Central Asia and Caucasus Research and Training Initiative Junior Fellowships

Junior Fellowships support individuals in early stages of their formal doctoral studies (such as aspirantura) and focus on developing ideas and skills for original academic research. Junior Fellowships provide a medium for testing and challenging the theories, methods, and assumptions in the core of individual research agendas, while at the same time guiding and assisting the fellows in their first independent research efforts.

The program provides fellows with the opportunities for the:

• enhancing familiarity with the state-of-the-art in their disciplines and association with the current thinking in their fields, by improving access to seminal scholarship, relevant international expertise and contemporary debates within the international scholarly community;
• conducting individual and collaborative original, innovative and high quality research with critical discussion and peer feedback on the research process and outcomes, enhanced by advanced training in and practice of research design and contemporary methodologies and tools of academic research;
• applying research experience and outcomes to development of teaching and curriculum at the region's universities and promoting research work as integral part of students' learning;
• peer collaboration and mobility on regional and international level;
• development of skills and venues for publicizing scholarly work.

CARTI fellowships are typically awarded for up to 24 months, with ongoing review and evaluation procedures in place. A fellowship usually offers:

• funding for research activities, communication, access to necessary equipment and resources;
• funds for exchange visits between the fellows and the international scholars (all CARTI fellows are eligible and expected to spend up to one academic semester at the home institution of the international scholar during the term of the fellowship);
• fellowship stipend.

CARTI organizes a series of project review and trainings for the selected candidates prior to the formal start of the fellowship and offers an academic program consisting of a summer school and other seminar, discussion and training activities during the period of the fellowship.

Candidates for the Junior Fellowships must hold a diploma of higher education (of at least a Specialist or Masters level or the equivalent) and be formally registered* at a Doctoral studies program (a Ph.D. or equivalent program, such as aspirantura, leading towards a first Doctoral, such as a Candidate of Science degree) in the humanities and social sciences in the region.

Please note: The PhD enrolment requirement may be waived for applicants from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Interested individuals should inquire with the program administration prior to submitting the application.

The program is open to individuals who are nationals and residents of one of the following countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Fellowships are awarded through an open competition based on an academic review of the applications, consisting of an application form, project proposal, curriculum vitae, academic reference letters and supporting documents.

To Apply

Interested individuals are invited to complete the on-line Application Form and submit all supporting documents in electronic format via the Open Society Foundations’ On-Line Application System: https://oas.soros.org/oas

Please consult the CARTI Call for Applications and Guide for Applicants downloadable below for details of the application and selection process. HESP program staff is available for further consultations.

Deadline

The deadline for submitting online applications has been extended to November 10, 2011, 5:00 pm Central European Time.

Contact Information

Open Society Foundations/ International Higher Education Support Program
Central Asia and Caucasus Research and Training Initiative
Október 6. u.12.
Budapest 1051 Hungary
Tel: +36 1 882 3854
Fax: +36 1 882 3112
Email: carti@osi.hu

Oleksandr Shtokvych
Senior Program Manager
Email: oshtokvych@osi.hu