MA & PhD Studentship in Korean Studies

The Graduate School of Korean Studies in the Academy of Korean Studies is a government-funded institution established to develop and globalise Korean studies. It brings together 50 faculty members and 250 students, a half of whom are international from 33 countries, to create an open and dynamic community to widen and deepen their knowledge in the fields of humanities and social sciences pertinent to Korea.

Programs

– Master’s degree
– Doctoral degree
– Research(non-degree)

Majors

– Korean History
– Diplomatics and Bibliography
– Philosophy
– Korean Linguistics·Korean Literature
– Anthropology·Folklore
– Religious Studies
– Musicology
– Art History
– Cultural Informatics·Human Geography
– Political Science
– Sociology
– Education
– Korean Culture and Society

Benefits for International Students

– Tuition fees are fully waived for the whole coursework period.
– About 70% of international students are provided with the Government Grant, a monthly stipend of ￡460.
– A 5:1 student-faculty ratio enables close one-on-one guidance.
– Korean language courses, tutoring, writing clinic, and various cultural activities are available free of charge, supporting students’ academic performance.

Requirements

– English language proficiency equivalent to or higher than TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS Academic Module 6.5, or TEPS 301 for applicants for Korean Culture and Society major
– Korean language proficiency equivalent to or higher than TOPIK(Test of Proficiency in Korean) level 4 for applicants except for Korean Culture and Society major

Application 
Applications are open on 24th September and close on 8th October 2021. Please apply online at gradaks.recruiter.co.kr

Why Study at GSKS? 

As an educational institute established and funded by the Korean government with the aim of promoting Korean studies, we provide international students with excellent educational and living environments as follows: 

• Tuition fees are fully waived for the whole coursework period for all international students.
• 69.8% of international students benefit from the Government Grant, a monthly stipend of ￡460 for a year, renewable upon evaluation.
• A 5:1 student-faculty ratio enables close one-to-one guidance by professors.
• Korean language courses are available free of charge to assist international students with academic writing, presentations, and discussions.
• Various programs such as tutoring, writing clinic, cultural activities and airfare subsidy for presentation abroad, etc. support students’ academic performance. 

Currently, approximately 250 students including about 120 international students from 33 countries are enrolled in our Master’s or doctoral degree program in the fields of humanities and social sciences pertinent to Korea.  

The Program 

• Coursework period is 2 years for a Master’s degree program and 3 years for a doctoral degree program.
• An academic year consists of two semesters and courses are provided for 15 weeks per semester. A spring semester begins in March, and a fall semester in September.
• Most courses are taught in Korean, while courses in Korean Culture and Society major are provided in English.
• Students earn 3 credits each course. In order to graduate, students of a Master’s degree program should complete 24 credits, and a doctoral degree program 36 credits, other than mandatory Korean language courses which are non-credit. Both Master’s degree and doctoral degree students should write a thesis. 

Entry Requirement 

• A keen interest in Korean studies, coupled with an undergraduate degree (for a Master’s degree program) or a graduate degree (for a doctoral degree program)
• English language proficiency equivalent to or higher than TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS Academic Module 6.5, or TEPS 301 for applicants for Korean Culture and Society major
• Korean language proficiency equivalent to or higher than TOPIK(Test of Proficiency in Korean) level 4 for applicants except for Korean Culture and Society major 

Application Deadline 

Applications are sought twice a year. Application for 2022 spring semester will be open on 24 September and close on 8 October 2021. Applications for 2022 fall semester will be sought in March 2022.

How to Apply 

To apply, visit here and complete the online application form. A soft copy or a scanned copy of the following documents should be uploaded on the application website:

• Personal Statement
• Research Plan
• A graduation certificate and official transcripts
• A score report of TOFEL iBT, IELTS Academic Module, or TEPS (if applicable)
• A TOPIK certificate (if applicable) 

In addition, a letter of recommendation should be sent by email. 

Selection Process 

• 1st Process (If applicable) : Korean Language Proficiency Test

–    If applicants do not submit a valid TOPIK score certificate, GSKS Korean language teachers conduct a phone interview to test their Korean language proficiency.

