Wuhan Institute Of Virology，Chinese Academy Of Sciences

2016 CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme for Doctoral Candidates

Call for Applications

Introduction

According to an agreement between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 200 students/scholars from all over the world will be sponsored to study in China for doctoral degrees for up to 4 years.

This CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme provides students/scholars that are non-Chinese citizens an opportunity to pursue doctoral degrees at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) or Institutes of CAS around China.

Under the terms of the CAS-TWAS agreement, travel from their home countries to China will be provided to the fellowship awardees in order to begin the fellowship in China (one trip only per student/scholar). TWAS will select 80 awardees from developing countries to support their international travel, while CAS will support the other 120. Visa fee will also be covered (once only per awardee) as a lump sum of USD 65 when all the awardees are on site in China. Any awardee on site in China, the host country, at the time of application will NOT be eligible for any travel or visa reimbursement.

Thanks to generous contribution of CAS, fellowship awardees will receive a monthly stipend (to cover accommodation and other living expenses, local travel expenses and health insurance) of RMB 7,000 or RMB 8,000 from CAS through UCAS/USTC, depending on whether he/she has passed the qualification test arranged by UCAS/USTC for all doctoral candidates after admission. All awardees will also be provided tuition and admission fee waivers.

Any fellowship awardee who fails the qualification test twice will face the consequences including:

Termination of his/her fellowship;

Discontinuity of his/her doctoral study at CAS institutions;

Being provided with a certificate of attendance for the period of study undertaken in China but not a formal doctoral degree.

All the procedures will adhere to UCAS/USTC regulations and rules.

The funding duration of the fellowship is up to 4 years, divided into:

Maximum 1 year study of courses and participation in centralized training at UCAS/USTC, including 4 months compulsory courses in Chinese Language and Chinese Culture;

Practical research and completion of degree thesis at colleges and schools of UCAS/USTC or CAS institutes.

General conditions for applicants:

Applicants must:

Be maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2016;

Not take up other assignments during the period of his/her fellowship;

Not hold Chinese citizenship;

Applicants for doctoral study should also:

Meet the admission criteria for international students of UCAS/USTC (http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=78 or http://en.ustc.edu.cn/admissions/international_students/).

Hold a master degree before the beginning of the fall semester: 1 September, 2016.

Provide evidence that he/she will return to their home country on completion of their studies in China according to CAS-TWAS agreement.

Provide proof of knowledge of English or Chinese language. 

Note:

Applicants currently pursuing doctoral degrees at any university/institution in China are NOT eligible for this fellowship.

Applicants CANNOT apply for both UCAS and USTC simultaneously.

Applicants can ONLY apply to ONE supervisor from ONE institute/school in either UCAS or USTC. 

STEP BY STEP GUIDELINE

In order to successfully apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship, applicants are requested to follow a few key steps that are indicated below:

1. CHECK ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

You should verify that you are eligible and meet ALL the eligibility criteria specified in the “General Conditions for applicants” section of this call (e.g. age, master degree, etc).

2. FIND AN ELIGIBLE HOST SUPERVISOR AFFILIATED WITH COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS OF UCAS/USTC, OR CAS INSTITUTES THAT AGREES TO ACCEPT YOU.

See here for a list of eligible schools/institutes and supervisors.

WIV，CAS: http://www.whiov.ac.cn/

Once you have found a host supervisor, you must contact him/her and indicate that you wish to apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship. Please send him/her an explanatory e-mail together with your CV, research proposal and any other required documents. 

3. FILE YOUR APPLICATION FORM VIA THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM. Visit our official website for the online application system.

Each applicant should create his/her own account, and follow the instructions to finish the online application form.

4. IN THE MEANTIME, PREPARE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR YOUR APPLICATION:

A.    Admission Application Form for International Students (Attachment 1-1 for UCAS/ Attachment 1-2 for USTC): Download and fill in the form with 2-inch photo and your signature. Please make sure each page of the form is completed before uploading, with exception of the part to be completed by your supervisor and institute/school who should fill in the form in a second moment.

B.     SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT PAGE: You should remind your supervisor to complete the supervisor’s comment page and upload the signed and stamped comment page to our online application system.

C.     REFERENCE LETTERS: You must ask two referees (Preferably TWAS members, but not a mandatory requirement) familiar with you and your work to upload their scanned reference letters (signed, dated and on official headed paper with contact phone number and email address) to our online application system and send the original hard copies to the UCAS/USTC fellowship office. Reference letters in the body of e-mails will NOT be accepted! TWAS will not provide any information e.g. e-mail addresses of TWAS members or liaise with TWAS members on behalf of applicants. Please be noted the host supervisor should not be a referee.

D.    Other documents:

The following documents are also required:

a)      Notarized photocopy of the certificate of university degrees held (both undergraduate and postgraduate; graduates having just completed or about to complete their degree should provide an official pre-graduation certificate showing their student status and stating the expected graduation date);

b)      Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese;

c)      Notarized photocopy of transcripts of both undergraduate and post-graduate education;

d)     Complete CV with a brief introduction of research experience;

e)      Detailed research proposal;

f)       Photocopy of your passport which has at least 2 years validity (only pages showing personal and validity details);

g)      Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 published academic papers;

h)      Foreigner Physical Examination Form (Attachment 2) 

Please Note:      

1. All the above supporting documentation must be in English or Chinese, otherwise notarial translations in English or Chinese are required.

2. Make sure the electronic version of supporting documentation is in the right format as requested for our online application system.

3. If you are awarded the fellowship, you must present the originals of your university certificates AND transcripts to UCAS/USTC fellowship office upon your arrival in China, otherwise you will be disqualified.

4. Your application documentation will not be returned whether awarded or not.

5. ONCE YOU HAVE FOUND A HOST SUPERVISOR THAT AGREES TO ACCEPT YOU, AND HAVE PREPARED YOUR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION:

You must:

1. Upload all supporting documentations of your application via the online application system.

2. Remind your supervisor to complete and upload the signed and stamped Supervisor’s Comment Page to our online application system.

3. Send your supervisor an electronic copy of ALL your supporting documentations as well as the PDF file of “Application Form for CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme” which is generated by our online application system in ONE zipped file. Please DO NOT send any of your supporting documentation directly to UCAS/USTC fellowship office.  

4. Remind your supervisor to print your documentations out, get them stamped where necessary and send them together with the signed and stamped hard copy of the “Supervisor’s Comment Page” to UCAS /USTC fellowship office before deadline.

5. Remind your referees to send the original hard copies of their reference letters to UCAS/USTC fellowship office before deadline.

Deadline for submitting all material and applications:

31 MARCH 2016

Where to enquire and submit application

1) UCAS, please contact:

Ms. Tian Yanqiong

CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme UCAS Office (UCAS)

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China

Tel: +86 10 82672900

Fax: +86 10 82672900

Email: president-fellowship@ucas.ac.cn

2)WIV,CAS,please contace:

Ms.Pei Pingping

The Graduate Office

Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wuhan, China 430071

Email: yjs@wh.iov.cn

Note: It is important to remember that your supervisor can be helpful in providing answers to your enquiries. Please keep in close touch with your supervisor during the whole process of your application.

Attachments:

1.ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.doc

2.FOREIGNER PHYSICAL EXAMINATION FORM.pdf