Hints on Application

Successful applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Age between 25 and 45 years
• At least first university degree related to environment and/or course main focus
  (equivalent to Bachelor)
• Origin and current employment in a developing country, including emerging economies
  meaning countries listed in the currently valid version of the OECD's DAC List of ODA Recipients
• Ability to communicate actively and efficiently in English
  (at least reference level B2 according to the CEFR). Those candidates whose mother tongue is English do not need to send any certificate. If you do not have a certificate of proficiency, your institution must certify your knowledge of the English language. If we believe you are great candidate but we are not convinced about your language skills, you will be invited for an interview (probably via phone or Skype).
• Environment-related professional background
  with at least three years of work experience in a course related field
• The future professional engagement in fields of sustainable environmental management and sustainable development should be proven.
• Employing institution must endorse the application and release the candidate from his/her professional obligations for the duration of the course.
  Courses are full-time and attendance of lectures and excursions is compulsory. It is not possible to pursue regular employment at the same time.
• The target group are decision-makers of environmental authorities or NGOs working in the environment sector and natural resources management.

You fullfill all eligibility criteria and submitted your application with all necessary documents? Then the first step has already been taken. What happens next?

In the first step of the selection process, "formal criteria" are applied, such as readable and complete application documents  (incl. attachments), good command of English language, and communication skills. All applications fulfilling these criteria are then thoroughly reviewed and evaluated according to quality. In this second step, the personal qualification and the professional background are analysed, also regarding the present and potential future responsibilities.

Finally, a short list of high-quality applications - approved by the International Steering Committee (consisting of  representatives of Technische Universität Dresden, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment and the German Environment Agency) - ensures a good regional distribution of fellows. Only one or two participants from the same country will be admitted to the same course. The different regions of the world will be equally represented. A balanced representation of men and women will also be sought in each course. Ultimately, the experts selected to participate in one of our courses should mutually benefit from each other's experience in terms of expertise and skills, but also beyond.

For candidates who fulfill all the admission criteria, the chance to be admitted is very good. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements are strongly encouraged to apply for the program. To avoid frustration, we ask applicants to review their own qualification and professional background very critically to assure that they really belong to the target groups the courses are designed for (Please check the specific description of the course you are interested in!).

Other important criteria are a good command of the English language, communication facilities (i. e. e-mail), number of applicants coming from one region, overall impression of the application (complete documents, official nomination, etc.). Of course, timely submission is also crucial.

Unfortunately, there is always a significant amount of submitted applications that cannot be considered because the wrong documents have been uploaded, certificates in languages other than English, French or Spanish have no translation or are not readable, because the nomination form has no official stamp or the like.

In this case, you should explain clearly why you would like to take part in this particular course and state why you really need the training. If necessary, please enclose a statement from your working place etc.

A special remark for university researchers and employees: The International Steering Committee assumes this group has many opportunities to acquire the desired specific knowledge through the international contacts of their universities. Nevertheless, in exceptional cases fellowships can be granted as well.

We need to know if your institution is sufficiently backing your application and is also welcoming the knowledge, skills and - likely - the motivational boost you will gain into the institutional environment. Therefore, we need to receive from your institution a nomination form and a letter of support on your behalf:

• The nomination form you will find at the application portal (see instructions below).
• For the letter of support, you do not need to follow a template, but the content of the letter must show that your institution is willing to ensure your employment upon completion of the fellowship, and if necessary by the continuation of the whole or part of your present salary. Also, your institution should explain why and how your participation would be an advantage for your institution as whole.

Please note the nomination form:

• You will find the link to the nomination form in the application portal both on the overview page after selecting the course for which you would like to apply and during the application in the data mask of the Endorsement by organization section.
• Fill out the form and have it signed by the person you indicate in this section as being responsible for the signature.
• Upload a scan of the signed form.

Content of the nomination form

The person signing the form certifies that the institution supports the candidate's participation in the program of study, with the view to enhancing his/her ability to contribute to sustainable development of his/her country in future.

If a fellowship is granted, the nominating institution will:

• Facilitate the fellow’s departure for the study program (i.e. not prevent selected fellows from joining the course, allow the fellow to sufficiently focus on the course content, supporting the visa application by also allowing time for this, etc.);
• Assist the fellow to meet personal and family responsibilities during the period of the fellowship, if necessary by the continuation of the whole or part of his/her present salary;
• Ensure the employment of the fellow upon completion of the fellowship.

In the form, the nominating institution is also requested to certify that the candidate possesses sufficient knowledge of the English language to successfully follow a postgraduate course held in English which includes attending lectures, writing reports, making oral presentations at seminars etc. 

Six-month long course

The fellowship includes a non-reroutable economy air return ticket from a major international airport in the country of residence to Dresden; accommodation in a single study bedroom; health, liability and accident insurance during the stay; registration and tuition fees for the course; public transport ticket in Dresden city, monthly allowance of approx. EUR 550.-/month, sufficient to cover all basic living expenses during the course (depending on the individual life style). The monthly stipend should be considered by the participant as an individual allowance for local living expenses in Dresden while the duration of the course.

Short courses

The following two types of scholarships are currently available for the short courses:

• 16 full scholarships: They include accommodation in single studio apartments, local public transport ticket, all tuition fees, round-trip flight tickets from participant's country of origin to Dresden and back, health, liability and accident insurance during the stay, and a contribution of €550.
• Five partial scholarships: They solely include accommodation in single studio apartments, local public transport ticket, and all tution fees. These scholarships can be awarded to applicants who are able to cover the costs for flight tickets, insurance and living expenses on their own.
  For these partial fellowships, however, also applicants who currently reside in a non-DAC country are eligible, if their origin and (prospective) area of professional engagement is in a DAC country.

Please note: If the awarded scholarship includes a health insurance, this insurance does NOT cover any costs associated with diseases or injuries present prior to departure. Cost related to pregnancies and childbirth are also NOT covered. In addition, health, liability and accident insurance DO NOT APPLY TO PRIVATE TRAVEL (neither in Germany nor abroad).

This is not possible due to a variety of reasons. The UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course program does not include financial or organizational support for bringing family members or other accompanying persons along. Our apartments may not be occupied by more than one person due to insurance and tenancy law reasons.

Only selected participants will be informed via email. You can also follow your status in the online portal.

We kindly ask you to refrain from contacting us for further enquiries. Due to the large number of applications, we unfortunately cannot provide detailed feedback on individual applications.

If you have been selected, congratulations!! You can already take a look at our section Things to know to have a first hint about the University, CIPSEM facilities, Dresden and surroundings!