The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program was established in 1982 to honor the former President of the World Bank. The Program annually awards Fellowships to support innovative and imaginative post-graduate research in areas of socioeconomic development – specifically focusing on issues critical to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in society. To date, 282 Fellowships have been awarded, spanning issues related to development economics, health and population, education, environment, agricultural and infrastructure development, conflict resolution, the role of NGOs in development, trade and tax reforms, poverty reduction, and institutional and regulatory reform.

The Program’s funding comes from an investment income earned from an endowment fund set up by contributions from the World Bank and the governments of Bangladesh, China, India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and former Yugoslavia.

Fellowships are open to applicants who are nationals of, and residents in, countries which are currently eligible to borrow from the World Bank (See Program website for eligible countries). The research must be carried out in a member country of the World Bank other than the applicant’s own country, or country of residence at the time of application.

The Program provides support to young researchers working in academic and research institutions from eligible countries preparing a doctoral thesis. Research grants cover residence costs for a 5 to 10 month period in a renowned university or research center. Fellows are expected to advance their research work mainly by using the facilities provided by the host institution, having access to essential resources such as reference books and research publications, databases, software, etc., attending seminars (and eventually courses), and more generally by interacting with peers.
Period of Fellowship: Fellowships are awarded for a period of five to ten months and must be completed between July 2011 and June 2012.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 28 February 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application