Frank Ferguson Fellowship in Engineering
The Ireland Fellows Programme enables early to mid-career professionals from eligible countries, with leadership potential, to benefit from a prestigious, world-class, quality education contributing to capacity building. It offers selected students the opportunity to undertake a fully funded one-year master’s level programme at a higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland. The award covers programme fees, flights, accommodation and living costs. Eligible master’s level programmes in Ireland commence in August or September each year and, depending on the programme, will run for between 10 and 16 months. The Ireland Fellows Programme promotes gender equality, equal opportunity, and welcomes diversity.
The aims of the Programme are to nurture future leaders; to develop in-country capacity to achieve national SDG goals; and to build positive relationships with Ireland.
The Programme is intended to support graduates on their return home, through the skills they develop, to contribute to capacity building in their home countries and to become one of the next generation of leaders in their respective fields. It is also envisaged that they will contribute to building enduring positive personal and professional relationships with Ireland, promoting institutional linkages.
The Irish Government, in partnership with the Engineering Institution of Zambia and the National University of Ireland, Galway, have established a Frank Ferguson Fellowship award that will fund one successful Zambian candidate each year to study on a master’s level engineering programme in Ireland. The Engineering School at NUIG is ranked in the top 1% globally and boasts strong research support in one of the world's most welcoming cities.
This Fellowship award is in recognition of the achievements, and in memory of Frank Ferguson, who was an engineer and innovator who dedicated fifty years of his life to promoting development in Zambia through numerous high-quality infrastructure projects.
The Ireland Fellows Programme is fully funded by the Irish Government and is offered under the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The Programme aligns with the Irish Government’s commitments under Global Ireland and the national implementation plan for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), The Global Island: Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World, A Better World: Ireland’s Policy for International Development, and Ireland's International Education Strategy. The programme is managed by the relevant Embassy responsible for eligible countries. Programme implementation in Ireland is supported by the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS).
Applicants must select from the following list of courses offered by the National University of Ireland, Galway:
Applications for the academic year 2024-25 will open in summer 2023
Eligibility
To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Frank Ferguson Fellowship award commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2023, applicants must:
- Be a resident national of Zambia.
- Have a minimum of three years’ substantial work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme(s) of study, depending on the country (see Pages 6 and 7 for details).
- Be a member of the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
- Hold a Degree in Engineering or related discipline with Merit or higher from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution.
- Have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto a Master’s level programme of studying in Engineering at NUI Galway.
- Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher. Not currently undertaking a programme at master’s level or higher, or be due to start a programme at master’s level or higher in the academic year 2022/23.
- Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2023.
- Be able to demonstrate the following: leadership abilities and aspirations; a commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country; and a commitment to contribute to building positive relationships with Ireland.
- Have identified and selected three programmes relevant to your academic and professional background from the list of engineering programmes at NUI Galway (see page 7).
- Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for all programmes chosen.
- Must not have applied to the Ireland Fellows Programme on more than one previous occasion.
- Be in a position to take up the Fellowship in the academic year 2023/2024.
In addition, please see the Ireland Fellows Programme – Africa page.
The Fellowship covers the recipient only. Financial support or visas for spouses or dependents are not included within the scope of the programme.
Applications
Please read the Applicants Guidance Note carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country.
The application process consists of three stages:
- Stage 1 Preliminary Application;
- Stage 2 Detailed Application (including research proposal);
- Stage 3 Interviews.
All applicants who are selected to go forward to second stage will be required to sit an IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is dated 2021 or later at the time of application which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course they intend to apply to. Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.
Application Information
Applications will not be considered for this fellowship unless all eligibility criteria are met. You should carefully check that you can meet the above criteria before requesting application information.
Contact
Please email your completed Stage 1 application form to the Embassy of Ireland in Zambia.
Please include "Frank Ferguson Fellowship" in the subject line of all emails, and on the envelope of any postage sent to the Embassy.
Additional Information
To find out what Ireland is doing in Zambia, visit www.irishaid.ie.
For information on the Department of Foreign Affairs, visit www.dfa.ie.
To learn about education in Ireland, visit www.educationinireland.com.
For information about IELTS, visit www.ielts.org.