Are you a graduate? Do you want to study in the UK for between three months and one year?

The British government is offering a range of scholarships to future high fliers who have the potential to become leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers in Croatia.

Each year 20 – 30 recipients from Croatia get to go to the UK to study and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.

Applicants should be Croatian citizens, currently live in Croatia and intend to return to Croatia to make their careers there. British – Croatian dual nationals will be considered on a case by case basis.

Below is a summary of the scholarship programmes available for the academic year 2009/1010 followed by details of the individual courses, candidate profiles, and what is covered by scholarships. Please note that candidates are welcome to apply for more than one programme.

SUMMARY

Chevening Scholarship: Between three months and one year studying at a UK university.

Hansard Society Research Scholars Programme: Three-month course with classes at LSE and the option of being attached to a UK member of parliament, the BBC or a UK institution.

OSI/Chevening Oxford and York scholarship: Up to one year studying at the University of Oxford or the University of York.

OSI/Chevening Cambridge: One year studying at the University of Cambridge.

Joint scholarship with the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: Up to one year studying Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex for current or future civil servants.

Chevening/Shell Scholarships - University of Cambridge/University of Durham/University of Edinburgh/Imperial College/University of Leeds/University of Oxford/UCL: One year studying in various field at one of the universities listed above.
 
Chevening/UNEP-WCMC Scholarships in Biodiversity: one year research and work experience at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge.

Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards: Funding for up to three years' PhD study for science, engineering, medicine, social science and technology students at one of the 25 British universities selected to participate in this scheme.

Oxford Colleges Hospitality Scheme: One month studying in the libraries of Oxford University for young researchers and lecturers at universities.

CHEVENING SCHOLARSHIPS

In academic year 2009-10, we are offering post-graduate scholarships from three months to one year in the following subjects: Politics, International Relations and EU studies; Journalism; Law; Economics; Human Rights; Environment; Business; and Management.

Candidate profile: Candidates are expected to be graduates and professionals who would return to Croatia to become leaders in their fields. We encourage applications from candidates who have already taken the first steps in their careers. The scholarships are for Croatian citizens.

About the courses: This scheme gives the widest degree of flexibility. Candidates choose the courses they would like to study. To find out about possible courses visit www.educationuk.org or www.prospects.ac.uk or www.postgrad.hobsons.com.

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarships cover all university and college fees, travel to and from the UK, and basic living expenses for a single person.

Documents needed:

1. completed online application form
   https://www.chevening.fco.gov.uk/CheveningApplications/Modules/PUBLICUser/CA_Logon.aspx
2. two reference letters (preferably one academic and one professional and written in English) sent by post to the British Council, Ilica 12/I, 10000 Zagreb no later than 31 October 2008.

Please note that should you be called to an interview, you will be required to also bring:

1. original transcript of grades
2. original certificates for the qualifications you record

English language IELTS test will be required only for the candidates recommended for the scholarship.

Deadline: All applications must be submitted online and reference letters sent by post to the British Council, Ilica 12/I, 10000 Zagreb, by the closing date of 31 October 2008.

HANSARD SOCIETY RESEARCH SCHOLARS PROGRAMME

We are currently inviting applications for the Hansard Society Research Scholars programme for three-month courses starting in Summer 2009 (23 May – 1 August 2008).

Candidate profile: We would invite applications from the fields of International Relations and EU studies, Journalism, Law, Economics and Human Rights.

About the course: The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity, which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy.

The Hansard Society Scholars Programme offers an outstanding opportunity for international students to gain academic and practical knowledge of the British political system and current debates in UK public policy.

As a Hansard Scholar, you will be part of an organisation with an unparalleled reputation in the political world, developed over the last 60 years. You will attend courses in British Politics and UK Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science – one of the foremost universities in the world. You will also have lectures with politicians and other senior figures from a variety of organisations on the cutting edge of the UK public policy agenda, and take an intensive internship placement at a variety of the foremost political organisations in the UK including interest groups, campaign organisations, research institutions, lobbying companies, and the UK Parliament itself.

For more details about the course, please visit
http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/programmes/study_programme/research_scholars

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarship covers the programme fees, travel costs, visa expenses and a stipend to cover living expenses in London.

Documents needed: completed application form, CV, short personal statement outlining interests, internship preferences and what you hope to gain from the programme, two letters of reference – at least one academic, a copy of your diploma and a transcript of grades, and a sample of written academic work.

