Myanmar Research Fellowships - “Understanding Myanmar's Development”

The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University invites Burmese/Myanmar scholars, researchers, NGOs & CBOs workers and media and etc. to apply for the research fellowships under “Understanding Myanmar’s Development” program. The research fellowships granted will cover the areas of Social and economic development, Agrarian transformation, Environment and climate change, Health and health care systems, Media and society, and Salween River Basin.

Eligibility: Looking for junior and mid-level researchers from academic and non-academic fields, as well as independent researchers from the media, NGOs and the private sector to apply for the fellowship. Applicants should:

• Be a citizen and permanent resident of Myanmar, or a Myanmar citizen living in a neighboring country interested in studying Myanmar border issues and/or migration issues;
• Possess (at a minimum) a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, preferably gained within the last five years;
• Be sufficiently proficient in English writing, reading and speaking to complete scholarly work;
• Demonstrate interest in development-related issues through their work experience or study.

In addition, the successful applicants must:

• Be committed to undertaking a research project through the fellowship period up to the completion of a revised research report;
• Be able to attend two two-week training programs in Chiang Mai, Thailand, one at the beginning and one toward the end of the fellowship program; and attend shorter (one-week) workshops in Yangon, Myanmar during the course of the year.

Scholarship Value: The grant awards will vary depending on the specifics of the proposed project. The award will cover research expenses ranging from $1,600 to $3,200 USD per project. In addition, each awardee will receive a stipend of about $300 USD per month for the 12-month period. The program will also cover fellows’ travel expenses and accommodation for the scheduled workshops in Chiang Mai and Yangon. In addition to a grant, fellows will benefit from intellectual guidance and mentoring by faculty members from Chiang Mai University. They will have the opportunity to participate in workshops to enhance their research skills, on topics such as research conceptualization, research methods, data analysis and report writing. In the final months of the program, fellows will produce working papers on their research and findings. Working papers of sufficiently high quality will be published under RCSD auspices.