisk 

When I heard the first news report, I assumed it was an Israeli air raid on Gaza. Or Syria. Airstrikes on a “terrorist camp” were the first words. A “command and control centre” destroyed, many “terrorists” killed. The military was retaliating for a “terrorist attack” on its troops, we were told.

An Islamist “jihadi” base had been eliminated. Then I heard the name Balakot and realised that it was neither in Gaza, nor in Syria – not even in Lebanon – but in Pakistan. Strange thing, that. How could anyone mix up Israel and India?

Well, don’t let the idea fade away. Two thousand five hundred miles separate the Israeli ministry of defence in Tel Aviv from the Indian ministry of defence in New Delhi, but there’s a reason why the usual cliche-stricken agency dispatches sound so similar.

For months, Israel has been assiduously lining itself up alongside India’s nationalist BJP government in an unspoken – and politically dangerous – “anti-Islamist” coalition, an unofficial, unacknowledged alliance, while India itself has now become the largest weapons market for the Israeli arms trade.

Not by chance, therefore, has the Indian press just trumpeted the fact that Israeli-made Rafael Spice-2000 “smart bombs” were used by the Indian air force in its strike against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) “terrorists” inside Pakistan.

Like many Israeli boasts of hitting similar targets, the Indian adventure into Pakistan might owe more to the imagination than military success. The “300-400 terrorists” supposedly eliminated by the Israeli-manufactured and Israeli-supplied GPS-guided bombs may turn out to be little more than rocks and trees.

But there was nothing unreal about the savage ambush of Indian troops in Kashmir on 14 February which the JeM claimed, and which left 40 Indian soldiers dead. Nor the shooting down of at least one Indian jet this week.

India was Israel’s largest arms client in 2017, paying £530m for Israeli air defence, radar systems and ammunition, including air-to-ground missiles – most of them tested during Israel’s military offensives against Palestinians and targets in Syria.

Israel itself is trying to explain away its continued sales of tanks, weapons and boats to the Myanmar military dictatorship – while western nations impose sanctions on the government which has attempted to destroy its minority and largely Muslim Rohingya people. But Israel’s arms trade with India is legal, above-board and much advertised by both sides.

The Israelis have filmed joint exercises between their own “special commando” units and those sent by India to be trained in the Negev desert, again with all the expertise supposedly learned by Israel in Gaza and other civilian-thronged battlefronts.

At least 16 Indian “Garud” commandos – part of a 45-strong Indian military delegation – were for a time based at the Nevatim and Palmachim air bases in Israel. In his first visit to India last year – preceded by a trip to Israel by nationalist Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu recalled the 2008 Islamist attacks on Mumbai in which almost 170 civilians were killed. “Indians and Israelis know too well the pain of terrorist attacks,” he told Modi. “We remember the horrific savagery of Mumbai. We grit our teeth, we fight back, we never give in.” This was also BJP-speak.

Several Indian commentators, however, have warned that right-wing Zionism and right-wing nationalism under Modi should not become the foundation stone of the relationship between the two countries, both of which – in rather different ways – fought the British empire.

Brussels researcher Shairee Malhotra, whose work has appeared in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, has pointed out that India has the world’s third largest Muslim population after Indonesia and Pakistan – upward of 180 million people. “The India-Israel relationship is also commonly being framed in terms of a natural convergence of ideas between their ruling BJP and Likud parties,” she wrote last year.

Hindu nationalists had constructed “a narrative of Hindus as historically victims at the hands of Muslims”, an attractive idea to those Hindus who recall partition and the continuing turbulent relationship with Pakistan.

In fact, as Malhotra pointed out in Haaretz, “Israel’s biggest fans in India appear to be the ‘internet Hindus’ who primarily love Israel for how it deals with Palestine and fights Muslims.”

Malhotra has condemned Carleton University professor Vivek Dehejia for demanding a “tripartite” alliance between India, Israel and the US – since they have all suffered “from the scourge of Islamic terrorism”.

In fact, by the end of 2016, only 23 men from India had left to fight for Isis in the Arab world, although Belgium, with a population of only half a million Muslims, produced nearly 500 fighters.

Malhotra’s argument is that the Indian-Israeli relationship should be pragmatic rather than ideological.

But it is difficult to see how Zionist nationalism will not leach into Hindu nationalism when Israel is supplying so many weapons to India – the latest of which India, which has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, has already used against Islamists inside Pakistan.

Signing up to the “war on terror” – especially “Islamist terror” – may seem natural for two states built on colonial partition whose security is threatened by Muslim neighbours.

In both cases, their struggle is over the right to own or occupy territory. Israel, India and Pakistan all possess nuclear weapons. Another good reason not to let Palestine and Kashmir get tangled up together. And to leave India’s 180 million Muslims alone.

