Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) are pleased to offer range of PhD fellowships to students of high academic ability for 2018 entry. 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.

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and TWAS aims to assist international students who require financial assistance with scholarships specifically for International students.

TWAS is a global science academy based in Trieste, Italy, working to advance science and engineering for sustainable prosperity in the developing world.

Applicants must be maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2019. Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.

Scholarship Description: 

• Application Deadline: March 31, 2019
• Course Level: Fellowship is available for pursuing PhD studies at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) or Institutes of CAS around China.
• Study Subject:  Fellowships are offered in diverse fields to help students in upgrading their education.List of Subjects: Agricultural Sciences, Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biological Systems and Organisms, Medical and Health Sciences incl. Neurosciences, Chemical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Physics.
• Scholarship Award: 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 application fee waivers.
• Number of Scholarships: Up to 200 students/scholars from all over the world.
• Nationality: International Students from developed countries
• Scholarship can be taken in China

Eligibility for the Scholarship:

• Eligible Countries: Students/scholars from all over the world, including 60 from developed countries can apply for these CAS-TWAS fellowships.
• Entrance Requirements: Applicants must:
  • Be maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2019;
  • 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 (criteria of UCAS/criteria of USTC).
  • Hold a master degree before the beginning of the fall semester: 1 September, 2019.
  • 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.
• English Language Requirements: Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.

Application Procedure:

Please 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 at either UCAS or USTC.
• Applicants can only apply to one TWAS programme per year, therefore an applicant applying to the 2019 CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship call will not be eligible to apply for any other TWAS fellowship in 2019.

How to Apply:

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 of UCAS and here of USTC.

You must contact an eligible supervisor and get his/her approval before applying 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 when establishing the contact with the supervisor.

3. FILE YOUR FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION FORM VIA THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM. 

A. Visit our official website for the fellowship online application system.

Create your own account, and follow the instructions to finish the online application form.

B. Prepare and upload the following supporting documentation to the fellowship online application system:

• Your regular passport which has at least 2 years validity (only pages showing personal and validity details are needed);
• Complete CV with a brief introduction of research experience;
• Original copy 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);
• Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese;
• Original copy of transcripts of both undergraduate and post-graduate education;
• Detailed research proposal;
• Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 published academic papers;
• Foreigner Physical Examination Form (Attachment 1– find this at the bottom of this page)

C. Acquire TWO reference letters:

You must ask two referees (NOT the host supervisor, preferably TWAS members, but not a mandatory requirement) familiar with you and your work to

1) upload their scanned reference letters (signed, dated and on official headed paper with contact phone number and email address) to the fellowship online application system and

2) send the original hard copies to the UCAS/USTC fellowship office before deadline.

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 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 the online application system.

3. If you are awarded the fellowship and are admitted by UCAS/USTC, you MUST present the original hardcopy of your university certificates (both undergraduate   and postgraduate), transcripts AND regular passport to UCAS/USTC fellowship office upon your arrival in China, otherwise you will be disqualified.

4. SUBMIT YOUR ADMISSION APPLICATION VIA THE ONLINE SYSTEM OF UCAS/USTC:

• For admission application to UCAS, you MUST also submit your information and required documents via UCAS online system following its instructions.
• For admission application to USTC, you MUST also submit your information and required documents via USTC online system following its instructions.

5. REMIND YOUR SUPERVISOR TO COMPLETE AND SIGN THE SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT PAGE (Attachment 2 – find this at the bottom of this page) AND SEND IT TO UCAS/USTC BEFORE DEADLINE.

• For UCAS applicants, please ask your supervisor to send the hard copy of Supervisor’s Comment Page to the institute/college he/she affiliated with.
• For USTC applicants, please ask your supervisor to email the scanned copy to [email protected] or send the hard copy to the Office of International Cooperation (229, Old Library).

Scholarship Link