MARDI-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program

The partnership between the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and SEARCA aims to strengthen MARDI's pool of professionals for research and development by providing scholarship grants to qualified MARDI officers to complete graduate degrees in the following study posts:

• Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Bogor, Indonesia
• Kasetsart University (KU), Bangkok, Thailand
• Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia
• Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
• University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Prospective graduates are expected to contribute to MARDI's main objective of generating and promoting new, appropriate, and efficient technologies towards the advancement of the food, agriculture, and food and agro-based industries.

The scholarship is provided for up to a maximum of four semesters (2 years) for a master's degree program and six semesters (3 years) for a doctoral program.

Eligibility Criteria

The following are the scholarship eligibility criteria:

• Officers of MARDI who plan to pursue MS/PhD degrees and are duly endorsed by the institution;
• Must not be more than 40 (Master's Degree) or 45 (PhD) years of age at the time of application;
• Areas of specialization that scholarship applicants must pursue should be in agriculture and related sciences, or other disciplines relevant to SEARCA's thrust;
• Planned research must be in line with the thrust of SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan on Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) with the following priority areas:
  • Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income
  • Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management
  • Food and Nutrition Security
  • Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD)
  • Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD
  • Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience
  • EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD

A preview of SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan or ATTAIN is available at https://www.searca.org/what-we-do

Application Procedure

Applicants must fill out the MARDI-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Form and upload a copy of all required documents.

The required documents to be submitted should be in English or must have official translation in English:

1. Original/certified true copy of transcript of academic records bearing the seal of the University and original signature of the Registrar or Head of the University. Applicants for MS degree should submit their original/certified true copy of Bachelor of Science (BS) transcript of records. PhD degree applicants should submit their original/certified true copy of BS and MS transcripts of records
2. Original or certified true copies of certificates of completion/diploma for every degree completed
3. Certificate of employment from MARDI
4. Accomplished recommendation form from MARDI
5. Brief description of the research the applicant plans to conduct for thesis/dissertation. The research topic must be in line with SEARCA's overarching theme of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) with the following priority areas:
   • Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income
   • Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management
   • Food and Nutrition Security
   • Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD)
   • Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD
   • Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience
   • EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD
6. Certification from a medical doctor that the applicant is in good physical and mental health condition and is fit to undertake graduate studies
7. IELTS result (6.0) or TOEFL iBT result (75) taken within two years before application, as proof of English proficiency

Scholarship Entitlements

The successful scholarship recipient is entitled to the following:

• Tuition and other school fees;
• Travel allowance to cover international/domestic travel;
• Health and life insurance;
• Stipend for food, lodging and incidental expenses;
• Book and supplies allowance; and
• Thesis/Dissertation research/writing budget;

Contact Information

For inquiries, please contact: