All candidates selected for CBSI scholarships are asked to confirm acceptance of the terms and conditions of award detailed below. When you have provided the CBSI Secretariat with confirmation of your study place, you will receive a CBSI Award Letter. You will need to accept the award within two weeks of receipt of the letter.
The terms and conditions given below apply to scholarships funded by UK International Development as part of the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development (CRAFT-Sustainable) project, ref. GB-GOV-1-301464-402. All information is correct as of 5 September 2025.
What you need to do
Please email [email protected] with the following:
- Your acceptance of the terms and conditions of award detailed below
- Confirmation of your study place: this is needed as soon as possible so that your award letter can be issued
- Any questions about information specific to your award or the terms and conditions for all award holders
Information specific to your award
Your award letter will specify:
- The name of the host institution that will administer your award on behalf of the Congo Basin Science Initiative
- The name of the degree awarding institution, including details of:
- your home School and/or Faculty
- the lead supervisor
- their email address
- The name of the host institution, including details of:
- a Co-Investigator within CRAFT-Sustainable Development who is part of the supervisory team for your project
- their email address
- The duration and start date of the award
- The level of study (Masters or PhD)
- The monthly stipend, which will be:
- For Masters awards:
- £1,732 in UK / USD 700 in DRC / CFA 425,000 in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of the Congo
- For PhD awards:
- £1,732 in UK / USD 1,000 in DRC / CFA 600,000 in Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of the Congo
- For Masters awards:
Terms and conditions for all award holders
The award letter states that:
- The award is full-time
- Fees will be paid for the duration of your award
- The grant will cover eligible costs as agreed with the host institution. All costs must be agreed with your host institution before they are incurred. Eligible costs are:
- economy class travel from your home to your university at the start of your scholarship
- economy class travel homeward at the end of your award
- visas and other country-specific entry requirement costs if you are travelling from your country of residency to another country to begin your scholarship
- essential project specific equipment
- fieldwork-specific costs
- costs of training
- language training
- travel to attend CBSI workshops and training events
- international conference attendance.
- You must abide by and meet all expectations set out in the CBSI Code of Conduct
- The award is subject to any conditions as set out in the offer letter from the degree awarding institution
- The submission deadline for your PhD thesis or Masters dissertation is as agreed with the degree awarding institution, but not later than 31 March 2030
- You must secure permission to enter and stay in the country of the degree awarding institution
- You must reside in the location of the degree awarding institution for the entire scholarship tenure, unless you are undertaking an approved activity, such as fieldwork or a period of study in another country
- You must diligently pursue the course of studies agreed and conform to the rules of any organisation in which you work or study
- You must ensure that the CBSI Secretariat has up to date contact details for you, including an address in the country you are studying in, throughout your scholarship tenure
- Your scholarship is calculated to support your costs only. There is no provision for dependents of CBSI scholars.
- You must undertake to return to your home country as soon as possible after the end of the award.
- You agree to attend CBSI annual conferences and training workshops during your award.
- You must complete any safeguarding training available at your degree-awarding institution.
- You must complete the University of Leeds Safeguarding in International Research online training within four weeks of commencing award.
- You must submit a report on your work to CBSI at the end of your first term, at the end of each academic year, and at the end of your scholarship. Your supervisor will also need to report on your progress at each of these points in the academic cycle.
- You must provide such information as is reasonably necessary for the CBSI Secretariat to comply with its obligations to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the Funding Agreement.
- You must submit to your lead supervisor and to the CBSI Secretariat ([email protected]) details of any equipment or supplies purchased which have a useful life of more than one year from purchase for recording in the inventory of project assets.
- You must retain all evidence of expenditure including supporting documentation such as paid invoices and receipts and submit these within three months to the host institution.
- You must not hold another award that covers the same costs as those provided by CBSI.
- You must have a bank account into which your stipend can be paid and provide the host institution with details of the bank account.
- If a study abroad period of three months or more is approved, the host institution has the right to amend your stipend to match the stipend of the country you are studying in for your time outside of the country of the host institution.
- You are entitled to take annual leave following the regulations of the degree awarding institution. In addition, you may apply to your host institution and the CBSI Secretariat to be absent from your academic activities for justified and well documented personal reasons (e.g. ill health, death of a partner, parent, sibling or child). All applications will be subject to the agreement of the degree awarding institution. Your scholarship payment may be suspended until you have resumed your academic activities at the degree awarding institution. If you are studying on a student visa, you should also find out about the possible impact of your absence on your student visa. If, despite your absence, you can catch up on the study/research activities without needing to extend the originally agreed scholarship duration, the monthly allowances corresponding to the period of absence may be paid to you. Alternatively, if you cannot catch up because of justified reasons (e.g. maternity leave), your absence might lead to an extension of the scholarship, to be agreed with the funder, the host institution, the degree awarding institution and the CBSI Secretariat.
- You must inform the CBSI Secretariat ([email protected] / [email protected]) of any risk or issue that has the potential to materially impact on the delivery of the research, or cause social or environmental harm.
- Under the guidance of the degree awarding institution, you must obtain all ethical, regulatory and other consents required in connection with the research.
- You shall immediately contact the Funder’s Counter Fraud Section at [email protected] or +44 (0)1355 843747 if you have any cause to suspect a case of fraud or misuse of CBSI funds from UK International Development. All information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Information can also be reported directly to the Funder’s programme team where appropriate; this will be immediately passed on to the Funder’s Investigations Department.
- You shall acknowledge the support of Leeds, the Study and the Funder in written and verbal communication about the project. Where appropriate you will use the “UK International Development – Partnership, Progress, Prosperity” logo and the Congo Basin Science Initiative logo.
Terms and conditions for awards of more than 12 months
For awards of more than 12 months in duration, the award letter states that:
- Your award is tenable for 12 months in the first instance, and it is renewable annually for the duration of the award, subject to satisfactory academic progress agreed by your host institution, your lead supervisor and the CBSI Secretariat.
Acceptance of your Scholarship
When you accept your award, you will agree to abide by the above conditions and the regulations on research degrees of the degree awarding institution. You will need to confirm your acceptance by email to [email protected] within two weeks of receipt of the award letter.
You should contact the Host institution with a copy to the CBSI Secretariat ([email protected]) in order to facilitate travel and visa arrangements at the start of your scholarship and homeward travel at the end of your scholarship
In order for your fees and stipend to be paid, the host institution requires you to:
- Accept your study offer and scholarship award
- Satisfy any conditions of your study offer
- Arrive at the degree awarding institution and complete enrolment