–    Applicants for Korean Culture and Society major are not applicable.

• 2nd Process : Document Screening

–    Document screening is held for applicants who meet all the application requirement.

–    Overall evaluation of applicants’ research plan, academic ability, language proficiency, and academic background (shown in personal statement and a recommendation letter) takes place. 

• 3rd Process : A Video Interview

–    A video interview is held to those who have passed the 2nd process. 

Contact Us 

If you have any queries about the program or the application process, please contact us at admission_intl@aks.ac.kr or +82-31-730-8183. 

TYPE / ROLE 

Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree Program 

SUBJECT AREAS 

• Korean History
• Diplomatics and Bibliography
• Philosophy
• Korean Linguistics · Korean Literature
• Anthropology · Folklore
• Religious Studies
• Musicology
• Art History
• Cultural Informatics · Human Geography
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Education
• Korean Culture and Society (Only available for Master’s degree program) 

LOCATION 

Seongnam City – South Korea 

Perched on the side of Cheonggye Mountain, 30km south of the center of Seoul, the campus provides a fantastic setting for the academic pursuits of students with its peaceful atmospheres and natural environments. Also, students can reach dynamic youth culture of Gangnam area within 30 minutes by bus as well as artistic and historic heritage of Seoul city center within an hour

Click here to find out more and fill in application.

NIAS seeks to host applicants for Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen is issuing a call for interested candidates seeking support to submit a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. These EU-funded Fellowships:

·       are open to researchers moving within Europe, as well as those coming to Europe from other parts of the world.

·       can restart a research career after a break, such as parental leave.

·       can help researchers coming back to Europe find a new position.

To apply, you will need a completed PhD, a very strong academic profile and a research proposal of up to ten pages, in a field involving Asian studies.

The scheme is very competitive: review scores of over 90% are typically required to secure funding.

The call opened on 22 June 2021, with a deadline expected on 12 October 2021.

Results will be available in by March 2022, with the earliest expected Fellowship start dates being 1 August 2022.

NIAS is a regional institute established in 1968, with its own academic press and library services. Administratively, it is located within the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen (see www.nias.ku.dk).

NIAS supports work in all areas of Asian studies across the social sciences and humanities, but has particular strengths on East and Southeast Asia. Special areas of current interest include, but are not limited to:

·       Climate and sustainability

·       Comparative politics

·       International relations, especially relations between the Nordic region and Asia

·       Gender

·       Digital media

Because this scheme supports mobility, applicants presently based in Denmark or those who have spent 12 months or more in Denmark over the last three years are not eligible.

Anyone interested in applying should send a CV and a two page outline research proposal to NIAS Director, Duncan McCargo, duncan(at)nias.ku.dk, as an initial expression of interest by 19 July 2021.

We will work intensively with selected applicants to review, prepare, refine and submit the final application, as hosts for a Marie Curie postdoctoral Fellowship. Please note that we do not hold any funding ourselves: we are simply making nominations to the programme, with no certainty of success.

Further information is available online:

https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships

Call for Contributions – Transformative Approaches in the Mekong Region (€350 allowance)

To explore new political viewpoints and to facilitate a sharing processes in the ASEAN region and towards Europe, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Asia – Hanoi office is calling for contributions on the themes: (i) Social-Ecological Transformation, (ii) Climate Justice and (iii) Food Sovereignty. Please find attached the full document for more details and please help share this to relevant stakeholders.

The contributions can be of various types like academic papers, interviews, political analyses, picture series, comics etc. The selected papers will be published by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in a joint book in English and German language.

The final paper should be maximum 15,000 characters describing ideas, concepts or projects of a Social-Ecological Transformation and how they can transform the society. The contributions may focus on projects and concepts in the five Southeast Asian Mekong countries Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Asia will support the editing and publishing of papers that are relevant for our themes and approaches. For each selected paper we will provide an allowance of 350 EUR net.

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Process of submitting papers:

·         A first overview of the paper (maximum one page) should be sent before 6th of June 2021. Paper Selection will be finished by Mid-June

·         The full paper of maximum 15,000 characters should be sent before 15th of September 2021. Related Pictures would be highly valued.

