UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Fellowship programme 2019 (US$25,000 stipend and Funded to Paris, France)

Application Deadline: 29 September 2019

The GEM Report and Open Society Foundations would like to invite applicants for the second call for proposals to be 2019 GEM Report Fellows open now until 29 September.

The GEM Report Fellowship programme, supported by OSF, aims to strengthen the evidence base on education, particularly in emerging economies, build research capacity in education, and reinforce the links between research, policy, and practice in education. As such, the fellowships will be open to exceptional individuals who have quantitative research skills, demonstrate a potential for transformational impact in their domain, and share a commitment to provide more people with better educational opportunities.

The GEM Report Fellowship programme will support academic researchers and research-oriented policy makers to carry out studies in the area of international and comparative education with a special focus on:

– utilizing the GEM Report’s data resources, notably those household and school surveys linked to the World Inequality in Education database, to strengthen analyses of global, regional and national education trends on issues of access, equity, inclusion and quality;

– strengthening the content of the GEM Report with respect to its coverage of important issues at the regional and national level, through evidence-based analyses of educational policy and practice;

– helping advance the SDG 4 monitoring agenda, especially on issues related to the global and thematic indicator framework that have been highlighted in previous reports;

– supporting the themes of forthcoming GEM reports, i.e. inclusive education in 2020 (including a special focus on (i) disability (ii) Latin America) and the role of non-state actors in education in 2021.

UNESCO CV template

Candidates

Applications will be opened to all nationalities, however the selection committee will look favourably at applications from individuals from low and middle income countries. Calls for proposals will be issued twice a year and published through all relevant UNESCO and partner networks. Applicants will apply online. The GEM Report team will aim to host an average of three fellows per year in the team.

A successful proposal will

– explain the policy areas of interest, spell out the policy questions to be addressed, and indicate how the research will promote access, equity, inclusion and quality in education systems

– show why GEM Report resources and research areas (thematic or geographic) are particularly well suited to address those questions

– show how the research relates to monitoring issues highlighted in past GEM reports or thematic issues of future GEM reports

Applicants will be required to provide three references to support their application. The final output will be a research report of publishable quality.

Selection criteria

The fellowship programme will support individuals who have experience with quantitative research methods, including in the use of large-scale surveys, and a strong policy orientation, seeking to use research findings to inform policy makers and other education stakeholders.

Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to, education, sociology, economics, political science, psychology, demography, statistics, and psychometrics.

Applicants may be working at research institutions, universities, government agencies or professional organisations.

A Ph.D. and a record of publications in peer-reviewed journals will be an advantage.  A commitment from the applicant to engage with diverse audiences will also be considered positively. Preference will be given to proposals with a clear comparative element.

Benefits:

Each fellowship will last between six months to one year, depending on the work to be carried out, with one month spent in Paris. The GEM Report team will provide:

 -A stipend (up to US$25,000) for the duration of the fellowship (up to one year) and full travel costs for at least one month to be spent in Paris for each of the fellows;

– A mentor from the team of GEM Report researchers. The GEM Report staff will allocate 3-5 hours per week to mentor and guide the fellows when they are in residence in Paris, and 2 hours per week while they are based in their home country;

– A desk and computer during their stay at the GEM Report team office, in the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Selection procedure

Applications must be submitted in English. They will be reviewed and assessed by the GEM Report team, based on the criteria outlined above and considerations related to quality, potential, and originality as well as the qualifications and track record of the applicant.

Shortlisted applicants may be invited to discuss small adjustments to their proposal in a review meeting.

The GEM Report team will not be able to provide feedback on proposals that were not selected.

Deadline for proposals:

29September 2019(midnight, Paris time)
•Announcement of decision with successful applicants: 31 October 2019
•Review meeting: 14 November 2019(tbc)
•Expected start to the fellowship: January 2020

Application Procedure

Applicants will need to provide the following information:

•CV in UNESCO format
•One page with brief project title, abstract (150 words), duration, budget
•Project proposal (maximum 5 pages / 2500 words) with the following information: oresearch question / aim of the project orelevance to the GEM Repor to proposed data and methodology o timeline and resources

Financial support

The GEM Report includes financial support for the research work undertaken to support the GEM Report, a return flight and a one-month per diem allowance in Paris”

To apply email gemreport@unesco.org(please note that only submissions with a complete project proposal will be considered)

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Fellowship programme 2019