Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies | Postgraduate

Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Funding Opportunities

From the current academial year (2011 - 2012) and onwards, the following deadlines will apply to all MPhil and PhD programmes:

14 October 2011 Deadline for U.S applications for GATES funding.

1 December 2011 Deadline for all non-U.S applications for GATES, and all applications for CISS and CCT/COT funding.

13 January 2012 Deadline for AHRC applications for the 2012/13 competition.

20 January 2012 Final Deadline for all other applications.

Please note that these deadlines have been approved by The Council of the School and all Faculties/ Departments under the School of Arts and Humanities will adhere to these new deadlines from this academical year onwards.

The 20 January 2012 is the final deadline for all MPhil and PhD applications to the Faculty, i.e. Home/ EU and Overseas and for those applicants who do not wish to be considered for funding.

Arts & Humanities Research Council

Since 2009, the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has changed the way in which it offers funding to postgraduate students in the Arts and Humanities. Cambridge applied for a Block Grant Partnership and can now offer a limited number of studentship awards to Home and EU students only.

For the forthcoming AHRC Block Grant Awards Competitions, all students who wish to be considered for the competition must complete an application for study (GRADSAF – submitted to the Board of Graduate Studies) and also submit an AHRC application (available from the Board of Graduate Studies website) and send this direct to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Apply within Section B of the GRADSAF (Application for Funding) and ensure that you submit your application by Friday 13 January 2012.

Please see the Funding Opportunities webpage of the Graduate Handbook for further information about the AHRC Awards Competition 2012/13. Also pay close attention to the Board of Graduate Studies website for information on the Timetable for the forthcoming AHRC Awards Competition 2012/13:

admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/funding/aid/councils.html

admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/fees/funding/ahrc/apply.html

This link gives you all the information you require about how to apply, the application form to be used and eligibility criteria etc.

Further information for the AHRC Block Grant Competition for 2012/13 is available from the AHRC web site

The awards for the AHRC BGP Competition 2012/13 are as follows:

1 Doctoral Award in Asian Language and Culture
1 Doctoral Award in Middle Eastern and African Language and Culture
1 RPM (Masters) Award in Middle Eastern and African Language and Culture

Please note that there will be NO awards available for South Asian Studies subjects.

As this is a Block Grant Partnership it means that the allocation of AHRC awards is spread out each year over a five-year period (since 2009) and this affects the distribution of awards in some subjects throughout the 5 year grant period.

NEW! Funding Opportunity for AHRC funded doctoral students, Research Assistant and Postdoctoral Fellows

The AHRC has recently launched a funding opportunity for AHRC funded doctoral students, Research Assistants and Postdoctoral Fellows, the National Institute for the Humanities, Japan (NIHU) scheme.

AHRC and NIHU have recently renewed the Memorandum of Understanding that allows current AHRC funded PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and research assistants to undertake short-term placements of between 3 and 6 months at one of NIHU's six inter-university research institutes in Japan. Successful scholars will be provided with dedicated access to the World class facilities as well as a research space at their selected Institute. AHRC will contribute £800 towards travel costs and £1,000 per month towards living expenses IN ADDITION to any stipend they are already receiving.

For more information on the scheme and for application details, please visit the AHRC website-

ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/JapanNIHU.aspx

Cambridge International Scholarship Scheme (CISS)

Cambridge University will offer, via the Cambridge Trusts, at least 80 Cambridge International Scholarships to Overseas Students who embark on a PhD in 2011 - 2012. Each award will underwrite the full cost of fees and maintenance for the duration of the course (up to a maximum of three years). Eligible students must be liable to pay the overseas composition fee, and be engaged in full-time study. The awards will be made on a competitive basis to those applicants considered by their departments to be the most outstanding. For further details on eligibility and application procedures please refer to the BGS website:

admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/fees/funding/ciss

Please note that in order to be considered for the CISS you must apply by the deadline of
1 December, 2011.

Cambridge Trust Funds

Overseas students applying for the MPhil or the PhD may be eligible to apply for the Cambridge Trusts. The Trusts (comprising the Gates Cambridge Trust, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, the Cambridge Overseas Trust, the Cambridge European Trust and associated Trusts) offer scholarships and part-cost bursaries to students from overseas and the European Union (excluding the United Kingdom) who have been accepted for admission to the University of Cambridge.

Since there are many more applicants than there are awards available, candidates should apply for every other form of financial assistance open to them, including UK Government awards, Cambridge College awards and awards from sources in their home countries.

For full details and application forms, see:

admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/fees/funding/trusts.html

The deadline for U.S applications for GATES funding is 14 October 2011.

Please note that in order to be considered for any of the Cambridge Trust Funds (non-U.S applications for the GATES included) or any of the scholarship awards you must apply by the deadline of 1 December, 2011.

Cambridge Home and EU Scholarship Scheme (CHESS) formally known as the Domestic Research Studentship Competition

A small number of awards for prospective PhD students are available to Home and EU students in an annual competition. Home students are eligible for a full studentship (University Composition and College Fees plus a maintenance stipend). EU students who have been resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of their doctoral studies for the purposes of work or education are also eligible for a full studentship. EU students who cannot provide this relevant connection with the UK are eligible for a ‘fees-only’ award (University Composition and College Fees).
NB: Students applying for one-year courses are not eligible to apply.

UK and EU applicants for MPhil/PhD will automatically be considered for the CHESS (formerly DRS) if they have applied for admission by the final deadline of 20 January 2012. There is no separate application form. The first round of assessment happens at department level and departments nominate and rank selected students to the competition, held at the Board of Graduate Studies.