Overviews and papers can be submitted via e-mail to Uyen.Tran@rosalux.org. If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us via the above e-mail address.

Click here for the full call for contribution

Microfinance in Times of COVID-19 and Loan Restructuring Policy in Brief

Phasy RES

The Center for Khmer Studies

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers raised concerns about high levels of household over-indebtedness, questioning the relationship between debt and household vulnerability. In 2017, a sector-sponsored survey (N= 802) was conducted with household borrowers in 12 provinces and Phnom Penh, and it suggests that 28% of micro-finance household borrowers were insolvent, and another 22% were at risk (MFC and Good Return 2017). Concerning over-indebtedness, many researchers have pointed to several problems: land loss (Green 2018; Green & Bylander forthcoming), distressed migration (Bylander 2014; Ovesen and Trankell 2014; Green and Estes 2018; LICADHO 2020), and declining household nutrition through a reduction in food consumption (Seng 2018). COVID-19 pandemic, which induced economic slowdown and unemployment, has dramatically exacerbated vulnerable households’ livelihoods, especially micro-finance borrowers, in the country. Given these challenges, the World Bank (2020: 3) claims that “the global epidemiological and economic crisis unleashed by COVID-19 poses the greatest threat to Cambodia’s development in its 30 years of modern history.” The Bank continues, “poverty could increase between 3 to 11 percentage points from a 50 per cent income loss that lasts for six months for households engaged in tourism, wholesale and retail trade, garment, construction, or manufacturing.” In this essay, we attempt to briefly describe how the loan restructuring policy was enforced by financial institutions (FIs) and examine the extent to which this policy has benefited the debt-distressed or economically vulnerable households, and how they cope with the effects of the pandemic.

In response to COVID-19 induced economic crisis, loan restructuring policy or known in Khmer as Kareapcham Inatean Loeung Vinh or, in short, Inatean Saloueng Vinh policy, emerged. This directly follows a request by the government for leniency on debt-stressed borrowers impacted by the COVID-19. In March 2020, the Prime Minister of Cambodia called on financial institutions to be lenient towards borrowers and not to confiscate collateral assets from the debt-distressed households. Following the Prime Minister’s request, on 27 March 2020, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) issued a circular requesting banks and microfinance institutions to carry out a loan restructuring policy to relieve the debt burden of their clients whose incomes were adversely affected by the COVID-19.

To address the debt-distressed issues, NBC recommended nine options for the banks and financial institutions: 1) Reductions in the principal amount or the amount to be paid at maturity; 2) Reductions of the interest rate to a rate lower than in the original loan agreement; 3) Extension of time for the loan principal or interest repayment or interest capitalisation; 4) Extension of maturity; 5) Addition of and/or change of joint borrower or guarantor (if any); 6) Change in loan type from an instalment loan to a bullet loan; 7) Waiver of or reduction of collateral requirement; 8) Reduction of contract condition; and, 9) Provision of a grace period, which could last for six months counting from the effective date of the new contract.

To date, according to Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA), there were USD 1.3 billion worth of total loans being restructured or around 16 per cent of total outstanding loans in 2020. As of December 2020, 271,117 borrowers (about 12 per cent of the total number of borrowing households) have benefited from some forms of loan restructuring. The CMA and Association of Banks in Cambodia then called on the NBC to extend the loan restructure policy into 2021, as the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis remains in addition to the flood crisis (White 2020). The NBC granted the request so that the loan restructuring policy will continue until mid- 2021 (Sok 2020).    

While the nine options and loan restructuring have been officially implemented, it is not clearly defined by NBC what should be involved or who should receive which option. As such, the banks and FIs have opted for their discretion in responses to the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, the implementation of the loan restructure policy varies from an institution to another. However, the financial institutions with which we spoke offered three key aspects of restructuring available for COVID-19 affected borrowers:

1. Payment Holiday: Borrowers granted a payment holiday is not required to repay loans at all for a specified period. The interest payments associated with that period of time are added to the left-over principal amount, and a new repayment schedule will be issued at the end of the payment holiday.
2. Period Extension: With a period extension, loan periods are extended so that the monthly payment is reduced to a level within the borrowers’ capacity to repay.
3. Grace Period: Borrowers granted a grace period have the option to repay only interest payments for a specified period of time. This allows them to minimise monthly payments and not pay down the principal for the duration of the grace period.

