EDF and Oracle offer a scholarship of 8.000 EUR to a student with disability of a high education programme studying in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the academic year of 2016-2017.
Background
Improved accessibility and usability of many ICT products and services can increase the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society. Accessible websites, media formats and assistive technology can support persons with disabilities to take up employment, be involved in their community and become active citizens. Innovation is a key element to further develop new ways to enhance access to ICT for persons with disabilities.
EDF and Oracle e-Accessibility Scholarship was launched for the first time last year collecting several innovative projects. The winner from last year was Caroline Hurley, a computer science major at Open University in the United Kingdom. Caroline’s project is to develop a mobile application to seamlessly connect persons with disabilities with caregivers, interpreters and assistants.
The Scholarship
- The student should be currently enrolled in a high education programme in the area of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, User Experience, or related field. This includes Bachelors, Masters and PhD students.
- The Scholarship will be awarded primarily based on a project or thesis in which the needs of persons with disabilities in terms of accessibility to ICT (e-Accessibility) are taken into consideration and/or an innovative solution to enhance their access is proposed.
- The project must be an integral component of the educational programme undertaken by the student (e.g. final year assignment or part of their Masters or PhD. The project may either be a proposal or it can already be underway.
- The project/thesis will be judged according to the following criteria:
- the student’s academic level;
- the originality of the project;
- scientific quality and respect to the state of the art;
- how it takes into account the diverse needs of persons with disabilities;
- its innovativeness and the contribution the project makes to advancing e-accessibility for persons with disabilities;
- preference will be given to students studying for the whole of the 2016-2017 academic year.
Who Can Apply
To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
- Be a European Union (EU) citizen and resident within the EU.
- Be enrolled at a university in the EU for the academic year of 2016-2017, including online universities based in the EU.
- Be studying in the field of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, User Experience or related field.
- Maintain a strong academic record.
- Have a disability (see Frequently Asked Questions below for definition of disability).
Application Process
Applicants will be asked to submit via email and in accessible formats:
- General background information (eg contact information and details about their current and intended universities for the 2016-2017 school year).
- Proof of disability.
- Executive summary of their project proposal in English from 2 to 5 pages.
- Resume/CV.
- Academic transcripts reached so far from your current and prior institutions (if they have earned a prior degree).
- Recommendation and feedback letter from an academic supervisor.
Applications should be sent by email to: eaccessibility.scholarship@edf-feph.org with subject line: ‘EDF-Oracle Scholarship’.
The deadline is 15 September 2016.
For more information please click on the "Further official information" link below.
UPDATE: This opportunity is outdated and the edf-feph.org website is no more active.
You can find the archived version of this opportunity here: https://web.archive.org/web/20160707000934/http://www.edf-feph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=22112&thebloc=34437