The L. Kirkland Scholarship Program has been supporting the individual development of young, ambitious, and active citizens of Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia for 21 years. Since 2000, almost 900 alumni have taken part in the Program. The group of alumni includes members of government, parliamentarians, managers of large multinational corporations, managers of local government bodies, and well-known social activists. The author and founder of the Program are the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. The Program is also financially supported by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). 

The Program offers two semesters of studies in one of five Polish academic centers (Warsaw, Cracow, Wrocław, Poznań, Lublin) and at least two weeks of professional internship in state, private, and non-governmental organizations. The program also offers an extensive training and workshop program. The program is addressed to young leaders and experts, holding university degrees, interested in the development of democracy, economy, and civil society in their countries and the region.

FIELDS:

• Economics and Management
• Administration / Management (i.e. business, NGOs, culture, education, or healthcare)
• Public Administration (Central or Local Government Administration)
• Law
• Social Sciences (Social Psychology, Sociology)
• Political Science and International Relations
• Environmental and Climate Protection
• Security and Cybersecurity
• Crisis Management
• Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid 

Candidates who intend to return to their home country after the completion of the scholarship and implement the project they have prepared under the scholarship and the knowledge they have gained in Poland, are invited to submit applications.

Financial information:

• Free access to university classes and support of an academic advisor
• A stipend of PLN 18,000 (paid in 9 installments for 9 months).

In addition, the Program administrator provides the following (worth approx. 4200 PLN/month): -

• accommodation during the whole stay in Poland
• health insurance for medical outpatient care, treatment costs in case of emergency, and civil liability insurance
• one return ticket to Poland (up to agreed amount)
• public transportation cards; visa costs
• research materials
• participation in the introductory course, and grantees conventions
• Polish language course (October-May)

Scholarship program:

•  Inauguration of the Program and introductory course (8-10 days, 2nd half of September 2021)
• Classes at universities (two semesters) in leading Polish academic centers, such as Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Lublin or Wrocław
• Preparation of two-semester papers and one diploma paper
• Three or four conventions of all Kirkland grantees in different cities in Poland
• Professional internship (minimum 2 weeks)
• Personal development training and Polish language course (two semesters)
• Graduation ceremony – diplomas (end of June 2022)

Eligibility criteria:

• Citizenship and permanent residence in one of the targeted countries (holders of residence card in Poland, and people living or working in Poland when applying for a scholarship are ineligible)
• Higher education (completed 5-year study)
• Up to 40 years of age
• At least two years of professional experience
• At least two years break from participation in a previous scholarship abroad, longer than 6 months

The Kirkland Program studies may be conducted in Polish or English. Studies in English are not possible for candidates from Belarus and Ukraine. Knowledge of the Polish language facilitates full use of the educational offer at Polish universities and the professional internship. Therefore, candidates from Belarus and Ukraine, as well as other candidates planning to study in Polish, must know Polish at the beginning of the scholarship at a level enabling them to take advantage of academic classes and write their diploma thesis (B2). During the interview, candidates should know Polish at least at B1 level. For candidates with insufficient knowledge of the Polish language, but who has obtained a high score, we allow for the possibility of passing the exam in mid-June 2021. The result of the examination determines the final qualification of the candidate for the scholarship

Candidates from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan planning to study in English are required to indicate a specific educational offer in that language in the above-mentioned five academic centers. These persons are required, during the interview, to speak English at least at the B2 level and have the basic knowledge of the Polish language - A1 level. Candidates who pass the qualification in terms of content, but not sufficiently know Polish, have the opportunity to continue learning the language (the Program administrator provides study materials) and pass the language exam organized in mid-June 2021). The result of the exam determines the final qualification of the candidate for the scholarship. 

Preferences:

• candidates actively working in their professional and social fields
• candidates who have significant achievements
• candidates who have not yet studied in Poland
• candidates choosing studies in Polish

Application procedure: 

Description of the program and detailed application instructions can be obtained directly from the following website: www.kirkland.edu.pl. They can also be requested by e-mail from the Program Office.

Within the Kirkland Research Program, we offer a scholarship for one-semester research stays in Poland during the 2021/22 academic year for candidates with a Ph.D. degree who have an established academic position.

Fields: 

• Economics and Management 
• Administration / Management (i.e. business, NGOs, culture, education, or healthcare) 
• Public Administration (Central or Local Government Administration) 
• Law 
• Social Sciences (Social Psychology, Sociology) 
• Political Science and International Relations 
• Environmental and Climate Protection 
• Security and Cybersecurity 
• Crisis Management 
• Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid 

Kirkland Research scholarship is a scholarship for a stay in Poland from mid-September to late January (first semester). Kirkland Research Program grantees participate in scientific seminars and work individually under the supervision of an academic advisor; this work is to result in the preparation of a scientific article. The requirement for obtaining a diploma for completing the Program is a scientific article approved for printing by the grantee’s academic advisor and 2 the presentation, during the January convention of scholarship holders, of the results of this work.

The Kirkland Research Program is run in parallel with the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program. Both Kirkland Research Scholarship grantees and the Kirkland Program grantees take part in the program during the autumn and winter semester: in September they participate in an introductory course, then in two grantees’ conventions (November and January), and, optionally, in various other courses and training prepared for Kirkland Program scholars between September and January.

Eligibility criteria:

You should 

• have citizenship and permanent residence in one of the countries covered by the Kirkland Research Program: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan;
• be under 45 years of age;
• have experience in research and scientific work - minimum 4 years;
• have at least two years break from participation in any previous scholarship abroad that was longer than 6 months;
• have scientific achievements, including publications;
• have a knowledge of Polish or English at minimum B2 level. (In the case of having English at B2 level, Polish must be at least at A1 level) 

 The Program offer is addressed to candidates who have not participated in the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program, have not completed their doctoral studies in Poland, and are not teaching at a Polish university. 

Financial information:

• stipend paid for four months (2,200 PLN per month)
• accommodation provided during the four months stay in Poland
• reimbursement of travel expenses (arrival in Poland and return) according to limits set annually
• reimbursement of public transport costs
• scientific and didactic package up to PLN 3,500
• health insurance for medical outpatient care, treatment costs in case of an emergency, and civil liability insurance
• participation in the introductory course and grantees conventions

Selection process:

Stage 1 - Review of applications with regard to eligibility criteria

Stage 2 - Review by independent experts of candidates’ proposed projects of study 3

Stage 3 - Interviews (planned for 30 March-30 April 2021).

Application procedure: 

Description of the program and detailed application instructions can be obtained directly from the following website: www.kirkland.edu.pl. They can also be requested by e-mail from the Program Office.