PCMA scholarships in Cairo
The Scholarship Committee of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw grants scholarships to conduct studies in Egypt. The scholarships have been awarded since the 1990s, and the funds for them are allocated by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange.
The application is open to students and graduates of Polish who present a research program related to the archaeology of Egypt or neighboring regions. They will conduct their research programs in cooperation with the PCMA Research Centre in Cairo.
Calls for applications are announced on the PCMA website and the Regulation on Granting Scholarships (from 23rd May 2022) contains detailed information on the application process and criteria for awarding the scholarships. Applications for the scholarship must be made using the Application form.
The PCMA offers:
– accommodation in the lodgings of its Research Centre in Cairo; A fee is charged to cover the maintenance costs of the Research Centre’s buildings and facilities;
– access to the Centre’s infrastructure: phone (domestic calls), computer and printer/photocopier, as well as storage space (1 box per person);
– assistance in handling administrative matters in Warsaw (contact with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and with the embassy in Cairo) and in Cairo, e.g., helping those who have been granted a scholarship for more than three months in the prolongation of residency or acquiring passes for free entry to museums (only for those scholarship holders who are also members of archaeological expeditions);
– assistance in case of emergency (police, hospital);
– for people coming to Egypt for the first time: free transport from the airport and introduction to the practicalities of everyday life (currency exchange, phone, underground).
The Research Centre in Cairo supports the scientific development of scholarship holders by:
– providing access to the book collection of the Centre between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. (at the Centre’s office, 11 Mahalla Street)
– organizing lectures and seminars;
– informing them about events taking place in other archaeological institutions in Cairo;
– writing letters of recommendation to other archaeological institutes in Cairo which facilitates access to their collections (e.g., to the DAIK, IFAO, ARCE and others).
The scholarship is tax-free and paid to the bank account of the scholarship-holder. The monthly amount of the scholarship is dependent on the means allocated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and is announced each year. The dates of the scholarship trip are fixed and cannot be changed except for exceptional circumstances that need to be individually considered. The scholarship holder covers the costs of travel to Cairo, Egyptian visa (including its prolongation) and insurance, as well as the cost of issuing other documents in Egypt. Scholarship holders staying overnight at the Research Centre in Cairo also cover the cost of their stay (dependent on the the maintenance costs of the Research Centre’s buildings and facilities). The scholarship holder must submit to the PCMA a report on the realization of the program upon his or her return.
The Scholarship Committee
Candidates will be chosen by the Scholarship Committee, appointed by the Director of the PCMA UW. Its members include:
Prof. Krzysztof Ciałowicz (Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University)
Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Jakubiak (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
Assoc. Prof. Kamil O. Kuraszkiewicz (Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw)
Assoc. Prof. Artur Obłuski (Director of the PCMA UW)
Assoc. Prof. Anna Wodzińska (Faculty of Archaeology, UW, Director of the PCMA UW Research Centre in Cairo)
Dr. Paweł Polkowski (Archeological Museum in Poznan and PCMA UW)
Documents for download (in Polish):