Czech Republic : Postgraduate Fellowships for Western-Educated Economists returning to Central and Eastern Europe

CERGE-EI Foundation provides fellowships for economists who obtained their Ph.D. and/or M.A. in the United States or Western Europe and who are assuming a full-time academic position in any country in Central and Eastern Europe (including the countries of the former Soviet Union). The purpose of the fellowship is to make academic careers in the post-communist countries more attractive for such graduates by providing supplemental income that should bridge the gap between academic and private sector salaries. The fellowship also provides a set of services designed to improve the academic environment for the fellow.

The donor who provided funding for the fellowships has a desire to improve the quality of economics education in Central and Eastern Europe. Young graduates from North American or Western European universities who accept academic positions in the region are essential to that purpose. The Postgraduate Fellowship program was established in 2007, initially for Ph.D. graduates from CERGE-EI in Prague. Starting in 2009, the fellowships have been extended to graduates from any university in the Western academic world.

The fellowship is $7,200 per year and is guaranteed to be provided for 3 years. If the program receives sufficient funding in the future, the fellowships may be renewed. The fellowship is over and above the salary paid by the university where the fellow will teach.

The fellowships provide additional benefits from CERGE-EI:

• Access to services of the CERGE-EI English Department and the possibility to publish papers in the CERGE-EI working paper series on same terms as the faculty.
• Access to the resources of CERGE-EI library, including on-line resources.
• Invitation to spend 2 months a year at CERGE-EI in Prague as a visiting researcher. For residents outside of the Prague area, the fellowship will also cover reasonable accommodation costs.

Eligibility:

• The applicant must be either
  • A graduate in economics or related field with the Ph.D. or M.A. degree from a university in the United States, Canada, or Western Europe, or from a U.S.-accredited program in Central or Eastern Europe¹.
  • A near-graduate from such a program who expects to defend the thesis within one year of submitting the application.
• At the time of application, the applicant must either hold a full-time academic position at any non-profit (private or public) university in any Central or Eastern European country, or must have pre-arranged for a full-time position starting no later than October 2010.
• The applicants’ academic position must include a teaching load of at least 3 economics courses (broadly defined) per academic year.

¹ CERGE-EI, CEU, NES, KSE, ISET.

Selection criteria: All else equal, the preference is given to

• Applicants with a Ph.D. degree over M.A. degree.
• Applicants who will teach a greater number of undergraduate courses with large enrollment.
• Applicants graduating from higher-ranked universities.
• Applicants assuming positions at universities where their presence is likely to make the greatest positive impact on the university.
• Applicants about to begin their academic careers.

Administration of the fellowships:

• The application form is provided below. Applications should be submitted to Libor Dusek with a cc: to Michael Jetton. The deadline is May 22, 2010 for fellowships starting in Fall 2010.
• Enclose the following items along with the application:
  • CV
  • A letter or email from the Dean or Department Chair from the proposed university confirming the job offer and describing the proposed teaching program. A copy of the employment contract can be submitted instead.
  • A letter of recommendation from the thesis chair.
• If the confirmation of employment cannot be submitted by May 20, please explain the reason and indicate when it may be provided. If awarded, the fellowship cannot be paid without documenting employment at the university.
• A selection committee composed of three CERGE-EI officials will select the fellows and notify all applicants by June 15.
• Each September the fellow must submit a report to the CERGE-EI Foundation on his/her academic accomplishments during the past academic year, the courses taught, students enrollments, and his/her contacts with CERGE-EI including the potential research visit.
• The fellowships will be paid in 2 equal installments on October 31 and April 30 each year for applicants employed for the full academic year. Applicants who do not hold the academic position at the time of application will receive the first payment only after they assume the position.
• Fellows who have not completed their degree by the time of the application must provide evidence of completion by June 30, 2011. If not, the fellowship payments will be suspended until the completion of the degree.
• Fellowships will be paid in USD by wire transfer to a bank account specified by the fellow. Taxes due on the fellowship, if any, are the responsibility of the fellow.
• The fellow must notify the Foundation about any major changes in his/her employment status. The fellowship will be discontinued when the fellow leaves the academic sector.

Application form

Further Information

Application Deadline : 22 May 2010

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Posted on 2010-04-22 09:43:34

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The announced deadline for above scholarship is expired and new applications may no longer be accepted. The notice is available for reference purpose only.

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