Our data from interviewing borrowers (N=119) and FI representatives (N= 34) show that the popular option enforced was the “grace period.” We found that 16 were given a grace period, 6 were granted a payment holiday, and in one case, a FI allowed a borrower to repay flexibly. 11 borrowers approached the FIs but were verbally rejected because of ineligibility of the sector (6 borrowers) and the loan restructuring was generally unavailable in their areas (5 borrowers). Seven borrowers were offered a “grace period” but rejected the offer because they were concerned about the financial loss (khart) it would create. Meanwhile, thirty-one borrowers were not aware of the loan restructuring policy at all, and the rest either had the ability to repay or approached their FI for the fear of impacting their credit history and/or being ashamed. The unawareness of the existence of loan restructuring policy is consistent with a finding of a survey (N = 997) conducted in July 2020 with registered and non-registered medium, small, and micro-enterprises of tourism-related businesses in four zones in Cambodia. The survey found that 60 per cent of the respondents were not aware of the bank/MFI debt restructuring policy (The Asia Foundation 2020). 

Not only have FIs limited options for the COVID-19 impacted households, but they also decided not to publicise the loan restructuring policy. Since the loan restructuring policy is informed to clients on a case-by-case basis, many, predominantly, low-income household borrowers in the rural areas are not aware of the policy.

During our field visit, there is a growing sense of fear and confusion among debt-distressed households. These households do not know what kind of supports could be provided to them. A case study below illustrates this sense of fear.

Pu (uncle) Theurn and Ming (aunt) Mao started borrowing in 2014; their first loan was to buy a tractor to plough their 15 hectares of land. After a few years (he could not recall exactly when), his corn and cassava production failed due to drought, at which point the household began to struggle to repay their debts. After sustained losses, the couple decided to sell the tractor. However, they could not repay all the debt, and they decided to sell 10 hectares of their land to repay the loan. At the time of the interview, the middle-aged couple was chopping cassava roots, which were not fully ready to harvest but were harvested a few months early because the couple needed the money to repay the micro-finance debt. Our research team asked him (husband) about the key risks he perceived in agriculture, using the Khmer term phey, literally translated as “to be fearful of.” He responded jokingly, “The main phey (fear)is the due repayment date because I have to repay one after another.” After finishing the sentence, he laughed gently. This story reflects a reality for many borrowers who are struggling to repay—the feeling of phey (fear). To date, the couple is still struggling to make their monthly repayments.

(Chopping premature cassava root Phnom Preuk district, Battambang 2020.
Photo by Phasy RES

Overall, it is important to make all options of loan restructuring available to all COVID-19‑affected borrowers. As evidenced in this case study, debt-distressed households can resort to coping strategies, such as land sale, migration, food consumption reduction, repayment phobia, or fear of FI’s retaliation: collateral confiscation. All of which has (and will continue to have) exacerbated economic vulnerability. At last, the loan restructuring policy should remain even after COVID-19, and other forms of restructuring such as debt forgiveness or interest cancellation should be considered.

This is an excerpt from a study report to be released in June 2021. The full report can be found here on the website of The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) or The Asia Foundation (TAF) in English and Khmer.

Bio

Phasy RES is a doctoral student in anthropology and sociology at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a research fellow at The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) under The Asia Foundation’s Ponlok Chomnes Program, funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Her PhD research looks at the relationship between microfinance expansion and land security by examining how access to microcredit shapes land access and control in Cambodia. At CKS, under Ponlok Chomes Program, she specifically examined the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on microfinance borrowers and loan restructuring processes. Apart from these, she has conducted research on a range of topics, including agricultural mechanisation and intensification, anti-malaria drug resistance, the subjectivities of financial literacy, and labour migration in the Sub-Mekong region. Her work has been published in Espace Politique, Malaria Journal, Development Policy Review, Development and Change, and Mekong Migration Network.

