Salutations,
The Embassy of Ireland is pleased to inform you that applications are now open for scholarships to study in Ireland under the Irish Aid-funded Ireland Fellows Programme. The programme presents a unique opportunity to study in an international setting and benefit from the research facilities provided by Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology which rank among some of the top education and learning centers in the world.
Applications are invited from partner organisations of the Embassy of Ireland and/or Irish Aid operating in the Embassy’s countries of accreditation – Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan. The specific criteria for applicants is listed below.
Irish Aid Fellowships aim to support capacity strengthening for the attainment of long-term development goals through enhancing the skills and capacities of key individuals, generally drawn from the public services and NGO sectors. Operating for over 46 years, Irish Aid Fellowships have supported more than 2,000 successful awardees who have returned to their organisations on completing their studies, and are committed to putting their acquired knowledge and skills into practice for the benefit of the wider community.
Fellowships are awarded for full-time study at Masters level, with a focus on courses that are relevant to Irish Aid’s development objectives. On completion, Fellowship recipients commit to resume work and put their acquired skills into good use for the benefit of their home countries.
To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Africa scholarship commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2022 applicants must:
Be a Kenyan, Somali, Sudanese or Eritrean citizen
Be resident in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan or Eritrea.
Work with a partner organisation of the Embassy of Ireland or Irish Aid in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan or Eritrea.
Have a minimum of two or three years’ work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme(s) of study, depending on the country (see the Guidance Note for Applicants).
Hold a bachelor’s level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted if the applicant has substantial directly relevant work experience). It must have been awarded in 2012 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher. Not currently undertaking a programme at master’s level or higher, or be due to start a programme at master’s level or higher in the academic year 2023/24.
Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2024.
Be able to demonstrate the following: leadership abilities and aspirations; a commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country; and a commitment to contribute to building positive relationships with Ireland.
Have identified and selected three programmes relevant to your academic and professional background from the Directory of Eligible Programmes .
Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiency required for all programmes chosen.
Must not have applied to the Ireland Fellows Programme on more than one previous occasion.
Be in a position to take up the Fellowship in the academic year 2024/2025.
This means that fellowships in these countries are restricted to the staff of government departments and NGOs which work in partnership with Irish Aid, and to personnel of organisations that are aligned with Irish Aid’s development strategy in their country which have already been identified by the Embassy of Ireland. Applications from outside these partnerships will not be eligible. To find out if you are eligible to apply, please contact the relevant Embassy of Ireland or your employer.
Applications
Please read the Applicant Guidance Note carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country.
The application process consists of three stages:
Stage 1 Preliminary Application;
Stage 2 Detailed Application;
Stage 3 Interviews.
Application forms as well as the Irish Aid Fellowship Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses can be found here (under the tab Application Information): https://www.irishaidfellowships.ie/strands/ireland-fellows-programme-africa. Failure to use the correct form will render an application ineligible
All applicants who are selected to progress after the second stage will be required to sit an online Duolingo English Test. If shortlisted after the interview stage, all applicants will be required to take another English language test, normally the IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is dated 2019 or later which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course(s) they intend to apply to. Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.
Kindly note that the deadline for submission of applications to the Embassy is on the 31 July 2023. We kindly request that you circulate this email within your organisation.
Kindly direct any enquiries to: nairobifellowships@dfa.ie
Kind regards,
Fellowship Team
