8^th August 2022

The Institute of Chin Affairs (ICA) is delighted to announce the launch of the ‘Supporting Displaced Scholars in Mizoram’ Research Fellowship program, with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)[1], hosted by Mizoram University (MZU).

The program aims to give refugees currently living in Mizoram access to an education program to fill the gap left by the impact of displacement. Additional activities include a leadership program for displaced refugee politicians and civil society leaders from Myanmar, and a Burmese language course open to university students and community members.

ICA is looking to welcome 5 scholars from the Myanmar refugee community, currently living in Mizoram, to join a Research Fellowship course at Mizoram University in Aizawl, beginning October 3^rd, 2022. Applicants must have a background in social sciences (completed undergraduate degree as a minimum requirement), and be motivated to engage in independent research on topics of social science, for example: displacement, gender, human rights or inclusion.

The Fellowship course will initially run for a period of 12 months, beginning October 2022- October 2023, with the possibility of an extension to 18 months. Fellows will be provided with a living and accommodation allowance, and access to learning facilities at the university. Additionally, Fellows will have the chance to connect with a network of international researchers, and be supervised by academics from international universities and education institutions.

The basic requirements for applicants are:

• A completed undergraduate degree in the field of social science or humanities (History, Politics, Law, International Development, Geography etc) from any university.
• Robust spoken and written Burmese and English. Ethnic language skills are also desirable.
• Experience in research, either inside and outside Myanmar.

Additional requirements are:

• The application must be over the age of 18.
• The applicant must be able to relocate to Aizawl to student accommodation for the duration of the program.

Candidates for the Fellowship applications will be decided on the basis of merit, research experience, motivation and language proficiency. The program will be full time; however it is likely that the Fellows will need to dedicate time to ongoing commitments, and therefore the structure of the program has been designed to be integrative of these activities.

In order to apply: Please send a CV (maximum 1 page), a statement of motivation (maximum 1 page) and a brief outline of a proposed research project that you would like to embark on in English to fellowship@chinaffairs.org. Applications are now open, and will close at 5pm (India time) on the 31^st August, 2022.

[1] In anticipation of an upcoming grant, subject to approval from IDRC partners and stakeholders