Applicants for doctoral degree (PhD) scholarships from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) have until April 30 to submit their application.
Now in its 50th year, Searca is mandated to build the capacities of institutions working in agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia through graduate education, short-term training, research and development, and knowledge management.
Headed by Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit Jr. since 2009, Searca is hosted by the Philippine government on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
Eligible to apply for the Searca scholarship are Filipinos and nationals of other Southeast Asian countries, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Applicants must be regular staff members of government agencies or nonprofit development-oriented institutions, or PhD students of agricultural universities.
However, priority will be given to Southeast Asians who are enrolled in PhD programs of universities that are members of the Searca-initiated Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).
The UC members are UPLB, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Institut Pertanian Bogor, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia and Kasetsart University in Thailand.
Moreover, the topic of the applicant’s PhD research must be aligned with Searca’s thrust of inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development (Isard) toward food security and poverty alleviation in Southeast Asia. Searca’s web site provides the complete details of the specific thrusts under Isard.
The scholarship provides research funds of up to $4,500 and the option to do a two-month internship at Searca with allowances for travel, stipend and insurance.