43rd Annual Report - Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in ...

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SPLIT-SITE DOCTORATESSplit-Site Doctorates wereintroduced in 1998. Theyallow students workingtowards a PhD indeveloping countryuniversities to spend up toone year in the UnitedKingdom, as part of theirstudies. Following afavourable review in 2001,the programme hasexpanded. 30 newawards were made in2002.I was particularlyimpressed with thisstudent, who is clearly avery intelligent, talentedand mature young ladywith the potential tobecome a very successfulscientist. She would, inmy opinion, be aconsiderable asset to anyresearch groupUniversity of LeicesterHe has gained first handexperience of a number oftechniques that were new tohim, and made significantstrides towards thecompletion of his PhD. Hiswork will make a significantcontribution to ourunderstanding ofenvironmental change.University of LiverpoolAll of our award categories seek to produce outcomes of direct relevance to thecandidates’ home countries. Split-site awards, however, often have an additional valuein strengthening the long-term collaboration between the home and host universities.An example of this can be found in the work of Cate Muthuri, who spent a year at theUniversity of Nottingham, as part of her doctoral thesis at Jomo Kenyatta University,Kenya.The rapidly increasing population in Central Kenya has led to considerable humanmigration to low potential, semi-arid areas. This problem is particularly acute in NaroMoru District on the leeward side of Mount Kenya, an area characterised by lowrainfall, poor vegetation cover, high evaporation rates and strong winds. Illegalabstraction of water from rivers to support the expansion of irrigated crop productionhas led to a serious decline of stream flow. Attempts to reduce soil evaporation andimprove food production by applying crop residues are restricted by the limitedavailability of these materials.The introduction of Grevillea robustatrees into this area by smallholdershas increased the risk of crop failureand caused further depletion of scarcewater resources. Other tree specieswith lower water requirements needto be tested to provide a sustainablewater management strategy for thearea. Cate’s PhD programme isexamining the productivity, tree/cropinteractions and water use ofagroforestry systems at Naro Moruand a second research site at JomoCate Muthuri and colleagues with Professor Black duringfieldwork for the projectKenyatta University in Thika District near Nairobi. The two species being examinedare Alnus acuminata and Paulownia fortunei, both of which are adapted to the cold,semi-arid highlands, although no information is available concerning their water useand compatibility with crops in this region. The work seeks to establish whether usingSua deciduous trees will reduce demand for limited water supplies. It seeks not onlyto establish growth rates and compatibility of the three species, but to predict theconsequences of their integration, using complex simulation models.Initial results are encouraging. They suggest that Alnus and Paulownia have growthrates comparable to Grevillea and are suitable for the experimental sites, thus wideningfarmers’ choice. Physiological studies – the first of their kind in Kenya – have beenundertaken to establish responses to limited soil moisture, and it appears that all threespecies have reasonably high water use efficiency. It also appears that the growth ofmaize in agroforestry systems is enhanced by Alnus.Whilst Cate’s research remains rooted in local needs, Cate considers that her time inNottingham has been invaluable. In addition to facilitating a comprehensive literaturesearch, she has also been able to analyse chlorophyll and nitrogen concentrations usingmodern techniques that were unavailable in Kenya. A study visit to Essex Universityalso provided invaluable hands-on experience of the diverse applications andmaintenance of PP Systems Infrared gas analysers for measuring photosynthesis andother gas exchange parameters. Her fieldwork allowance helped fund a visit to theIndonesian station of the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF),where work was undertaken to adapt the WaNuLCAS simulation model to specificproject data.Recognising the potential for further work Professor Colin Black, Cate’s supervisor atNottingham, visited Kenya in July 2002 to review the progress of her fieldwork. Hevisited both field sites and took part in discussions with the Kenyan supervisors,Professor Chin Ong (ICRAF) and Drs. Victoria Ngumi and Bancy Mati from JomoKenyatta University. The challenge is now for those involved in the collaboration tostrengthen and broaden these activities by building on the current work.CSC Annual Report page 8
PROFESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPSFor many years, the Commission has offered fellowships to academic staff fromdeveloping countries to update their skills and collaborate with UK partners. In thepast year, we have extended the concept to other sectors, through the development of anew Professional Fellowship scheme.Defining the ScopeOur review of activities in 2000 commended the existing Academic Fellowshipscheme in terms of impact and value for money. Because Fellows were typically seenas partners, rather than students, host institutions were prepared to invest their ownresources in each project. There were notable spin-offs in terms of longer-termresearch projects and technology transfer, and Fellows were well placed to utilise theirfindings upon return to their home institutions.Professional Fellowships are anew initiative, enabling keyprofessionals from developingcountries to spend threemonths with a UK hostorganisation. 2002 saw ourfirst call for applications.Extending these benefits outside the academic sector presented several problems. Universitycareer structures are well suited to sabbatical periods, but other occupations might be lessable to release key staff. Higher education offers a clear route for nominating potentialFellows, but this would be more difficult across a wide range of sectors. Effective channelsexist to match Academic Fellows with potential hosts in the UK, where universities are wellused to Visiting Fellows, but this culture does not extend to other sectors.The challenge was to duplicate the benefits of academic fellowships in a scheme whichwas both practical, and did not involve unduly high administrative costs. At itsmeeting in May, the Commission agreed that this could be best achieved by adoptingthe following principles:• visits should be short – typically three months in duration, but with some flexibility• awards should not lead to a formal qualification – but could include attendance onshort courses where these were relevant to project aims• applicants holding full-time academic positions would not be eligible, in view of theCommission’s existing Academic Fellowship scheme• awards could be held at a wide range of institutions – from the public, private orcharitable sectors• applications should come from the host organisation, rather than the individual applicant• recognising the economies of scale in arranging such programmes, applicationsshould be accepted for up to six Fellows at any given timeProfessional bodiesUniversitiesVoluntary/NGOsOn this basis, applications were invited for the first round of awards, by the end ofSeptember. Publicity was targeted at a wide range of potential hosts: over 300organisations were contacted directly, in addition to national media advertisements.Demand for the ProgrammeThe first cohort of Fellows did not arrive in the UK until after the period covered bythis report. Full analysis of their quality and impact, therefore, is not being attemptedhere. The first wave of applications does, however, allow some conclusions on thelikely demand for the scheme in the longer term.Private sectorPublic sectoragencies(Above) Profile of organisations offeredawards in the first round of the programme.(Below) The first cohort of Fellows discussthe scheme with potential applicants, at aninformation day organised by theCommissionDespite the relatively short notice, 48 applicants were attracted, of whom 28 wereoffered awards. Particularly encouraging was the variety of candidate and projectproposed, and comments from applicants that they were not aware of any similarprogramme elsewhere. Host organisations were drawn from government, localauthorities, the private sector, universities and charities. In each case programmesconcentrated on the acquisition of specific skills that could be applied in the contextof the partipants’ professional work. Projects commenced in the early part of 2003 willbe analysed in the next annual report. The experience to date has been encouraging,however, and it has been decided to significantly expand provision in 2003-2004.CSC Annual Report page 9
Page 1: 42nd Annual Reportto the Secretaryo
Page 8 and 9: ACADEMIC STAFF SCHOLARSHIPSAcademic
Page 12 and 13: DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOLARSHIPS2002
Page 14 and 15: CSFP ALUMNI: DEVELOPING THE NETWORK
Page 16 and 17: CSFP & THE COMMONWEALTHThe Commissi
Page 18 and 19: PERFORMANCE INDICATORSCommission su
Page 20 and 21: 2003 SELECTIONSScholars and Fellows
Page 22 and 23: CSFP PEOPLE...One of the biggest ar
Page 24 and 25: 2002 AWARDS: NOMINATIONS AND SELECT
Page 26 and 27: 2002 AWARDS: PARTICIPATION BY UK IN
Page 28 and 29: 2002 AWARDS: SCHOLARS BY COUNTRY AN
Page 30 and 31: AWARDS HELD IN 2001-2002: PARTICIPA
Page 32 and 33: GENERAL SCHOLARSHIPS HELD IN 2001-2
Page 34 and 35: COMMONWEALTH ACADEMIC STAFF SCHOLAR
Page 36 and 37: COMMISSION FINANCESDistribution of
Page 38 and 39: CSFP PEOPLE: QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED
Page 40 and 41: CSFP PEOPLE: QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED
Page 42 and 43: CSFP PEOPLE: PANEL OF ADVISERS 2001
Page 44 and 45: HOW TO APPLYApplications for Genera
Page 46 and 47: HOW TO APPLYPAPUA NEW GUINEASecreta
Page 48: Executive SecretaryCommonwealth Sch

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