Please note that in order to be considered for the CHESS you must apply by the funding deadline of 20 January 2012.

admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/fees/funding/chess

The Soon-Young Kim Studentship in the History of East Asian Science and Technology

The Trustees of the Needham Research Institute invite applications from suitably qualified candidates for a Soon-Young Kim Studentship in the History of East Asian Science and Technology, tenable from October 2011. The successful candidate will be given working space in the Needham Insititute and will normally be admitted to full membership of Darwin College. The Studentship includes: cost of University fees and College dues and a contribution towards living expenses. Full details on how to apply can be found here:

nri.org.uk/Kim_studentship.html

Pembroke Graduate Studentship in Arabic and Islamic Studies

For eligibility criteria and details regarding the application process please visit Pembroke College's website.

Faculty Funding

DEAS Graduate Studies: University Composition Fee Waivers 2011-2012
For MPhil and/or PhD in Chinese Studies

The Department of East Asian Studies proposes to award two University Composition Fee waivers at the Home/EU rate of £3390 (approx) for the academic year 2011-2012. They will be awarded in the field of Chinese Studies. Applicants should have been accepted to read a research degree in Chinese Studies (1 Year MPhil or PhD) at Cambridge University in the Department of East Asian Studies. Candidates should indicate their wish to apply in the personal statement submitted as part of their application materials for the Board of Graduate Studies.

Chinese Studies: Graduate Student Conference Bursaries

The Department of East Asian Studies may award up to five bursaries annually to assist advanced Ph.D. students with conference registration and travel costs. The maximum value of a bursary is £300. These awards are meant to complement other potential funding sources (college, external bodies) and priority will be given to applicants who have explored additional sources of funding. Applicants need to be registered as full-time Ph.D. candidates in Chinese Studies in the Department of East Asian Studies and need to demonstrate that their research paper has been accepted for presentation at the specified conference. Applicants may apply only once in any academic year.

Application forms can be downloaded from the website below and need to be submitted to the Graduate Programmes Administrator, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, United Kingdom.

ames.cam.ac.uk/deas/chinese/funding.htm

Hebrew Postgraduate Research Grants

The Faculty is offering a number of grants for postgraduate research in Hebrew, with special reference to the Hebrew bible, Hebrew language and Semitic philology. The grants will be offered for postgraduate research within Cambridge in Hebrew for one year in the first instance but renewable annually subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

Applications will need to be submitted to Professor Robert Gordon by the deadline of 1 December, 2011.

Japanese Studies scholarships

Graduate students in Japanese can apply for a Japanese Studies scholarship, which will pay all fees and a maintenance grant. These are open to applicants of any nationality within the EU.Initial enquiries may be directed to Professor Peter Kornicki (email: pk104@cam.ac.uk) at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

The deadline for applications will be 1 December, 2011.

Soudavar Memorial Research Studentships in Persian Studies

The object of the Studentship is the encouragement of the study of the Persian language, literature and history, and closely connected subjects.

The deatdline for applications for Studentships will be 1 December, 2011.

Open Society Foundations Fellowships

Available for students in PhD programs who are citizens of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.

The Open Society Foundations' Global Supplementary Grant Program (GSGP) is recruiting applicants for the 2012-2013 academic year and may be of interest to international students. The GSGP program offers supplementary grants of up to $10,000 to students from select countries in Southeastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia, the Middle East, and South Asia to pursue full-time doctoral studies in the humanities and social sciences.

Further details [PDF]

Moody-Stuart Scholarships in Turkish Studies

Applications are invited for the Moody-Stuart Scholarships in Turkish Studies. Two scholarships of £5,000 each will be awarded annually for a period of six months to be spent in Turkey learning and/or improving Turkish and/or Ottoman and undertaking research in archives, libraries or academic centres. In part fulfilment of the terms of the Scholarship, holders of the scholarships will be expected to undertake formal language training during their time in Turkey.

The scholarships are open to registered Ph.D. students of Cambridge University. Successful candidates must submit a report of between 1,000 and 1,500 words after the completion of their six-month period of research in Turkey.

Applications should be made using the application form, which may be downloaded from skilliter.newn.cam.ac.uk/scholarships.shtml, and which should be sent, together with a current c.v., to reach the Director, the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies, Newnham College, Cambridge CB3 9DF, by 1 May 2012. The applicant should also arrange for two academic letters of reference to reach the Director by the same date.

Gibb Memorial Trust

The Gibb Memorial Trust invites applications for the Gibb Centenary Scholarship of £2,000, which is awarded annually.

Postgraduate students at an advanced stage of their doctoral research in any area of Middle Eastern Studies (7th to 1918), and who are studying in a British university, are eligible to apply.

Applicants should submit their CVs and two references, together with an outline of not more than three pages of their research and a statement of their funding position.

Applications must reach The Secretary, The Gibb Memorial Trust by 30 April 2012.
The result will be announced at the end of June and posted on their web site www.gibbtrust.org

Secretary to the Trustees: P R Bligh FCA
Address: 2 Penarth Place, Cambridge CB3 9LU, United Kingdom
Email: secretary@gibbtrust.org

Faculty Trust Funds

There are several subject-specific Faculty Trust Funds which can be used to provide financial awards for Graduate Students in the relevant disciplines. Potential applicants who wish to be considered for support from one of these funds should contact the Faculty Administrator (email: administrator@ames.cam.ac.uk) in the first instance. The Faculty Administrator can provide information on application deadlines which are most likely to be 1 December, 2011, eligibility criteria, typical amounts awarded and all further details.

NB: Make sure that you check the individual application form itself for the precise deadline details.

The following funds are available for graduates: