The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Sejong University in Seoul, Korea are jointly offering research scholarships to Filipinos and other Southeast Asians to earn master’s and doctoral degrees.
The Sejong University-SEARCA Joint Graduate Research Scholarship for Southeast Asian Countries is open to Filipinos and nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said the aim of the joint scholarship is to strengthen the capacities of Southeast Asian scientists and researchers by enabling them to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees by research in the fields of agricultural biotechnology, aquaculture, food science, and international development.
In view of this, he said the scholarship is for junior and mid-level executives, managers, researchers, or technical staff of government or nongovernmental agencies and universities. Preference is given to applicants who hold key core positions in implementing plans of action, policies, and good business or management programs affecting biological sciences and agriculture, horticulture, and animal sciences at the national, regional, and international levels.
Moreover, according to Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, SEARCA Program Head for Education and Collective Learning, the applicant’s planned research must be aligned with SEARCA’s priority areas until 2025 as follows: agri-business models for increased productivity and income, sustainable farming systems and natural resource management, food and nutrition security, transformational leadership for agricultural and rural development (ARD), gender and youth engagement in ARD, enhanced ARD towards climate resilience, and EcoHealth/One Health applications to ARD.
Dr. Cuaresma said the provisions of the Sejong University-SEARCA research scholarship include tuition and other school fees; stipend for food, lodging, and incidental expenses; research budget; travel allowance to cover international airfare; and health insurance.
The scholars under the joint scholarship program will be conferred their master’s or Doctor of Engineering degree by Sejong University.
Applications for the Sejong University-SEARCA research scholarships will be accepted until March 19, 2021.