ACIAR Pacific Agriculture Scholarship Support and Climate Resilience (PASS-CR) Program

Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme

APPLICATION CLOSED!

Applications are invited for the 2025 intake of the PASS-CR Scholarship Program from suitably qualified applicants seeking to undertake a Masters by Research or Masters by Coursework (with a thesis component) or PhD at Fiji National University (FNU).

Applications opened on Monday, 5 August 2024, and were closed on Wednesday, 23 October 2024.

Scholarships are available from Semester 1, 2025

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is an Australian Government statutory authority within the Australian Government’s Foreign Affairs portfolio. The ACIAR Pacific Island strategy recognises the importance of agriculture (including horticulture), fisheries (including aquaculture), and forestry across the region.

ACIAR’s Pacific postgraduate scholarships are offered in the Pacific, to Pacific Islanders. This enables scholars to research agricultural problems within the context that the solutions need to work, to build professional networks which will be relevant post-study and remain close to family and culture.

The PASS-CR Program aims to strengthen the Pacific agricultural innovation system through building on the strengths of Pacific universities and their regional partners. It sits within ACIAR’s Pacific Capacity Building Strategy and is part of the Australian Government’s support to the Pacific.

Successful PASS-CR scholars will have additional academic support from the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, at the University of the Sunshine Coast including access to USC Library resources, HDR training workshops, student placements with a relevant agency or business and networking opportunities.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be Pacific Island Country Nationals from ACIAR partner countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).

Interested candidates for Masters by Coursework (with a thesis component) Programs are expected to have achieved:

Masters by Coursework (with a thesis component) application:

• A relevant Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or over.

Interested applicants for Masters by Research Programs are expected to have achieved:

Masters by Research application:

• A Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.5 or above (FNU GPA equivalent) at level 7; or
• A graduate diploma with a GPA of 3.25 or above (FNU GPA equivalent) at level 8; or
• A Masters by coursework at level 9; or
• Evidence of academic qualification and/or experience inclusive of research reports, or dissertations, or publications or other evidence that satisfies the HDRC that the applicant has developed knowledge of the field of study or cognate field and has the potential for research that is sufficient to undertake the proposed programme.

The medium of instruction at FNU is the English language. Students must be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the HDR Programme. HDR students will provide evidence from undergraduate qualifications/other English qualifications that confirm their English language competency.

Interested applicants for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs are expected to have achieved:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) application:

• A Bachelor’s degree with first or upper second class Honors at level 8, including a research component compromised of a thesis; or
• A Masters degree by coursework with a GPA of 4 or above (FNU GPA equivalent) at level 9; or
• A Masters by Research degree in a relevant discipline; or
• Evidence of academic qualification and/or experience inclusive of research reports, or dissertations, or publications or other evidence that satisfies the Higher Degree by Research Committee (HDRC) that the applicant has developed knowledge of the field of study or cognate field and has the potential for research that is sufficient to undertake the proposed programme.

The medium of instruction at FNU is the English language. Students must be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the HDR Programme. HDR students will provide evidence from undergraduate qualifications/other English qualifications that confirm their English language competency.

TARGETED RESEARCH TOPICS

ACIAR and FNU have worked together to identify key research topics relevant to the ACIAR project and FNU’s research interests. All applicants can either pre-select a research topic and directly align their proposal with one of the listed topics or propose a unique research topic that aligns with one of the broader research themes provided.

You can access and view PASS-CR Research Topics and Themes – Compendium 2025

Once you have completed the following questions, you will receive a link to access the PASS-CR Research Project Topics and Themes for the 2025 intake.

SCHOLARSHIP CONDITIONS

Masters’ Program: Scholarships will be awarded on a 24-month basis for Masters’ students.

Tuition is paid directly for the relevant program of study. Allowances are:

• books (currently FJD 750 as a one-off payment)
• living allowance (currently FJD 21,450 per year) or dependent allowance (currently FJD 32,472 per year, if applicable), and
• establishment allowance (currently FJD 1,900, as a one-off payment, if applicable).

A Research Grant of up to a maximum of FJD17,500 is available for Masters’ students.

PhD Program: Scholarships will be awarded on a 36 -month basis for PhD students.

Tuition is paid directly for the relevant program of study. Allowances are:

• books (currently FJD 750 as a one-off payment)
• living allowance (currently FJD 21,450 per year) or dependent allowance (currently FJD 32,472 per year, if applicable), and
• establishment allowance (currently FJD 1,900 as a one-off payment if applicable).

A Research Grant of up to a maximum of FJD40,000 is available for PhD students.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications, including the research intent, should be completed in consultation with the prospective supervisor at FNU and corresponding Co-supervisor.

To check your eligibility and for further information about the ACIAR PASS-CR Program, including how to apply and a list of potential projects and research topics please contact:

• Ms. Varsha Dutt
  ACIAR Graduate and Scholarship Officer
  Email: aciar-go@fnu.ac.fj

Application forms and details of the scholarship can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

• Download ACIAR Application Form
• Download ACIAR Research Intent Template
• Selection Process

Zoom Sessions

We will be having Zoom Sessions for all interested applicants. Please refer below confirmed sessions for your perusal.

For more information, including application forms and research proposal templates, please contact:

Ms. Varsha Dutt, ACIAR Graduate and Scholarship Officer
Email: aciar-go@fnu.ac.fj

For further information about ACIAR’s Pacific work, please contact:

Ms Mai Alagcan, Regional Manager Pacific and PNG, Suva, FIJI
Email: CountryPacific@aciar.gov.au