Whitaker International Awards Application Now Open

15 Aug 2015
15 Aug 2015

The application for the 2016 Whitaker competition cycle is now open. This is a great opportunity for U.S. Biomedical Engineering (BME) students and post-docs to apply for a Whitaker grant and be fully funded do spend one-two years in our Division of Biomedical Engineering working on a BME related project.

Full details of the Whitaker International Program, which is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), can be found at www.whitaker.org.

The application deadlines are as follows:

  • Fellows and Scholars Program deadline: January 19, 2016
  • Summer Program deadline: February 2, 2016

Program Overview

The Whitaker International Program is a competitive grant that sends emerging leaders in biomedical engineering (or bioengineering) overseas to increase international collaboration in the field. The Whitaker Program was funded by The Whitaker Foundation (now closed), and is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Whitaker International Program grants are awarded based on an activity/project proposal that is relevant to biomedical engineering. We hope to offer at least 40 Fellow and Scholar grants annually; only the highest-quality applicants are awarded. In the last competition cycle, more than 30 grants were awarded, and we encourage all students/post-docs/junior faculty who are considering a period of study or research abroad to apply.

Awards have included research in heart blood flow,  pursuing a Master’s in Bioscience Enterprise, a policy project on investment in biomedical devices, improved prosthetic leg design, and development of affordable oral cancer screening tools. Projects can occur worldwide, and have taken place in the UK, Chile, Denmark, India, South Africa, and Singapore among many other venues.

The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program has two categories:

  • Fellows - Graduate-level applicants, from graduating seniors through current PhD students. Fellows receive a stipend for one year, and are eligible for tuition reimbursement.
  • Scholars - Post-doctoral applicants, who recently received their PhD.  Scholar awards can be for as little as one academic semester or as long as two years of funding, depending on their needs. Second year funding is contingent upon demonstration of progress made during the first year.

The Whitaker International Program has an additional grant available:

  • Summer Grants - For currently enrolled Master’s or PhD students, or recent Master’s recipients.  Summer awards are for 8 weeks including a fixed fellowship award and a monthly stipend, along with additional benefits. Up to 20 awards will be available for Summer 2016.

Website & Online Application

  • http://www.whitaker.org/
  • http://whitaker.usapplications.org/
  • http://summerapplication.whitaker.org/

The online application is now open. The website listed above has all the information pertaining to the program, including eligibility requirements, potential host institutions, and former grantee profiles.

For programme-specific questions, please email the Whitaker International Program at whitaker@iie.org.

To find a suitable host in the Division of Biomedical Engineering, please review our web page www.bme.uct.ac.za or email us at bme@uct.ac.za.