Applying for an ARES grant is totally free. ARES does not charge fees at any stage of the application nor selection process.
For a request to be valid, the applicant must:
- Be residing and working in her/his country of origin when she/he applys;
- Be nationals of the following countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Ecuador, Ethiopia (only for training courses in English), Haiti, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Peru, the Philippines, the DR Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, and Vietnam;
- Be under the age of 40 for degree programs, and under 45 for training courses, at the time the training is scheduled to begin;
- Have earned a diploma comparable to a graduate-level diploma from Belgian university studies. Nevertheless, for certain training courses, different requirements may be requested, which will be specified below;
- Possess relevant professional experience in a developing country of at least two years after graduate studies, or of three years after their studies if the applicant has earned a post-grad degree from a university in an industrialized country;
- Have good mastery of written and spoken French. For training courses held in another language, it is essential to have a proper level in the course’s language, both written and spoken. We shall insist that the applicant commit to learning French in order to take part in daily life in Belgium;
- Apply for only one training course.
Applicants should not obtain prior admission to one of the Francophone universities in Belgium in order to be considered for ARES grants.
Application files will not be considered if they (are):
- incomplete;
- sent in by post, e-mail or fax;
- submitted outside of the application period (indicated on this website within the section describing how to submit an application);
- are not completed in the language in which the training course is given;
- do not include items that are required attachments (certified copy of diploma, etc.);
- do not follow one of the admissibility criteria that are clearly stated on the form (certified copy of diploma, age, professional experience, etc.).
Academic curriculum
Judgement of the academic quality of applicants will be based on diplomas and lists of coursework completed, with results, teaching activities, or research and publications.
For coursework, priority will be given to applicants who have not yet completed a post-graduate degree, except under exceptional circumstances duly justified in the application file.
Receipt of previous grants
Priority will be given to applications who have not yet received a Belgian grant.
Professional experience
ARES places a priority on giving grants to applicants who, after their university studies, have been able to work in a professional field related to issues raised by development. The social impact of professional experience is considered an important element in evaluating an applicant’s file.
Part of a partner institution
Applicants who work within an institution that is a partner of ARES, whether as part of institutional support, or a development research project or global South training program, are automatically given priority, in case of all other selection criteria being equal.
The applicant’s commitment to development initiatives
Particular attention will be given to application files from candidates who, in addition to their academic qualities, have proven their commitment to the development field. Commitment is illustrated by having worked with the least fortunate members of society and having engaged with them to find efficient ways to defend and promote their interests.
Nationality criteria
ARES wishes to diversify the geographic origin of its grantees. It wants, for the totality of its international coursework and training courses as part of the “Training, Research & Outreach for Development” program, 50% of total trainees to be applicants from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Gender equality
ARES is particularly interested in encouraging the participation of women in the international coursework and training courses that are part of the “Training, Research & Outreach for Development” program.
The prospects for future reintegration
A maximum number of guarantees is required concerning the applicant’s return to their country of origin or to another developing country, as well as their reintegration into a field that will allow them to make use of the training acquired in Belgium in a development context (e.g. a work contract or a formal pledge) and to generate a multiplier effect that benefits their country of origin.
ARES reserves the right, through the selection process, to evaluate the compliance of files with selection criteria, whether individually or compared with other application files.