The views expressed in this article are solely mine

References

Bylander, Maryann. 2014. “Borrowing across Borders: Migration and Microcredit in Rural Cambodia.” Development and Change 45(2):284–307.

Green, W. Nathan. 2018. “From Rice Fields to Financial Assets: Valuing Land for Microfinance in Cambodia.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (44): 749– 762

Green, W. Nathan and Jennifer Estes. 2018. “Precarious Debt: Microfinance Subjects and Intergenerational Dependency in Cambodia.” Antipode 51(1):129–47

Green W. Nathan & Bylander. Forthcoming. The Coercive Power of Debt: Microfinance and Land Dispossession in Cambodia.

LICADHO. 2020. Driven out: One village’s experience with MFIs and Cross-border migration. LICADHO. Available at from https://www.licadho-cambodia.org/reports.php?perm=229.

MFC and Good Return. 2017.  Over-indebtedness Study Cambodia II: Final Report. Phnom Penh: Microfinance Center and Good Return (unpublished).

Ovesen, Jan and Ing-Britt Trankell. 2014. “Symbiosis of Microcredit and Private Moneylending in Cambodia.” The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 15(2):178–96.

Seng, Kimty. 2018. “Revisiting Microcredit’s Poverty-Reducing Promise: Evidence from Cambodia: Microcredit’s Poverty-Reducing Promise.” Journal of International Development 30(4):615–42.

Sok, Chan. November 2020. “Banks and FI loan restructuring extended to until mid-2021.” Khmer Times.  https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50785076/banks-and-fi-loan-restructuring-extended-until-mid-2021/

The Asia Foundation. 2020. Enduring the pandemic: rapid survey in the impact of COVID-19 on MSMES in the tourism sector and households in Cambodia. The Asia Foundation. Available at: https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cambodia_Enduring-the-Pandemic_RAPID-SURVEY-ON-THE-IMPACT-OF-COVID-19-ON-MSMES-IN-THE-TOURISM-SECTOR-AND-HOUSEHOLDS-IN-CAMBODIA_EN.pdf.

White, Harrison. 2020. MFIs call on NBC to extend loan restructuring into next year. Khmer Times.  Available at: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50784701/mfis-call-on-nbc-to-extend-loan-restructuring-into-next-year/.

World Bank. 2020. Cambodia Economic Update: Cambodia in the Time of COVID-19- Special Focus: Teacher Accountability and Student Learning Outcomes. Available at: http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/165091590723843418/pdf/Cambodia-Economic-Update-Cambodia-in-the-Time-of-COVID-19-Special-Focus-Teacher-Accountability-and-Student-Learning-Outcomes.pdf

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2021 ASIA FELLOWS (American Political Science Association)

“Evolution and Challenges in Local Governance in Asia”
Virtual Summer Program – July/August

We are pleased to announce a Call for Applications for early-career scholars who would like to participate in this year’s Asia Pacific Workshop. The virtual summer program will be conducted as series of weekly zoom sessions from mid-July through mid-August. The workshop will bring together up to 12 selected scholars to advance research related to local governance and decentralization across Asia. This program is part of a multi-year effort to support political science research among early-career scholars in East and Southeast Asia, and to strengthen research networks linking Asian scholars with their colleagues overseas.

Leading the workshop will be Maria Ela Atienza (University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines), Allen Hicken (University of Michigan, USA), Yuko Kasuya (Keio University, Japan), and Sarah Shair-Rosenfield (University of Essex, UK). The workshop will consist of weekly sessions held over 5 weeks (from July 12 through August 13). Following their participation in the full program, alumni will receive 2 years’ membership to APSA and will be eligible to apply for small research grants.

The deadline for applications is Monday, May 31, 2021. See the Call for Applications.pdf.

