Competition: Open for the 2017-2018 academic year
Deadline: April 25, 2017
Who Applies: Canadian institutions
NOTE: Canadian institutions may choose to set their own internal deadline to receive supporting documentation.
Description: The Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program provides students and researchers from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research, in Canada, at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.
Application Process
The Canadian institution must apply on behalf of the candidate(s) by submitting the online application form and uploading all supporting documents prior to the deadline. Institutions may submit multiple applications and may be asked to rank their applications, based on their strategic priorities. A single person should be responsible for the administration of the program. Canadian faculty or staff members who are submitting an application must notify the person responsible for the administration of the program at their respective institution as the institution may be requested to rank multiple applications.
Canadian institutions must:
- Complete an online application for each candidate.
- Institutions which do not have an account first need to Register an account.
- Under “For Non-Canadians” section, scroll down to the Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program and click on Apply Now.
- Enter data in the fields marked mandatory, following instructions for each item, or copy and paste it from another source. Note that:
- the name of the candidate must be the same as it is on their passport; and
- the official name of the candidate’s home institution must be provided in their national language.
- Upload all required supporting documents.
- Upon completion, verify the data prior to submission.
- Print the form for their records using the print function in the browser.
- Click SUBMIT to send the form electronically to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). The institution will receive a confirmation message and reference number once the form is submitted.
NOTE: Institutions will have the ability to save applications and complete them at a later time. Both saved and submitted applications will appear on the institution’s profile homepage.
Supporting Documents
The following documents must be uploaded and attached to the online application form in one of the following formats: .pdf, .jpg, .doc, .docx, .txt or .gif. Each document must be smaller than 5 MB in order for the application to upload successfully.
- Proof of citizenship: a copy of the candidate's passport or national identity document with valid dates. Note: a driver’s licence, permanent resident card, student card or baptism certificate is not accepted as proof of citizenship.
- Proof of full-time enrolment: a letter in English or French from the home institution, on official letterhead, dated within the last six months, confirming that the candidate is currently enrolled in a full-time program and will continue to be enrolled upon their return and providing the expected completion date of the degree. Note: copies of transcripts, a student card or letter of admission are not acceptable (maximum one page).
- Letter of intent from the candidate: a letter in English or French from the candidate describing the nature of their research or studies to be undertaken and explaining the rationale for study in Canada and for the choice of institution, the program and the supervisor. The candidate must also indicate how the proposed program of study or research will relate to their future career (maximum one page).
- Letter of support from the home institution: a letter in English or French from the candidate's instructor, professor or international director on the home institution’s official letterhead explaining the nature of study and how the candidate and the home institution will benefit from this scholarship program (maximum one page).
- Letter of invitation from the Canadian supervisor: applications for graduate students must include a letter from the Canadian supervisor indicating their willingness to support and mentor the candidate. This letter must be on institutional letterhead, be signed and demonstrate support for the candidate during the exchange period and demonstrate how the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers will benefit (maximum one page).
- Signed copy of Memorandum of Understanding or Agreement with the partner institution: a written agreement or understanding, in English or in French, signed by both institutions indicating that tuition fees will not be charged and containing any other clauses of mutual interest. Note: a signed copy of this document is mandatory for undergraduate and college applications. For graduate applications, if the exchange is made under a signed agreement, it is strongly suggested that it be included with the application.
- Privacy Notice Statement: a copy of the Privacy Notice Statement for non-Canadian participants signed by the candidate.
Selection Process
The following guidelines are followed for the review, assessment and selection of applications:
- All online applications received by the deadline will be pre-screened to ensure they meet eligibility requirements established for the program.
- Eligible and complete applications, including the supporting documents, will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- merit of the proposed research or study that the student will undertake in Canada;
- benefit to the home institution, supervisor and peers;
- benefit to the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers; and
- strength of the linkages to be created through the proposed exchange.
- Should there be a larger number of applications than funding available, the Canadian institution will be asked to rank its eligible applications based on its institutional strategic priorities.
Conditions
Only applications submitted directly by Canadian institutions will be considered.
The scholarship administrator is not able to provide feedback for unsuccessful candidates.
These scholarships are subject to the availability of funding from the Government of Canada.
Eligibility
Candidates must be citizens of one of the following eligible CARICOM countries:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos.
Candidates:
- who have obtained Canadian citizenship or who have applied for permanent residency in Canada are not eligible;
- already participating in an exchange scholarship program funded by the Government of Canada are not eligible;
- already enrolled in a degree or diploma program at a Canadian university or college are not eligible; and
- must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country and paying any tuition fees regulated by that institution for the full duration of the exchange.
Terms and Conditions
The following terms and conditions must be met during the period of the scholarship.
The Canadian post-secondary institution:
- must be recognized by its provincial or territorial government;
- must waive tuition and/or academic fees for selected students and researchers, as scholarship recipients must be registered full-time and paying tuition to their home institution;
- must inform both the candidate and their home institution of any mandatory fees that, in exceptional cases, cannot be waived, prior to applying for a scholarship on the candidate's behalf;
- must enter into an agreement with the recipient stating that:
- funding for the scholarship is provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD);
- the recipient must provide the Canadian institution with records to account for major expenses such as travel and lodging; and
- the recipient agrees to have their contact information shared with DFATD, for reasons such as: to be invited to join the Government of Canada Scholars’ Alumni Association (GCSAA), to attend events organized by the Canadian Embassy or High Commission in their home country and by DFATD in Canada, or for promotional and statistical purposes; and
- will be required to provide qualitative and quantitative reports during the scholarship period.
Scholarship recipients:
- must engage in full-time studies or research as defined by the Canadian institution (English and French language studies/Linguistic training are excluded);
- in pharmacy, medicine, dentistry or other health fields are excluded from clinical training or clinically-oriented research involving direct patient-care;
- must be proficient in the language of instruction at the Canadian institution (English or French) before their arrival in Canada;
- may not hold any other scholarship granted by the Government of Canada;
- enrolled in courses must arrive in Canada by September for the fall semester or by January for the winter semester;
- conducting research must arrive in Canada for the uptake of their award between June 1, 2017 but no later than February 1, 2018. Failure to arrive during this time may result in the cancellation of the scholarship. In exceptional cases, and with prior approval from DFATD, the arrival deadline may be extended to March 1, 2018; and
- must ensure that they have appropriate health insurance for the full duration of the scholarship, as per the policies of the Canadian institution.
Important information:
- For college and undergraduate applications, a written institutional collaboration and student exchange agreement or memorandum of understanding between the Canadian institution and the candidate’s home institution must be in place at the time of application.
- For graduate applications, an inter-institutional agreement is desirable but not mandatory. If there is no existing exchange agreement, graduate applications which involve a new or established collaboration between professors from a Canadian institution and the candidate's home institution will be accepted.
- Applications submitted directly by a candidate or their home institution will not be accepted.
- Scholarships cannot be deferred and are not renewable.
- Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously received a scholarship under the Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program, the Canada-CARICOM Faculty Leadership Program, the Canada-Chile Leadership Exchange Scholarship or the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program.
- Scholarships are not taxable for either the Canadian institution or the scholarship recipient.
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