Turkish-Chinese spat puts Central Asian leaders on the spot

James M. Dorsey 

A Turkish-Chinese spat as a result of Turkish criticism of China’s crackdown on Turkic Muslims in its strategic but troubled north-western province of Xinjiang complicates efforts by Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states to at best deal quietly behind closed doors with the plight of their citizens and ethnic kin in the People’s Republic.

China’s threat that the Turkish criticism of its massive surveillance and detention campaign, involving the alleged incarceration in re-education camps of up to one million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims would have economic consequences and the temporary closure of the Chinese consulate in the Mediterranean port city of Izmir serves as warnings to others in the Muslim world what could happen if they break their silence.

The Chinese effort to get the Muslim and broader international community to maintain silence, if not acquiesce in the crackdown that constitutes the most frontal assault on Islam in recent history, was boosted when Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on a visit to Beijing last month appeared to endorse Chinese policy.

Prince Salman’s endorsement of China’s right to undertake “anti-terrorism” and “de-extremism” measures was widely seen as tacit support for the crackdown by the custodian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

China has denied allegations of widespread abuse of human rights and insisted that the camps are re-education and training facilities that have stopped attacks by Islamist militants and separatists.

The crown prince’s remarks contrasted starkly with the characterization last month of the crackdown by Turkey’s foreign ministry as an “embarrassment to humanity,” The ministry demanded that Chinese authorities respect the human rights of the Uyghurs and close what it termed “concentration camps.”

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called twice last week on China to make a distinction between perpetrators of political violence and innocent civilians while insisting that Turkey wished to continue cooperation with the People’s Republic.

“The fact that we have a problem with China on an issue should not necessarily hinder our cooperation on other matters,” Mr. Cavusoglu said.

Turkey is hoping that Chinese investment in nuclear, e-commerce, finance, and infrastructure will narrow its gaping trade deficit with China that last year stood at US$17.8 billion.

That is not how China appeared to envision its future relationship with Turkey.

“There may be disagreements or misunderstandings between friends, but we should solve them through dialogue. Criticising your friend publicly everywhere is not a constructive approach,” said Chinese ambassador to Turkey Deng Li.

“The most important issue between countries is mutual respect. Would you stay friends if your friend criticized you publicly every day?” Mr. Deng asked.

“If you choose a non-constructive path, it will negatively affect mutual trust and understanding and will be reflected in commercial and economic relations,” Mr. Deng added.

Mr. Deng’s comments were not only designed to whip Turkey back into line but also to prevent Central Asian nations from speaking out despite mounting domestic pressure.

Mr. Deng’s comments reflected greater Chinese intolerance for criticism of its crackdown amid attempts to convince the international community by taking diplomats and journalists on carefully managed tours of Xinjiang that one participant called a “dog and pony show.”

The ambassador’s rings particularly loud in Kazakhstan whose ethnic kin constitute the second largest Muslim community in Xinjiang after the Uyghurs.

A former re-education camp employee, Sayragul Sauytbay, who fled to Kazakhstan told a Kazakh court last year that she was aware of some 75,000 Kazakh nationals and Chinese of Kazakh descent being incarcerated.

Atajurt Eriktileri, a Kazakh group that supports relatives of people who have disappeared in Xinjiang, says it has documented more than 10,000 cases of ethnic Kazakhs interned in China. The Xinjiang Victims Database says it has collected some 3,000 testimonies of prisoners and their families, half of which are from ethnic Kazakhs.

Askar Azatbek, a former Xinjiang official who became a Kazakh citizen, went missing in December after allegedly having been kidnapped while on the Kazakh side of Khorgos, a free-trade zone on the border with China.

So has Qalymbek Shahman an ethnic Kazakh Xinjiang businessman who was refused entry into Kazakhstan, sent to Uzbekistan and disappeared in Thailand to where he was returned by Uzbek authorities. Mr. Shahman hasn’t been heard from since.

“I wanted to go to Kazakhstan, because China’s human rights record was making life intolerable,” Mr. Shahman said in a video tape from Tashkent airport before being forced to fly to Thailand, which has a track record of complying with Chinese repatriation requests.

For now, Central Asian leaders are walking a tightrope. Officially, they insist that Xinjiang is a Chinese internal affair. At the same time, the leaders are trying to curb domestic criticism.

Serikzhan Bilash, the head of Atajurt Eriktileri, was fined in February by an Almaty court for operating an unregistered organization.

Ms. Sauytbay has fired her lawyer after he became unreachable at key moments in her asylum application and encouraged her to not talk about it publicly. “I don’t want to talk…until I have some kind of protection. I’d prefer that protection to come from Kazakhstan, but I might need help from other countries,” Ms. Sautbay said.

Ms. Sautbay is certain to hope that Turkey’s willingness to confront China, if maintained, makes Central Asia’s tightrope act increasingly risky, particularly in an environment in which public criticism of the crackdown, anti-Chinese sentiment and social and economic discontent are meshing.