Eligible Participants 
The workshop is intended for PhD students and post-doctoral fellows in political science, international relations, and other social science disciplines who are citizens of countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially those who are currently based at universities or research institutes in the region (defined as Brunei, Cambodia, China, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam). We also welcome applications from citizens of countries outside the region or who are currently based at universities or research institutes in the United States.

Scholars should apply with a manuscript or research project in progress that they will present at the workshop. Professional fluency in English is required. Applications from scholars working on topics related to the workshop theme (as described below) are especially encouraged.

Workshop Theme
Focusing on East and Southeast Asia, this workshop will examine the heterogeneous experiences and outcomes associated with local governance and decentralization programs designed to devolve authority from central governments to subnational and local levels. As elsewhere around the world, experimentation with decentralization across Asia has produced mixed results; for each modest success story in one policy domain in one country, there is a counter-narrative of failure in another. Participants will explore key theories and puzzles in the study of local governance and decentralization, as well as their connections to and implications for wider inquiries concerning governance, public goods and service provision, identity politics, democratization and autocratization, and urban politics. Participants will utilize a range of methodological tools to analyze public behavior and opinion, mobilizing structures, state responses, and political outcomes before, during, and after the occurrence of popular protests. Thematic emphases include:

The Politics of Local Governance, Identity, and Representation

• The interaction between local and national politics and political organizations
• The politics, promise, and problems with decentralization
• The effects of nation-state building and decentralization on identity politics
• The effects of corruption, clientelism and rent-seeking in regional and local governments
• Causes and consequences of national-local competition over resources, credit claiming, and agenda setting at the subnational level

Distinctive Challenges in Governing Urban and Semi-Urban Spaces

• Overcoming infrastructural challenges in governing and providing services to Asia’s urban mega-cities
• Managing the needs and demands of diverse and cosmopolitan urban populations
• Crisis management and governance in cities, including re-envisioning urban spaces and usage amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
• Urban jurisdictional overlap and complexities of transparent and accountable governance

Democratization and Democratic Backsliding Below National-Level Governments

• When do local politics influence democratization?
• What explains the persistence of subnational authoritarianism after national-level democratization?
• How do national- and local-level democratic backsliding influence each other?
• How do national-level authoritarian leaders impact local governments’ policy delivery?

Local Government Authority and Public Service Delivery

• The complex relationship between local government capacity and the delivery of public services, including education, health, and sanitation
• Emergency response and disaster management at the local or regional level
• Non-homogenous distribution of environmental and other problems (e.g. environmental degradation, poverty, natural hazards, conflict) affecting service delivery and localized responses
• Coordination and relationship of local governments with national governments and other governance actors (e.g. private sector, civil society, political parties and elites, international community) in public service delivery
• Factors affecting public service delivery at the local level

How to Apply
Completed applications, including all necessary supporting documents (in PDF or Word format), must be submitted by May 31. Selected fellows will be contacted in June. Applications must be in English and include:

1. The completed online Application Form.
2. A detailed, recent curriculum vitae/resume.
3. A research statement (2,000 words maximum) describing the work-in-progress you propose to discuss at the workshop. This statement should outline the main focus of the paper, the methods used, the data/fieldwork on which it is based, and how it relates to the workshop theme(s). The research project should not be based on any part of a co-authored project and should not be an excerpt from an already completed work or one that has already been accepted for publication. Submissions may be derived from an ongoing dissertation project if also suitable for a journal article.
4. One letter of reference on official letterhead and scanned as electronic files. If you are a graduate student, the letter should be from your supervisor. If you are a researcher or faculty member, the letter can come from a former dissertation supervisor, a colleague at your home institution, a university official, or an employer. Your letter can be uploaded with your application material or the letter write can e-mail this directly to asiaworkshops@apsanet.org.

For more information, contact asiaworkshops@apsanet.org. Please do not contact the workshop leaders directly.

Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant (AVEG) Pilot Program

On 14 November 2020, as part of a broader package of economic, development and security measures to support Southeast Asia’s recovery from COVID-19, Prime Minister Morrison announced the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), a four-year $232 million investment, led by DFAT, with whole-of-government input. Pillar Three of the six pillars of MAP is focused specifically on Vietnam.

