Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are offered by the CSC for citizens of developing Commonwealth countries. These fellowships are funded by the UK Department for International 
Development (DFID), with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth.


Commonwealth Professional Fellowships support mid-career professionals from developing countries to spend a period of time at a UK host organisation working in their field for a programme of professional development.
Intended beneficiaries:

• Mid-career professionals (with five years’ relevant work experience) working in development-related organisations in developing Commonwealth countries.
• Organisations from any sector can apply either to host one or more Commonwealth Professional Fellows within their own organisation, or to nominate one or more Fellows to be hosted by another organisation with which they have links.

Key features

The CSC is keen to encourage creative and flexible applications for Commonwealth Professional Fellowships from a wide range of sectors – professional, charitable, public, and private. Priority will be given to applications with practical relevance in the following broadly-defined areas:

• Agriculture / fisheries / forestry
• Economic growth
• Education
• Engineering / science / technology
• Environment
• Governance
• Public health

Eligibility

To be eligible for these fellowships, you must:

• Be a citizen of a developing Commonwealth country, refugee, or British protected person
• Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
• Have normally at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the fellowship
• Be available to start their fellowship within prescribed dates as stated on the CSC website
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last five years
• Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study in the UK. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject

Fellowship Worth:

• Approved return airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK
• Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of £1,580 per month, or £1,959 per month for those at organisations in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2015-2016 levels). Exceptionally, depending on the programme arranged, a peripatetic living allowance may be payable. Further details if applicable will be given at the time of offer
• Arrival allowance of up to £887.83 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing and reimbursement of the visa application fee
• Fixed grant for excess baggage for return travel only, dependent on the airport destination. The Fellow will be advised of the amount close to the date of departure
• Flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the host/nominating organisation relating to the administration and support of the Fellow, setting up of appropriate meetings, any materials required, and incidental travel for the Fellow during the award
• Reasonable fees up to a maximum of £3,000 will be agreed in the context of the length of the programme, but
• Agriculture / fisheries / forestry
• Economic growth
• Education
• Engineering / science / technology
• Environment
• Governance
• Public health

• Fees for any conferences or short courses attended during the fellowship, provided that these are approved as part of the original application
• Cost of travel for visits to other organisations in the UK, where these form an integral part of the programme
• Other fees, for which the CSC will consider requests on a case-by-case basis Host/nominating organisations should bear in mind the following restrictions when planning an application: