Under the auspices of China-Canada Scholars' Exchange Program with China Scholarship Council acting as the executive agency, and in partnership with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), a number of awards are offered to Canadian academics and students who wish to study and/or do research in subject areas related to China in the Chinese universities that are open to Chinese Government Scholarship recipients for the academic year 2009/2010.

Application for the 2009/2010 awards is now being solicited and all materials must be received by the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in Canada before February 20, 2009.

Criteria for Eligibility

Applicants should be faculty members at Canadian Universities or students who have a bachelor's degree or are enrolled in a graduate program.

Criteria for Selection

Academic merit, both of the candidate and of the proposed research plan, will be the foremost consideration in the choice of recipients.

Applicants should have a certain level of Chinese language proficiency in both speaking and writing. However, candidates who can speak only English or French may be selected as long as their Chinese host universities are willing to accept them.

Eligible scholars may study any subject area listed on the Subjects Guidebook of Chinese universities. Preference will be given to those candidates whose research is related to the study of China .

Duration of the Award

The award will be for a period of no less than 4 months and no more than 12 months from the date of arrival in China .

Chinese school year starts in September, and ends in early July, with a winter vacation of about weeks in January or February.

It is understood that the recipients of the awards will return to Canada on completion of their program.

Value of the Award

The Chinese government scholarship from the China Scholarship Council consists of: (1) basic living allowance; (2) payment of tuition fees; (3) on-campus accommodation; (4) medical insurance; and (5) teaching and research material.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada will cover only the cost of return transportation for the award recipient(s) via the most cost-effective route between their previously decided upon point of origin and the final destination in the People's Republic of China , as determined by DFAIT. DFAIT will accept responsibility only for travel arrangements made by its designated agents, and any cost of travel beyond that will be the personal responsibility of the Canadian award recipient(s). In most cases the aforementioned award recipient(s) will travel via Beijing , and the Chinese Ministry of Education will provide appropriate meals and accommodation to the participant(s) during stopovers at Beijing/Shanghai while en route.

Application Procedure

Applicants should submit five (5) copies of each of the following:

1. a completed application form (obtained from the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa or downloaded from its website www.chineseeducation.ca ); For the “Preferences of Institutions of Higher Learning in China,” choose only the Chinese universities which can accept international students on Chinese Government Scholarships （ http://en.csc.edu.cn/Lianhua/Default.aspx?cid=279&Page ） ;
2. a detailed study or research proposal indicating objectives, duration of the proposed stay, methodologies, etc.;
3. two letters of reference from university professors or other academic personnel;
4. academic transcripts (college level and above);
5. a certificate of degree (If the degree is temporarily not awarded at the time of application, a letter verifying the graduation time by the dean (or supervisor) of the department is required.).

In the field of fine arts (painting, graphic arts, sculpture and photography), applicants must submit six pieces of original work, presented in coloured pictures or recorded in a CD, clearly identified.

In the field of music, applicants must provide a standard cassette tape or CD no longer than thirty minutes in duration. It should include clearly identified samples of different musical styles performed or conducted by the applicant him/herself.

All application materials must be received by the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa before February 20, 2009.

All correspondences should be addressed to:

Education Office, the Chinese Embassy in Canada

80 Cobourg Street , Ottawa , ON K1N 8H1

Tel: (613) 789-6312 ; Fax: (613) 789-0262

Selection

A selection committee will nominate a list of candidates to the China Scholarship Council before April 30, 2009 for approval and placement.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada will officially notify all Canadian applicants no later than August 1, 2009 . Admission notice by a Chinese university along with other materials on visa and travel to China will also be sent to successful candidates.

Scholarship recipients must enrol at their host universities for the periods approved by the China Scholarship Council. Requests for deferred registration may not be accepted. Awards holders are not allowed to extend their awards in China .

Evaluation

The scholarship recipient shall submit a report to the Chinese Embassy in Canada concerning his/her research or language learning in China within two months upon the completion of scholarship coverage. The host university is also expected to evaluate the recipient's performance on campus.