The AVEG Program 2021 will advance Australia’s international economic interests through bilateral engagement on trade and investment policy priorities of the Australian Government. 
Intended outcomes: 

• Increase public awareness of Australia’s economic opportunities in Vietnam
• Develop enduring partnerships across sectors in Australia and Vietnam
• Increase Australia’s capacity to effectively engage with Vietnam in existing and emerging areas of mutual economic interest

Key eligibility criteria: 

• Individuals who intend the grant to be administered by a university should apply on behalf of the university, i.e. your university is the applicant.

For more information, click here

Application deadline: 
Applications are currently open until Friday 14 May, 14:00 AEST

For any questions regarding the program, please email the Vietnam Economic Strategy Team at vietnameconomicstrategy@dfat.gov.au no later than 10 May 2021. 

ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship (ACYLS) 2021

The ACYLS is an initiative put forward by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and echoed by all ASEAN leaders at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit in 2018. It enables ASEAN nationals to pursue post-graduate studies and training opportunities in China, thus enhancing ASEAN’s capacity building and promoting academic and vocation exchanges between China and ASEAN. The Chinese government, through the China Mission to ASEAN in cooperation with the Joint Committee in Jakarta, offers full scholarships for AUN member and associate member universities for the ACYLS 2021.Click >> Guidebook to the ASEAN China Young Leaders Scholarship 

Scholarship categoriesThe 2021 ACYLS intake includes award for: 

• Master’s degree programme
• Doctoral degree programme
• One-semester research scholar programme 

Financial scheme 

ACYLS offers full scholarship covering all program-related expenses including tuition waiver and other school fees, accommodation, round-trip international air fare, comprehensive medical insurance and stipends. 

Length of Scholarship 

Recipients of ACYLS will be sponsored by the scholarship for a certain duration according to their enrolled length of schooling.

Supporting Category	Length of Schooling	Length of Scholarship
Master’s Students	2-3 academic years	2-3 academic years
Doctoral Students	3-4 academic years	3-4 academic years
Research Scholars	4-5 months	4-5 months

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Eligibility

Applicants of ACYLS should meet the following criteria: a. Citizen of 10 ASEAN Member States;  
b. In sound physical and mental health;  
c. Proficient in English (i.e., must possess an IELTS score of at least 6.0 or a TOEFL score of at least 80 points); 
d. Holder of an undergraduate degree and under the age of 45 if applying for a Master’s degree; 
e. Holder of a graduate/master’s degree and under the age of 45 if applying for a PhD degree; 
f. Holder of at least an undergraduate degree if applying for the short-term research program; 
g. Having at least one-year work experience within government agencies, public or private institutions, universities, think-tanks or similar social agencies, and preferably has experience in the following: 
– Work related to foreign and international affairs, especially ASEAN and China ASEAN affairs; 
– Work or study in the PRC; 
– Academic work on China or ASEAN-related affairs; 
– Not a concurrent awardee of a Chinese government scholarship; 
– Meets other admission requirements of the Chinese universities to which the applicant has applied. 

Application Procedures 

Step 1- Complete online application by visiting CGSIS (Chinese Government Scholarship Information System) at http://www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina or http://www.campuschina.org and click “Scholarship Application for Students” to log in. Online submission of the application is compulsory for each applicant by completing the application information and uploading all necessary supporting documents.

Step 2- Prepare the application documents according to the “List of Application Documents” and upload all the required documents into the online application system. Also submit one set of the hard copies of application form and relevant documents to the AUN Secretariat as required by the deadline. AUN Secretariat will then review the qualifications of all applicants and provide the list of recommended recipients to the Joint Committee of the ACYLS, which will decide the final recommendation list. 

Step 3- The Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) will only process the applications recommended by the Joint Committee. Applicants not included in the list will not be considered. CSC reserves the right to make necessary adjustments to the applicants’ host universities. Click >> Guidebook to the ASEAN China Young Leaders Scholarship 

Submission deadline: 12 May 2021

One original hard copy of the applications must be submitted to the AUN Secretariat Office at below address by the deadline. 

