Ford Foundation invites application for 2009 fellowships

Bhopal, Oct 21 (IANS) The Ford Foundation here Tuesday invited applications for the 2009 International Fellowships Programme (IFP) for higher education.

The applications should reach their offices by Nov 15 for the programme that seeks to build a new generation of social justice leaders in India by offering an opportunity for quality higher education.

'The programme is especially designed to support candidates from groups that have historically lacked access to higher education,' said Vivek Mansukhani, director Ford Foundation's IFP.

'Funded through the largest single grant ever made by the Ford Foundation, $280 million over ten years, with a further $75 million added half way through, the programme offers fellowships in Russia and 21 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America,' Mansukhani said.

IFP India has since September 2008 selected 240 fellows for masters and PhD degrees of which 160 Fellows have already completed their studies and over 75 percent have returned to India, Mansukhani said.

Forty candidates, he said, will be selected following an intensive search and selection process.

The pre-application and final application forms will be reviewed and evaluated by panels of experts from academia, the social development sector and other related disciplines.

The shortlisted candidates will be further screened through regional and national interviews.

The IFP India program will assist selected fellows in university admission process, paying for travel, tuition fees, living costs and logistical arrangements related to commencing their study programmes, said Mansukhani.

Applicants, the director said, should be Indian nationals currently residing in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh or Uttarakhand.

Also, they must hold a bachelor's or master's degree from a recognised Indian university with at least 55 percent marks.