EPPO Jens-Georg Unger Plant Health Fellowship 
for international co-operation in plant health (2020-2030)

- 2024 call is now closed -

 

 

This fellowship started in 2021 in the context of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) and is dedicated to Dr. Jens-Georg Unger, a reputed professional in Plant Health who passed away much too early. Jens was known for his energy and enthusiasm in protecting plants and his cooperative attitude to reach a mutual understanding on key elements and visions in European and International plant health work. This fellowship will allow his contribution to international work in plant health and his encouragement of younger colleagues from a wide range of countries to continue by promoting international cooperation in Plant Health. 


View  fellowship awardees   

 

Purpose

To enable plant health professionals from the EPPO region to gain international working experience in plant health in another country or organisation through a secondment. This fellowship is meant for plant health professionals working in plant health in the early or middle stage of their careers. This fellowship would increase their ability to contribute in the long term to international cooperation for the protection of plant health.

 

Benefits

The fellowship will increase the experience and widens the international views of the plant health professional which is valuable for the professional and for the employer. The professional will increase his/her capabilities in terms of contributing from the national perspective to international discussions and be able to better understand and explain the national consequences of international decisions. This will contribute to better integration of the national context into the international context and vice versa.

 

Scope

Any proposal for a fellowship of 2 to 6 months that achieves the purpose is welcome. The fellowship could be for instance a secondment to a National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), a plant health laboratory, a Regional Plant Protection Organization (RPPO) or an international organization like the IPPC Secretariat or an international stakeholder organization. The area of work could be for instance Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), contingency planning or production of inspection manuals, guidance material, diagnostic protocols or standards.

 

The EPPO Secretariat is willing to facilitate contact with a host organization, but the idea and the initiative should come from the applicant.

 

Requirements

The applicant should:

  1. have worked already for several years in the area of plant health
  2. have relevant education and experience in the area of plant health
  3. be a national of an EPPO country
  4. continue to work in the area of plant health after the fellowship (illustrated by a permanent contract or a statement of the employer)
  5. have sufficient command of the language of the host organisation and be able to report in English
  6. finish the fellowship at the latest in December 2025

 

The proposal should:

  1. describe how the fellowship broadens the applicant’s existing experience in plant health and broadens the applicant’s international experience.
  2. contain the applicant’s vision on the contribution of the fellowship to her/his career and to plant health in general
  3. contain a clear plan including SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) objectives
  4. describe the benefits for the employer and for the hosting organisation.
  5. contain an estimate of additional costs (additional to continuing the work with her/his employer)
  6. be in English and be not more than 4 pages (excluding annexes)

 

Additionally, the application should be accompanied by:

  1. a CV of the applicant
  2. evidence of a preliminary agreement by the applicant’s employer
  3. evidence of a preliminary agreement by the host organization

 

The fellowship works on the basis that:

  1. The applicant’s employer continues to pay the full salary during the fellowship
  2. The fellowship will cover costs for travel to and from the host organization (cheapest fare)
  3. The fellowship will contribute to costs of living outside the home country during the fellowship, if costs of living in the host country differ considerably of those in the home country. Otherwise, it could for instance consist of a contribution to the rental of a room during the stay in the host country.
  4. The fellowship will be between 2 and 6 months and EPPO contributes a maximum of € 20 000 per fellowship
  5. The applicant submits a short written report in English after her/his fellowship and should be willing to give an oral report to the EPPO Council or the EPPO Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations, if requested by EPPO. This written report should include a report of the expenses covered by the fellowship and receipts of the main costs.

 

 

Submission of proposal – now closed

The 2024 call is now closed. The next call will be launched in spring 2025.

 

 

Disclaimer

Applying for this fellowship does not give any right to receive funds for a fellowship. An EPPO Committee will select the most suitable proposal and offer that applicant a fellowship. No further correspondence on the decision by the Committee is possible.