Naparat Phirawattanakul (Ms.) 
Senior Programme Officer 
ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat 
17 Floor., Chaloem Rajakumari 60 Building, Chulalongkorn University Phayathai Rd., Bangkok 10330 
Tel: 662-2153640 ext 106 
Fax: 662-2168808 
E-mail: aun.naparat@gmail.com 

http://www.aunsec.org/ACYLS-2021.php

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Call for Application: 2021 Higher Education for ASEAN Talents (HEAT): Scholarship Opportunity for ASEAN Faculty Members in the Republic of Korea

Title	[Call for Application] 2021 Higher Education for ASEAN Talents (HEAT): Scholarship Opportunity for ASEAN Faculty Members in the Republic of Korea
Author	KCUE
Date	2021-03-11
Contents	Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) is launching a new scholarship entitled “Higher Education for ASEAN Talents (HEAT): Scholarship Opportunity for ASEAN Faculty Members in the Republic of Korea”. The purpose of this program is to invite faculty members from ASEAN higher education institutions to support their acquisition of a doctoral degree in Korea with the aim to enhance their expertise and promote people-to-people exchanges between Korea and ASEAN.  Year 2021: 30 Candidates* Country Quota and University Quota may vary depending on the application result.  Scholarship Period ◦ 3 years (September 1, 2021 ~ August 31, 2024)  Benefits◦ Roundtrip travel (one time only): Round-trip economy class flight ticket◦ Monthly Allowance: 1,100 USD per month◦ Relocation (Settlement) Allowance (one time only): 300 USD upon arrival◦ Tuition: All admission fees are waived by the host institution◦ Dissertation Printing Costs: 400~600 USD, depending on the actual cost◦ Language Training Costs and Medical Insurance: the amount coverage or benefits will vary depending on each university◦ Others: various incidental allowances depend on each university* All grants will be paid in KRW, and amounts may vary depending on the exchange rate.  KCUE requirements◦ Applicants with ASEAN citizenship◦ Applicants who are academic faculty members at a 4-year college/university * in their home country(*Higher Education Institution offering bachelor’s degree or equivalent courses)◦ Applicants whose highest educational attainment is a master’s degree or its equivalent.◦ Applicants who are in good health both physically and mentally to allow them to pursue their studies while residing in Korea over the long term.◦ Applicants who have discussed an academic leave of absence with the university they belong to and how to contribute to their school after their return.◦ Applicants who are younger than 45 years old on the day that the doctoral program starts (i.e. September 1, 2021).◦ Applicants who have a sufficient level of proficiency in Korean or English.◦ Applicants who meet each university’s additional requirements.  Place of Submission: University Admission’s Office * Applicants are to submit applications by airmail or online to one of the six designated universities directly. For further information, please check Attachments  Deadline of SubmissionUniversity (Application LInks)Deadline of SubmissionChung-Ang University2021.4.9Ewha Womans University2021.3.8 ~ 3.19Jeonbuk National University2021.3.15 ~ 3.26Kangwon National University2021.3.1 ~ 3.26Korea University2021.3.2 ~ 3.31 Kyung Hee University2021.3.15 ~ 4.2 (17:00)    Required documents◦ FORM 1. PERMISSION FOR STUDY LEAVE◦ FORM 2. APPLICANT AGREEMENT◦ FORM 3. PERSONAL MEDICAL ASSESSMENT◦ Original Certificate of Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree and each Transcript ◦ Certificate of Employment◦ Applicant’s Proof of Citizenship Documents * Universities’ additional requirement: please refer to Attachment    Timeline◦ Application Submission: March ~ April◦ 1st Round of Selection: April / 2nd Round of Selection: May◦ Announcement of 2021 HEAT Scholars: June (notification by the universities)◦ Applying for Korean VISA: July◦ Entry into Korea: by August 31st, 2021◦ Course Start Date: September 1st, 2021
Attachments	2021-2 HEAT Graduate Program_Guidelines(FINAL)_Deadline revised.pdf  HEAT Form.docx  [KCUE] HEAT Higher Education for ASEAN Talents_ASEAN Languages.zip

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