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Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment 2019

The Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment was announced in conjunction with the 2011 Merdeka Award Presentation Ceremony by Prime Minister YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
It is designed to make it possible for qualified and deserving Malaysians, between the ages 22-35 to engage in short-term collaborative projects/programmes of up to three months, at an internationally-recognised host institution in select disciplines (education, arts, sports, community/social work, environment, health, science and technology).  
The attachment aims to help the recipient build on his or her expertise by undergoing a learning experience in an institution or organisation of international repute, and improving the Grantee's body of work and achievements. 
The end goal is to promote thought leadership and innovation, foster a culture of excellence and encourage a world-view.
Please read through the application requirements carefully, and complete the form as required.  Please also make every effort to substantiate your application with information that will showcase your expertise and experience in your chosen area of study.
Note that this application is only available online; the Merdeka Award Secretariat will not accept any hard copies or physical applications.
To get started, please read through the Terms of Engagement and criteria.

Criteria / Application Requirements

The grant is awarded to qualified citizens of Malaysia, aged 22 – 35, residing in Malaysia or overseas, in the following fields:
  • Education and Community / Social Work
  • Environment
  • Health, Science and Technology
  • Sports
  • Arts
Please take note of the following requirements:
  • For academics, a Master or equivalent professional degree at the time of application in the field in which you are applying.
  • For professionals and those outside academia, recognised professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments in the field in which you are applying.

Selection Process

Upon submission, the Merdeka Award Grant committee will review the applications and shortlist candidates for interviews. You are required to meet all reasonable requests for dates and times for interviews, and are responsible for your own travel arrangements to the interview venue.
Application for the 2019 cycle is from March 1, 2019 to May 1, 2019.
Successful applicants will be notified via email and/or phone call.
* Dates are subject to changes. Please continue to check the website for updates.

Terms of Engagement

Under the Terms of Engagement, the Merdeka Award Grant recipient will be required to execute the following, under the supervision of the Merdeka Award Secretariat:
  • Make a minimum of 3x weekly postings on his / her experiences on the Merdeka Award Facebook & Twitter accounts, over the course of the preparation for the attachment, the attachment itself and for a period of 3 months upon his  / her return to Malaysia.
  • While on attachment, reach out to and engage with Malaysians and non-Malaysian students in similar or related areas of study, to build the Grantee’s network of contacts and colleagues around the world.
  • Conduct a minimum of 6x speaking engagements upon his / her return to Malaysia, over the course of one year
  • Recipient should be available to the Merdeka Award Secretariat for interviews and other publicity initiatives for a period of one year after his / her return.

How to Apply?

It is very important that you fully understand the application criteria before you proceed with your application submission. 
To avoid any appearance of conflict of interest staff of the Merdeka Award's Founding Partners - PETRONAS, ExxonMobil and Shell, and their immediate families are ineligible for the Grant. 
Before filling in the online application form, please pre-prepare soft copies of the following documents, which should be attached with the online application. 
Please take note that you have to reupload all the documents required if you encounter any error during the submission. 
Each file / document uploaded MUST NOT exceed the maximum file size of 5MB.
Note: In the event that more files need to be uploaded, please combine the files and upload them under the category “Others” and ensure that file names are reflective of their content.

Closing Date

Closing Date: 1st May 2019
All applications MUST be submitted online. Hard copies sent will not be accepted.
For more questions, kindly refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).