Roma Education Fund Scholarship Programme Professional Development Fund
Application Guidelines, Academic Year 2011-2012
Programme Overview
The Roma Education Fund /Scholarships Programme (REF/SP) announces the following round of competition for the Professional Development Fund for the RMUSP and LHP 2011-2012 scholarship beneficiaries. The financial support for the Professional Development Fund comes from REF/ Scholarships Programme. The purpose of the Professional Development Fund is to support the participation of the Scholars in activities such as research projects, fellowship programmes, summer schools, internships or professional development activities within recognized universities, language school and other organizations in their own countries or abroad during the 2011-2012 academic year.
Eligibility Criteria for Applicants
Scholars who are eligible for REF/SP Professional Development Fund must:
- be enrolled in Bachelor, Master or PhD Programmes and supported by RMUSP or LHP schemes in 2011-2012 academic year
- must show strong academic standing by providing GPA for the first semester of the academic year 2011-2012
- submit well founded statement of purpose
- submit proof of acceptance in the event/ project for which the support of the Development Fund is requested
The deadlines for sending the applications are:
- February 28th, 2012 (first round of evaluations)
- May 30th, 2012 (2nd round of evaluations)
The Programme does not cover expenses retroactively.
Professional Development Fund scholarships are distributed on competitive basis; meeting eligibility criteria do not necessarily guarantee the distribution of the fund. The Programme is able to grant a maximum number of 20 Professional Development Fund scholarships to 20 different beneficiaries from all RMUSP and LHP programme countries within one academic cycle.
In case of equally good applications priority will be given to students who have not benefited of a Professional Development Fund scholarship in the past.
Selection Process
Applicants who comply with the eligibility criteria of the Programme and submit complete application forms respecting the deadlines as set above are considered eligible. REF Scholarships Programme awards the Professional Development Fund scholarships on the basis of academic standing, qualitative value of application papers, and reference checks conducted. The Selection Committee carefully selects the applicants that best qualify for the scheme.
! Please note that REF/SP administration conducts several screenings throughout the application/ selection cycle by contacting the universities and/or the reference persons.
Selection Results
The Programme will inform all the applicants with regard to the results of the selection ONLY AFTER the final selection is completed by the Selection Committee. The successful candidates will receive by e-mail a Grant Letter containing the exact amount of the grant, the terms and conditions, as well as the information with regard to the bank wire.
The applicants who were not selected for the grant will receive official rejection letters by e-mail during the months of March for the first application cycle and June for the second application cycle.
REF Professional Development Fund
The Professional Development Fund grant must be used to cover textbooks, participation fees and partially living expenses. The total amount of the Professional Development Fund grant shall in no case exceed the combined amount of 2000 EURO per occasion, moreover, one REF/SP scholar may benefit of this grant only once during the academic year. Please note that there is no guarantee that the Professional Development Fund scholarship will cover partial or full participation fee for a successful applicant.
Grant applicants must:
a) submit a thoroughly completed Online Application Form. The online application form can be accessed here;
b) provide an official transcript of the university grades for the first completed semester of the 2011-2012 academic year;
c) provide evidence of acceptance in a research, fellowship programme, summer-school, internship or professional development course within a recognized university or other organization in their own country or abroad by presenting an original letter of acceptance for the occasion/event;
e) provide original of Participation or Tuition Fee Certificate if applicable.
In order to be considered for the Professional Development Fund in the academic year 2011-2012 applicants need to comply with one of the two deadlines below to be considered during one of the two rounds of evaluations:
(i) The DEADLINE FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF APPLICATIONS for submitting the completed Online Application Form is February 28th, 2012.
(ii) The DEADLINE FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF APPLICATIONS for submitting the completed Online Application Form is May 30th, 2012.
All beneficiaries of a Professional Development Fund scholarship will be expected to submit to their Country Coordinator a report on the funded activity no later than 2 weeks after the completion of the activity. The submission of the above mentioned report is a condition for the further participation in the REF Scholarships Programme schemes.
According to the requirements of REF /SP Programme Policies and Procedures the applicants found responsible for sending forged documents shall not be further considered for any REF funded Programmes.
