2023 Brian O’Connell (BOC) Scholarship Programme

The SANORD Network would like to invite all eligible students from the SANORD network to apply for this wonderful opportunity.

The BOC Scholarship makes provision for PARTIAL scholarship funding of R100 000 per applicant.

Qualifying Master’s students who are registered at a SANORD member institution of higher education in the Southern African region are eligible to apply.

Qualifying Master’s students will be required to spend 3 to 5 months at a SANORD Nordic member institution of their choice. Successful candidates will be required to engage in activities that will support the completion of the Master’s degree. Preference will be given to those projects aligned to the SANORD Strategy (see attached application form). The scholarship funds will be disbursed during the 2024 academic year.

Philosophy:

SANORD is committed to enhancing the experiences of internationalisation of students from member institutions through the BOC Scholarship Programme, which encourages capacitation and development through student mobility and research collaboration. The BOC Scholarship programme aims to provide such scholarships to students from a SANORD member institution in the Southern African region to spend 3-5 months at a SANORD Nordic member institution for time to work on their research and dissertation. The primary focus will be mobility for academic and research collaboration with our Nordic partners based on scholarly merit.

Purpose:

The BOC Scholarship makes provision for PARTIAL scholarship funding of R100 000 per applicant. Qualifying master’s students who are registered at a SANORD member institution of higher education in the Southern African region are eligible to apply.

Qualifying master’s students will be required to spend 3 to 5 months at a SANORD Nordic member institution of their choice. Successful candidates will be required to engage in activities that will support the completion of the master’s degree. Preference will be given to those
projects aligned to the SANORD Strategy 2023 (see attached application form). The scholarship funds will be disbursed during the 2024 academic year.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Applicants should:

1. Be enrolled for a master’s degree at a university in the Southern African region belonging to the SANORD organization during the year of travel (you should be in the 2nd  year of your masters’ studies)
2. Provide a detailed study plan (academic activities the student aims to undertake at the host institution? g. which courses, what kind of research, is the research aligned to the host institution’s areas of scholarship? Is it aligned to SANORD’s Strategic Goals? What are the envisaged scholarly outputs e.g.? Conference presentations, colloquia participation, peer reviewed papers, thesis.
3. A motivation letter explaining why you wish to pursue this collaborative international study abroad opportunity, and how it will benefit your development and contribution to Southern Africa’s knowledge production, and the UN Sustainable Development
   Goals (SDG’s)?
4. Provide an accredited transcript of records for both the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.
5. Provide a written Letter of Acceptance from the HOST
6. Provide evidence (Letter of support) from the HOME supervisor and the relevant Dean of the faculty that supports your stay at the host institution.
7. Sign a binding contract with the SANORD Central Office (SCO) in line with the objectives of the programme.
8. Submit a detailed written report within 1 month on return from the home institution to share experiences gained.
9. Present your work and experience at a seminar hosted by the SANORD Central Office, or at a scholarly conference.
10. Utilise the required knowledge to contribute towards Southern Africa’
11. Be committed to return to the home institution to Applicants should do the following:
12. Consult the SANORD Contact Person at your institutional office for all the relevant information you will need for your application. The Contact person will either be at your international office, or your supervisor for your thesis and should assist you with selecting an institution. It is advisable and recommended that you choose an institution with an existing/active Student Exchange Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with your home institution. The institution will serve as your host for the duration of your stay, and the possible waive of tuition fees could be negotiated.
13. Your home supervisor must engage with the host institution to establish if they are willing to host you for the duration of your stay. If the host agrees, a written Letter of Invitation/Acceptance should be obtained from the host supervisor as documented.
14. Both institutions must support your application. A Letter of Support from your home institution, signed by your supervisor and Head of Department (HOD) must be submitted with your application.
15. The funds will be paid over to your home university’s departmental account. The departmental supervisor will be responsible for fund disbursement and to assist with all travel arrangements.
16. You will be responsible to communicate your travel plans to the SANORD Central Office to ensure that the funds are transferred timeously in line with your travel dates.

PLEASE NOTE: All international payments are done through the South African Reserve Bank and can take up to 2 months. Please view the list attached for the names of Contact Persons and institutions, and select a suitable institution from the list provided.

Partial Funding:

• Students must provide a budget for the costs that will be incurred to the value of R100 000.
• A total amount of R 100 000 could cover the following costs:
• A return, economy class airline
• Accommodation
• A living allowance
• Travel Insurance for the period could be included with your air ticket
• Tuition fees (if fees are not subsidised by the host

Please submit your applications to sanordcentraloffice@uwc.ac.za and ensure that all the required supporting documents are attached. Only full applications with all the supporting documents in one single email will be accepted for logistical reasons.

DATES:

• Due date for applications – 30 November  – NOW CLOSED
• Announcement date – Mid December

CHECKLIST:

Complete application form with all required fields.

1. Letter of Approval from your home institution (where you are registered) either
   Supervisor or HOD.
2. Letter of Invitation from host supervisor (University in the Nordic region)
3. A detailed study plan
4. A detailed Letter of Motivation and statement of scholarly
5. An accredited transcript of study
6. A valid passport that will not expire within six months and with sufficient pages.