Frank Ferguson Fellowship Programme 2024-2025 - Applications are now closed

News

The Irish Government, in partnership with the Engineering Institution of Zambia and the National University of Ireland, Galway, have established a Frank Ferguson Fellowship award that will fund one successful Zambian candidate each year to study on a master’s level engineering programme in Ireland. The Engineering School at NUIG is ranked in the top 1% globally and boasts strong research support in one of the world's most welcoming cities.

This fellowship is in recognition of the achievements, and in memory of Frank Ferguson who was an engineer and innovator who dedicated fifty years of his life to promoting development in Zambia through numerous high-quality infrastructure projects.

Frank Ferguson Fellows should be prepared with the potential to make significant contributions to the development of Zambia.

The scholarship award covers course fees, required flights, accommodation, monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses. Eligible Master’s programmes in Ireland commence in the period August to September each year and, depending on the course, scholarships will run for between 10 and 16 months.

Eligible Courses: 

Applicants must select from the following list of courses offered by the National University of Ireland, Galway:

1. Master of Civil Engineering (1MEC1) 
2. MSc in Mechanical Engineering (1MSME1)
3. ME in Electrical & Electronic Engineering (1MEEE1) 
4. MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources: Management (1MFR1)
5. ME in Energy Systems Engineering (1MEES1)

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Frank Ferguson Fellowship, applicants must:

• Be a citizen of Zambia and be residing in Zambia.
• Hold a Degree in Engineering or related discipline with Merit or higher from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution,
• Have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto a Master's level course of study in Engineering
• Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher
• Be applying to commence a new course at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August/September 2024.
• Have identified and selected two relevant courses from the above list of engineering courses at NUI Galway.
• Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for both courses chosen.
• Must not have applied for an Ireland Fellowship on more than one previous occasion.
• Be a member of the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
• Have a minimum of three years' substantial work experience.
• Be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of Zambia.

Applicants will be required to submit a research proposal in an area linked to a social problem in Zambia. Applicants who are shortlisted by the Engineering Institution of Zambia will be invited to present their research proposal to the Embassy of Ireland and will be subject to further screening.

Applications

Please read the Application Guidance Note which can be found on this page carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country. 

 How to apply 

 The application process consists of three stages:

• Stage 1   Preliminary Application;
• Stage 2   Detailed Application;
• Stage 3   Interviews.

Application forms can be downloaded from here. All Stage 1 applications must be emailed to Zambiafellowships@dfa.ie.

English Language Proficiency

Irish higher education institutions require a high standard of English language proficiency and this will be verified by English language testing. This is necessary for admission to all Irish Higher Education Institutions, with no exceptions. English language testing is normally through the International English Language Test (IELTS- www.IELTS.org).  

You can apply through Stages 1 and 2 of this process without having completed an IELTS test; however, you must have noted the IELTS score required for your selected programmes and considered whether you can achieve this grade. If you have completed an IELTS test, provide full details as requested under question 2 of the application form and note that the test is only valid if completed in September 2022 or later.

The deadline for receipt of Stage 1 applications is 30th July 2023.

Please include "Frank Ferguson" in the subject line of all emails

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