DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS EXTENDED TO 14 MAY 2021

The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), invite applications for their joint Visiting Fellowship Programme for 2021. This programme is designed to promote training and capacity building leading towards a global observation scheme for the ocean.

This fellowship is intended to support a 1-3 month visit to another oceanographic institute anywhere in the world, to undergo training on any aspect of oceanographic observations, analyses, and interpretation.

Refer to https://pogo-ocean.org/who-is-pogo/members/ for examples of major oceanographic institutions around the world.

For the 2021 POGO-SCOR Fellowship Programme, ideally, the training should begin between September 2021 and March 2022. Considering that local/international COVID-19 imposed travel restrictions are in constant flux, alterations in the dates will be considered on a case-by-case for successful applications.Training for the 2021 Programme must be completed by December 2022.

What does the fellowship offer and not offer?

It offers the opportunity to visit other oceanographic centres for a short period (1 to 3 months) for training on any aspect of oceanographic observations, analyses, and interpretation. This fellowship is not meant for an academic course of study or to learn research methods. Rather, it is for short-term professional training to facilitate capacity building at the parent institution and ultimately enhance the contributions of the parent institution to global ocean observations.

The fellowship does not constitute a salary or a bursary, but is a contribution to travelling and living expenses calculated on a monthly basis. The fellowship will provide international airfare and subsistence allowance for the fellowship period; see the attachments at https://pogo-ocean.org/capacity-development/pogo-scor-fellowship-programme/ (the actual amount may be tailored to meet local conditions).

The trainee's institute will bear all expenses incurred by the fellow in his/her own nation (domestic travel, visa costs, travel insurance etc.), and the host institute will waive any bench fees that they may normally charge trainees.

POGO and SCOR do not cover any of the expenses related to the training itself (such as laboratory consumables).

Prerequisites

Who can apply?

This fellowship programme is open to scientists, technicians, postgraduate (preferably PhD) students and post-doctoral fellows involved in oceanographic work at centres in developing countries and countries with economies in transition (e.g. Commonwealth of Independent States, Eastern Europe). Applicants must be citizens of developing countries or economies in transition, as defined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, for more information see the list of eligible countries at https://pogo-ocean.org/capacity-development/pogo-scor-fellowship-programme/.

Note that priority will be given to applicants in their early stages of career development. This fellowship is intended to support training in oceanographic observations, not research techniques. Its main purpose is to advance sustained ocean observations and their applications.

What are the Priority Areas?

Priority will be given to applications that address any one or more of the following topics:

• Emerging technologies for ocean observations
• Coastal observations/ Coastal zone management
• Oxygen and other biogeochemical sensors on Floats and Gliders
• Ocean and coastal modelling
• Data management
• Argo floats & gliders
• Acoustic observations and modelling
• Optical measurements of living and non-living particles
• Time series measurements of N2O and CH4 (linked to SCOR Working Group 143)
• Ocean observations and modelling in the Indian Ocean (contributions to IIOE-2)
• Fixed-point time-series observations (e.g. contributing to OceanSITES, IODE Ocean Data Portal, WOD and/or other shared data systems)
• Large-scale, operational biological observations including biodiversity (e.g. biological Essential Ocean Variables including the Continuous Plankton Recorder and other programs)

Application procedure

Fellowship applicants should complete the application form online, (link in the sidebar).

It is also a requirement to attach 1) a proposal form (must use the template available below) and 2) flight quotation evidence.

The following documents are also required:

a parent supervisor recommendation letter
a host supervisor acceptance letter.

These letters must be provided on institutional letterhead and signed by the supervisors. Successful candidates will be asked to send the original documents to the POGO Secretariat in Plymouth, UK. However, at the application stage it is acceptable to supply the letters electronically, subject to the following conditions:

The parent supervisor or host supervisor must email the letter directly to pogoadmin@pml.ac.uk, from their institutional/work email address, and CC the applicant. Letters from unverifiable accounts, such as Gmail or Yahoo, will not be accepted.
The letter from the prospective host supervisor should state the standard costs per calendar month for accommodation in the local area.
The email subject must follow the format: POGO-SCOR 2021 Supervisor*/Host* letter to [APPLICANT’S LAST NAME]. (*delete as appropriate).
Both letters must be sent by the application deadline: 30th April 2021.

Only applications that are complete in all respects will be considered for the Fellowship.

Note: The applicant is responsible for identifying a suitable host supervisor and obtaining their agreement to host the fellowship.

Review Process

Representatives from POGO and SCOR will review the applications.

In their decision-making, the Selection Committee will consider the following points:

1. Quality of the application;

2. Quality of the applicant;

3. Relevance of the application to the priority areas identified in the fellowship announcement;

4. Evidence that the training will lead to improved sustained observations in the region, or improved applications of such data;

5. Evidence that the training will lead to capacity-building with potential lasting impact on regional observations; and,

6. The need to maximize regional balance in distribution of the awards.

All applicants will be informed of the decision within two months after the deadline for applications.

The terms of the Fellowship

1. The fellowship will provide international airfare and subsistence allowance for the fellowship period. The monthly subsistence allowance will be set by the POGO Secretariat, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the country/city where the fellowship will be carried out, and on the actual cost of accommodation (evidence to be provided prior to the start of the fellowship, and receipts at the end of the fellowship). For the guidelines for the subsistence/accommodation allowance see Guidelines for Stipend Calculation file at https://pogo-ocean.org/capacity-development/pogo-scor-fellowship-programme/.

2. The trainee's institute will bear all expenses incurred by the fellow in their nation (domestic travel, visa costs, travel and personal insurance etc.), and the host institute will waive any bench fees that they may normally charge trainees.

3. The trainee and the supervisors at the parent and host institutes are required to provide a short progress report within four weeks of the end of the training period, to evaluate the success of the fellowship programme.

4. POGO and SCOR do not cover any of the expenses related to the training itself.

5. POGO and SCOR assume no responsibility for compensation in the event of sickness, accident, death or disability of a Fellowship holder, nor does it arrange for insurance of a trainee or reimburse premiums paid therefore.

6. The trainees are not considered agents or members of the staff of POGO or SCOR, and shall not be entitled to any privileges, immunities, compensation or reimbursements, except as otherwise provided herein, nor are the trainees authorised to commit POGO or SCOR to any expenditure or other obligation.