Application details: Please use the application form available on www.britishcouncil.org/croatia and send it, together with other necessary documents, in two copies to the British Council, Ilica 12/I, 10001 Zagreb. All applications must be received by 31 October 2008. Please do NOT send your application form and documents direct to Hansard.

JOINT SCHOLARSHIP WITH CROATIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX – CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN STUDIES

We will be advertising at the start of 2009 for candidates who wish to study Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex. This scheme is a joint scholarship with the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. It is intended for people who are or will become civil servants.

Details of when the competition opens will be available on www.mvpei.hr

Candidate profile: Candidates should be employed in the civil service or entering the civil service. They will be required by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to sign a contract to work in the civil service for three years after their return.

About the course: Following their postgraduate education, scholarship candidates will work on preparing Croatia for EU membership, on the fulfilment of economic conditions, on the implementation of EU programmes and projects in Croatia, and on education.

For further details about the course please visit www.sussex.ac.uk.

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarships cover all university and college fees, travel to and from the UK, and basic living expenses for a single person.

Application details: Application forms will be available from the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration from early spring 2009.


OSI/FCO CHEVENING OXFORD & YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
 
We will soon be inviting applications for candidates who would like to study for up to one year at the Universities of Oxford or York (academic year 2009-2010). The OSI/FCO Chevening Scholarships are jointly funded by the Open Society Institute and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Candidate profile: The scholarships are intended to provide opportunities for postgraduate study for scholars and young professionals who demonstrate both academic excellence and the potential to become leaders, decision makers and opinion formers in their home countries. Applicants should have excellent academic qualifications, a clear and precise proposal describing what they wish to study, and a fluent command of the English language.

Within the Scholarship Scheme, there are three options:

OPTION ONE: Nine-month Research Scholarships at the University of Oxford
Scholarships are available for scholars wishing to conduct postgraduate research as a Visiting Student at Oxford University in the Humanities, Social Sciences or Environmental Sciences. It is important to note that this period of study will not lead to the award of an Oxford University diploma or degree.

OPTION TWO: One-year Scholarships to read for a Master's Degree at the University of Oxford
Scholarships are available to scholars wishing to read for one of the following degrees (the courses are for either nine, ten or twelve months):

Byzantine Studies M.St., Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management M.Sc., Comparative Social Policy M.Sc., Jewish Studies M.St., Criminology and Criminal Justice M.Sc., Magister Juris M.Jur., Economic and Social History M.Sc, Management Research M.Sc., Economics for Development M.Sc., Modern History M.St., English M.St., Modern Jewish Studies M.St., Environmental Studies:- Biodiversity, Conservation & Management M.Sc., Environmental Change and Management M.Sc., Nature, Society & Environmental Policy M.Sc.,
Water Science, Policy & Management M.Sc. Oriental Studies M.St. Philosophical Theology M.St., Science & Religion M.St., Slavonic Studies M.St., European Literature M.St., Social Anthropology M.Sc., Forced Migration M.Sc., Sociology M.Sc., General Linguistics and Comparative Philology M.St., Theology M.St., Greek/Latin Languages and Literature M.St., Women's Studies M.St.

OPTION THREE: Twelve-month scholarships to read for an MA in Political Philosophy (The Idea of Toleration) at the University of York.
Scholars wishing to apply should obtain further information about the degree course either from the University of York website (http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/poli/gsp/polphil/tolmenu.htm) or from the local OSI/Soros Foundation office (www.iro.hr).

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarship covers all university and college fees, travel to and from the UK, and basic living expenses for a single person.

Application details: Application forms and deadlines will be available on the web page of the Institute for the Development of Education www.iro.hr and www.stipendije.info.


OSI/FCO CHEVENING CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARSHIPS

We will soon be inviting applications for one-year scholarships at the University of Cambridge (academic year 2009 -2010). This scholarship is jointly funded by the Open Society Institute, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Cambridge Overseas Trust.

Candidate profile: The scholarships are intended to provide opportunities for postgraduate study for scholars and young professionals who demonstrate both academic excellence and the potential to become leaders, decision makers and opinion formers in their home countries. Applicants should have excellent academic qualifications, a clear and precise proposal describing what they wish to study, and a fluent command of the English language.

Course details: Scholarships are available for courses in Criminology, Development Studies, Education, English, English & Applied Linguistics, Historical Studies, History & Philosophy of Science, International Relations, Law, Management Studies, Philosophy, Political Thought and Intellectual History, Social Anthropology.

