Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED)

The Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) program provides students, from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Faculty members interested in hosting a visiting graduate research student from eligible countries for a 4 to 6-month research visit, please direct your student to this website for information on the application process. Students interested in studying at SFU as an exchange student, please contact exchange@sfu.ca to check your eligibility and for information on the application process. 

Undergraduate students from ASEAN member states are also eligible but they must be nominated as exchange students to SFU by their home institutions and must be attending one of SFU’s partner universities. Students are advised to contact their own exchange offices for more information. 

The DEADLINE to APPLY FOR THE 2023-2024 academic year was Monday, March 6, 2023.

Note: Scholarship recipients must begin their research at SFU between August 1, 2023 and February 1, 2024. Please note that expected start dates will be impacted by immigration processing timelines and it is recommended that final project start dates are confirmed at the time of application approval, if applicable.

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES:

Candidates must be citizens of an ASEAN member state (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam).  

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY:

Graduate students (Master's and PhD) who meet the scholarship eligibility requirements. Undergraduate students are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Scholarship Value and Duration:

• CAD 10,700 for graduate students (Master's and PhD) for a minimum of four months or one academic term of research
• CAD 13,200 for graduate students (Master's and PhD) for a period of five to six months of research

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Eligible and complete applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• the linkage of the proposed research that the student will undertake in Canada to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
• the candidate’s commitment to use their proposed research in Canada to help combat poverty and narrow the development gap in the ASEAN region;
• merit of the research to be undertaken in Canada;
• benefit to the home institution and peers;
• benefit to the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers;
• strength of the linkages to be created through the proposed exchange; and
• rankings submitted by the Canadian institution.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Please submit an application with all supporting documents online by the deadline.

Required supporting documents:

1. Privacy Notice Statement: a copy of the document signed by the candidate and dated within the last six months
2. Proof of citizenship: a copy of the candidate’s passport or national identity card with a photo and valid dates. Documents not accepted as proof of citizenship are: driver's license, permanent residence card, work permit, student card, health card, birth certificate or baptismal certificate. Proof of citizenship must be from the same country/territory as the citizenship selected in the online application form.
3. Letter of intent from the applicant (max. 1 page): All candidates must:
   • explain the nature of research to be undertaken;
   • provide rationale for study in Canada and for the choice of institution, program and supervisor and how the proposed research in will relate to their future career;
   • explain how undertaking research in Canada will empower the student to apply their learning to address the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
   • explain how they intend to use their learning to help combat poverty and narrow the development gap in the ASEAN region in their future career; and
   • identify the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) their proposed research in Canada is aligned with and will contribute to.
     • Candidates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam must provide an explanation of how their learning in Canada will help to combat poverty in their home country.
     • Candidates from Brunei or Singapore must provide an explanation of how their learning in Canada will help combat poverty in one of the other eight ASEAN countries.
4. Proof of full-time enrolment: a short letter in English or in French from the home institution, on official letterhead, dated within the last six months. This letter must confirm that the candidate is currently enrolled in a full-time program and will continue to be enrolled upon their return. Copies of transcripts, a student card or letter of admission are not acceptable (maximum one page).
5. Letter of support from the home institution: a letter in English or French from the candidate's instructor, professor or international director on the institution's official letterhead explaining the nature of research, how the candidate and the home institution will benefit from this scholarship program, and the institution’s assessment of the candidate’s commitment and capacity to use the program of study or research in Canada to help combat poverty and narrow the development gap in the ASEAN region (maximum one page).

Provided by SFU host supervisor:

1. Letter of invitation from SFU Host Supervisor: This letter must be on institutional letterhead, be in English or French, be signed and dated within the last six months and include the nature and scope of the reserach collaboration with the student's insititution, confirms their willingness to support and mentor the candidate during the exchange period and explains how the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers will benefit from the exchange.
2. History of collaboration: elaborate on the established collaboration between institutions. If no MOU exists, please describe the informal agreement between institutions or departments, research collaboration between professors, etc. This information will be taken into consideration in the rankings of the applications. (Max. 1000 characters)