Ratiu Scholarships

If you are considering studying in the UK or if you represent an organisation or business, which is interested in The Ratiu Foundation and the opportunities it offers, you can find out more on www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com  The site gives details about who is eligible for scholarships and how to apply. You can download the application form directly from the web, fill it in and send it by post.
The Ratiu Scholarships, funded by The Ratiu Foundation, are awarded to Romanian students to study a wide range of subjects in the UK. The scholarships enable talented postgraduates and young professionals to become familiar with the UK and gain skills, which will benefit Romania. The Ratiu Foundation offers 50 new annual scholarships principally for postgraduate, summer school and other short term courses including academic research. The Ratiu Foundation also offers annual seed funding for innovative projects, principally in Romania, which foster Romanian arts and civilisation, heritage, civil society, democracy, and environmental protection. Application Procedure: in writing to the Trustees of the Foundation for the attention of Mr Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman ( mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com ).
Next deadline for applications: 1 September 2008

The Ratiu Foundation & University of Chichester Awards In a move designed to support the development of Dance as a profession in Romania and to hone the skills and knowledge of talented Romanians with an interest in Dance, the University of Chichester in partnership with the Ratiu Foundation announce the establishment of the Ratiu Foundation / Chichester University Awards.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Robin Baker said: ‘At the University of Chichester, we are rightly proud of our Department of Dance which combines leading-edge academic research with performance of the highest quality. We are pleased through our partnership with the Ratiu Foundation to welcome aspiring dance professionals from Romania, a nation with an exceptional history of dance, to work with leading authorities on dance in Chichester.’
Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman of the Ratiu Foundation, said ‘We are happy to open a new chapter in the activity of the Foundation by assisting the improvement of the field of Dance in Romania, and helping dance professionals to get new knowledge and experience in the UK’. The Ratiu Foundation / University of Chichester Awards consist of two University of Chichester scholarships of tuition fees plus two Ratiu Foundation Scholarships of £3,000 each for living expenses.
The Ratiu Foundation / University of Chichester Awards are granted to two Romanian students to study in the MA Performance: Dance in the Faculty of Business, Arts and Humanities of the University of Chichester. These awards are designed to enable talented graduate young professionals to further their research and professional practice.
The University of Chichester is ranked the third best university on the List of Modern University (according to 2007 Sunday Times League Table). The Dance Department in the Faculty of Business, Arts & Humanities is broad-based, innovative and creatively challenging. It focuses on choreography in an experimental, post-modern style reflecting and responding to the latest developments in dance and performance in today's theatre.
For more details about the Dance Department, please go to www.chiuni.ac.uk/dance/index.cfm The Ratiu Foundation / University of Chichester Awards for MA Performance: Dance offers three pathways - for Performers, Makers and Independent researchers.
The Performers’ pathway is for full time students only and includes membership of the university touring dance company mapdance (www.mapdance.org). Work made on the Makers’ pathway will explore choreographic/devised work which could be site-specific, theatre-based, installation work or use new technology. Students on the Makers’ Route can select to be in one piece of repertory as part of the mapdance company. Independent Researchers undertake a large-scale research project which can be practice-led or focused entirely on theory.
Students work with an exciting team of nationally and internationally renowned arts researchers and practitioners including Valerie Briginshaw, Yael Flexer/Detta Howe (Directors of mapdance), Marisa Zanotti, Jill Hayes, Cathy Childs, Ann Nugent and Sarah Rubidge. The MA is part of the active research culture within the Faculty of Business, Arts & Humanities which includes visiting artists contributing to regular research presentations, performances, installations and exhibitions and a weekly Contemporary Critical Theory Reading Group. For more details on the MA Performance: Dance, please consult the on-line prospectus at http://chiuni.ac.uk/services/courses/Prospectusdetail.cfm?ID=79  or contact Cathy Childs, Subject Leader, on E-mail: C.Childs@chi.ac.uk .
Application Process:
Candidates should first make an application for their chosen pathway. They should contact the Dance Department in writing to apply for the University of Chichester scholarship.
AUDITIONS:
The Dance Department of the University of Chichester will hold auditions in Bucharest, for the benefit of prospective students, on 14 June (all day) and the morning of 15 June 2008. The auditions will be held at The National Centre of Dance (CNDB), 2 Nicolae Balcescu Blvd, Bucharest. If you are interested in attending these auditions, please send a message at mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com for further details.
If the candidate is awarded the University of Chichester scholarship, they should then contact the Ratiu Foundation in writing to make arrangements for the Ratiu Foundation Scholarship covering the living expenses (£3,000 each). They will need to include written evidence of their University of Chichester scholarship when writing to the Ratiu Foundation.
Apply in writing to:
Mr Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman, The Ratiu Foundation, 8th floor, 54 - 62 Regent Street, London, W1B 5RE, United Kingdom; Tel: + 44 (0)20 7439 4052; E-mail: mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com   