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarship covers all university and college fees, travel to and from the UK, and basic living expenses for a single person.

Application details: Application forms and deadlines will be available on the web page of the Institute for the Development of Education www.iro.hr and www.stipendije.info.

CHEVENING/SHELL SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, IMPERIAL COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD AND UCL.

Candidate profile

• aged 35 or under
• intending to return to Croatia and take up permanent residence there after completion of the proposed programme of study
• intending to study a subject that will be of significant value in aiding the sustainable development of their home country
• of sufficiently outstanding academic ability
• fluent in spoken and written English
• neither a current nor former employee of the Royal Dutch Shell Group of Companies

Course details: Scholarships are available for courses in Social Science, Economics, Environment and Development, Finance and Business Administration, Applied Science and Technology,  Mathematics and Computing, and Engineering and Law.

What is covered by the scholarship: Each scholarship will cover tuition, accommodation, maintenance cost and a return airfare for the scholarship holder only.

Application details: A list of eligible courses at each university, and how and when to apply can be obtained by visiting the relevant university pages using the link
http://www.shellscholar.org/home/index.html.

Please note that applicants for a scholarship first need to have been accepted on one of the listed courses at one of the participating universities.

CHEVENING/UNEP-WCMC SCHOLARSHIPS IN BIODIVERSITY

Chevening UNEP-WCMC Scholarships bring students from all regions of the world to work for one year at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. Scholars are expected to work with the Centre’s staff on programmes ranging from managing data about ecosystems and biodiversity, to interpreting and analysing that data to provide assessment and policy analysis. The work will contribute to and help to shape national and international decision–making processes and help to place authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision–making.

Aims: This scheme aims to help young researchers to prepare for a role in national and regional policy development and decision–making to resolve ecosystem and biodiversity–related challenges. With support from the Centre’s staff each scholar will select a range of subjects as a focus for their work.

Eligibility: Candidates must be between 25 and 35 years of age and be fluent in English (IELTS band 6.5 or above). They must hold a good degree, and preferably also a postgraduate degree, in a biological or environmental science or one related to economics, GIS and the environment. The Centre does not award formal qualifications and the scheme is not intended for those seeking higher degrees.

Funding: Each scholarship is currently worth approx. £9,139 per annum, including all allowances (under review). In addition one economy class air fare to and from the UK will be paid and a small sum is available for local travel. The scheme is supported by the UK Chevening Scholarships Programme. Sponsors include the British Council, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Salters' Company and UNEP.

Subject areas: Applicants are free to propose biodiversity-related subjects of particular interest to their region, and successful candidates will be encouraged to bring supporting information resources. Preference will be give to applicants whose interest closely matches the current work and expertise of UNEP-WCMC. Please refer to http://www.unep-wcmc.org/latenews/jobs/chevening/index.htm for current subject areas of interest.

How to apply: For further information and application form please visit http://www.unep-wcmc.org/latenews/jobs/chevening/index.htm.


DOROTHY HODGKIN POSTGRADUATE AWARDS

Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards (DHPA) is a scheme aiming to bring outstanding students from all over the world to come and study for PhDs in top rated UK research facilities. The initiative was launched by the Prime Minister in November 2003.

Candidate profile: The scheme is open to top quality science, engineering, medicine, social sciences and technology students who want to study for PhDs over a period of three to four years, at an average annual cost per student of £25,000 (up to an overall maximum of £75,000 per student) primarily to cover fees and maintenance. The over-riding criterion of the scheme is excellence and DHPA scholars should be easily recognisable as the “best of the best”.

About the course: The scheme is named after Professor Dorothy Hodgkin, a pioneering crystallographer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964 for her work in determining the structure of important biochemical molecules. Advances in insulin treatment for diabetics are a direct result of her work. The awards were named in her honour in recognition of the work she undertook abroad in helping overseas students studying in the UK.

The scholarships are at more than 20 universities that have been selected to take part in the scheme e.g. LSE, University College London, Oxford, Cambridge, Reading…

For more details of the scholarships please visit www.rcuk.ac.uk/hodgkin .

What is covered by the scholarship: The scholarships cover all university and college fees, travel to and from the UK, and basic living expenses for a single person.

Application details: Students wanting to apply for a DHPA should contact the individual recipient universities available at www.rcuk.ac.uk/hodgkin. A list of these universities, together with their DHPA allocations and primary contact for the scheme, to whom applications should be made, is available on the website above.