Responding to the current situation in Belarus, Masaryk University will be offering Belarusians scholarships to study in Brno, and Belarusian PhD holders will be able to apply for special research grants. Photo: Faculty of Economics by Masaryk University is licensed under CC BY.
Brno, Aug 28 (BD) – On Wednesday, Masaryk University (MUNI) announced that it will be offering residence scholarships to students and scientific grants for persecuted academics from Belarus. Up to 20 scholarships will be available, worth CZK 10,000-12,000 per month, and academics will be able to apply for grants of up to CZK 1 million per year for a maximum of three years.
The new program for Belarusian citizens is a response to the current situation, according to MUNI, and scholarships will be awarded based on merit. “I immediately received support for the announcement of this scholarship program from the deans of our faculties, who are ready to release scholarship funds. I believe that with this step we will also motivate other universities, and in the spirit of Masaryk’s ideas we will help to defend our work,” said MUNI Rector Martin Bareš.
The grants can be applied for from mid-September until the end of October, and will be financed from the university’s own resources, for scientists from all disciplines in the field of natural sciences and humanities. “The grant provides researchers with sufficient financial support for the further development of the excellence of their research and thus creates a unique career opportunity,” said Šárka Pospíšilová, the university’s Vice-Rector for Science.
At the beginning of last week, the MUNI management expressed their concerns about events in Belarus related to the presidential election and its aftermath, and called on the Belarusian authorities to “refrain from violence and persecution against protesting citizens who expressed disagreement with the undemocratic election process and the falsification of votes, and desire for democratic change and a better future for their country.”
Those who wish to apply for a scholarship at MUNI can send their application to belarus@muni.cz. The conditions and application process for obtaining grants for researchers can be found on the MU Grant Agency website.
On Friday, Mendel University also released a statement saying they will be accepting persecuted Belarusian academics for a short stay of one semester, and that the school is preparing scholarships for students for English programs. The scholarships will support the students throughout the first year of their studies, but there are currently no further details.
