Minister Brophy announces expansion of Ireland Fellows Programme into Latin America

Press release

A Government programme offering professionals from around the world the opportunity to study for Masters-level qualifications in Ireland has been expanded to applicants in Latin America for the first time.

Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy T.D., today announced that the Ireland Fellows Programme has opened to applicants from six countries in Latin America for the academic term 2023/24.

Professionals from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela will be able to avail of two new awards named after Roger Casement and Argentinian medical pioneer Cecilia Grierson.

The Roger Casement Award for Human Rights and the Cecilia Grierson Award for Equality will support successful candidates to undertake Masters-level studies in Ireland in courses relevant to human rights and STEMM subjects.

Launching the call for applications, Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora Colm Brophy T.D. said:

“The Ireland Fellows Programme gives invaluable opportunities for people around the world to study in Ireland with the aim of putting what they have learned into practice back in their own countries. The establishment of these two Fellowship awards will give students in Latin America a unique opportunity to benefit from postgraduate study in Ireland. This Programme will support them on their return home in strengthening their countries’ capacity in science, technology, engineering and medicine, and enhancing the protection of human rights. I am confident that the friendships and connections they develop while in Ireland will endure, contributing to the strong, positive relationships between Ireland and Latin America.”

Almost 200 students from countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Pacific and the Caribbean are currently taking part in the Ireland Fellows Programme, studying in a variety of third level institutions around Ireland. The expansion of the programme into Latin America will see the number of participating students increase further to record levels in 2023/24.

The two strands are being launched under the Ireland Fellows Programme which, since 1974, has given thousands of people from our partner countries the chance to develop new skills and achieve their full potential in their respective fields. This is the first time the Fellows Programme will feature a Latin America Strand.

The programme is one of a number of commitments set out in the Government’s Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, launched by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, T.D., in February 2022.

Irish Embassies will work with partners in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador to deliver the Roger Casement Award. Roger Casement was instrumental in shedding light on human rights abuses in the Amazon region. The Embassy of Ireland in Buenos Aires will also work with partners in Argentina to deliver the Cecilia Grierson Award. Cecilia Grierson was a pioneering medical practitioner in Argentina and the first woman in Argentina to qualify as a doctor.

The call for applications is now open for both Awards under the 2023/2024 Latin America Strand of the Ireland Fellows Programme. The closing date for applications is 13 November 2022. Those interested in learning more can visit irishaidfellowships.ie for full information around eligibility requirements and application documents.

The programme is fully funded by the Irish Government and is offered under the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Programme implementation in Ireland is supported by the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS).

ENDS

Press Office

13 October 2022

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