The Ratiu Foundation & University of Kent Awards

The University of Kent, in partnership with the Ratiu Foundation, has developed a package which includes a University of Kent scholarship of tuition fees plus a £3,000 Ratiu Foundation Scholarship for two student places:
1. MSc in Information Security and Biometrics
2. MSc in Biomedical Imaging.
The Ratiu Foundation & University of Kent Awards were inaugurated in 2007, in order to mark Romania’s accession to the EU. The success of the 2007 programme made the initiators decide to continue this scheme for 2008, thus helping young Romanian scientists to develop expertise in specialist areas.
The Ratiu Foundation was established in London in 1979 by Ion and Elisabeth Ratiu. Through its scholarships, the Foundation enables talented Romanian graduates and young professionals – domiciled in Romania at the time of application – to gain skills in the UK which they can adapt and apply back home in Romania.
The University of Kent is one of the country’s leading universities and has a global reputation for its research in the fields of biometrics and biomedical imaging. The scholarships are available for courses starting in September 2008.
Selection:
Candidates are selected by the University on the basis of academic merit and research potential; the University of Kent informs the Ratiu Foundation of the students selected.
Application Procedure:
• Candidates should make an online application for the relevant course at http://records.kent.ac.uk/external/admissions/pg_application.php
• Upon being offered a place, candidates should then contact the Scholarships Unit asking to be considered for the scholarship
• The scholarship is aimed at Romanian nationals who are domiciled in Romania at the time of application
• Priority will be given to those who hold a first degree awarded by a Romanian University
• Candidates will be required to meet the normal entry criteria for admission to the University of Kent
• The scholarship will be awarded upon registration at the University.
Before receiving the Ratiu Foundation grant, the successful applicants will need to fill in the Ratiu Foundation registration form.
Deadline for Applications:
The deadline for receipt of applications at the University of Kent is 20 June 2008
More information about the courses:
• MSc in Information Security and Biometrics
Department of Electronics
www.ee.kent.ac.uk/postgraduate/pg_biometrics.aspx 
• MSc in Biomedical Imaging
Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Sciences
www.kent.ac.uk/kimhs/courses/postgrad/bmi-msc-course-description-detailed-2008-09.html 
Contact details for further information:
Please contact the University of Kent Scholarships Unit at scholarships@kent.ac.uk  
For further details on the scholarships and information about the Ratiu Foundation, please see the following website: www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com or e-mail: mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com .
Please see the following web page for detailed information: www.kent.ac.uk/recruitment/PG_Funding/Ratiu_Foundation.html  

The new funding session for STEPdoc is now open, with applications being accepted until 1 September 2008 (postal mark).
STEPdoc is a Ratiu Foundation programme which aims to reinvigorate Romanian documentary film, stimulating contemporary relevance and artistic innovation.
STEPdoc consists of two mobility grants per year (worth £1,500 each) which will allow two Romanian film makers, at an early stage of their career, one month of immersion in the UK documentary culture, towards the development of a documentary project with international potential.
The mobility grant is to be used for the individual research of a specific project set in the UK and / or for networking with a UK-based company in view of the development of a common film project. On a broader level, STEPdoc would provide an opportunity to gain inspiration and to take part in the vibrant British documentary culture.
The first round of applications for STEPdoc was open between May and October 2007. The Foundation decided to support two applicants with one mobility grant each, which are to be used at any time between November 2007 and November 2008.
The first two STEPdoc recipients are Adina Pintilie and Corina Radu.
In both cases, the board was impressed both by the film-makers’ recently completed documentaries (Don’t Get Me Wrong by Adina Pintilie, and Bar de Zi and Other Stories by Corina Radu), and by their projects in development: namely, a project on metropolitan loneliness by Adina Pintilie, and respectively a biographical documentary on Queen Mary of Romania by Corina Radu.
Applications for STEPdoc will consist of the following documents (in English):
• Letter of intention (see details below)
• Curriculum vitae and filmography of the applicant (max. 1 page each)
• When available, evidence of previous work (DVD)
• Documentation of the proposed project in development:
a) synopsis (max. 1 page)
b) treatment (max. 2 pages)
c) argument / motivation letter (max. 1 page)
d) research / networking plan for the duration of the mobility grant (max. 2 pages) e) further funding envisaged for the production of the film (max. 1 page)
This call is open to documentary film-makers of Romanian nationality working on creative documentary projects that relate to Romania or involve Romanian subjects without necessarily being shot in Romania. Preference will be given to applications submitted by individual film-makers or independent producers. A proven commitment of the applicant to documentary form is desirable but not compulsory.
The selection of the winning project will be made by the Ratiu Foundation Board of Advisors.
The winner(s) of STEPdoc 2008 will be personally notified in writing. Whilst in the UK, the grant recipients will make their own accommodation and living arrangements. Should the grant recipients need any advice on networking with UK-based film organisations and/or professionals, the Board of Advisers will happily offer directions and suggestions.
The recipient of the grant will be expected to submit a report on the completion of the mobility grant, and to credit STEPdoc by displaying the logo of the Ratiu Foundation on the film credits.
Please send applications by post to the following address:
Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman
The Ratiu Foundation
8th floor, 54-62 Regent Street
London W1B 5RE, England, UK

IMPORTANT:
Please specify in your letter of intention the following:
• Name, Surname, Date of birth, Nationality, Address, Telephone, E-mail, Professional status, Work address (if applicable).
Also, please include the answer to the following questions:
• Have you been to the United Kingdom on a professional visit before?
If yes, please give details.
• How did you find about STEPdoc?
For information about STEPdoc 2008 send an e-mail to mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com  or go to www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com