The Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) is a project by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The project focuses on the capacity development of faculty/staff members of Philippine higher education institutions, specifically those from the State Universities and Colleges - Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (SUC-ACAP) in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and agricultural engineering. SUC-ACAP is an association of 75 higher education institutions, both public and private, offering agriculture programs in the Philippines. The project will involve linking Philippine HEIs with international university networks through participation in training programs, summer schools, forums, cross-visits, and faculty and student mobilities. Foremost of these international networks is the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).
One of the main objectives of the UC since its establishment in 1989 is to share resources and collaborate on student and faculty exchanges among leading agricultural universities. SEARCA, which serves as UC Secretariat, proposed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) be drafted between SUC-ACAP and the UC during the 33rd UC Executive Board Meeting in 2020. The MOU will enable SUC-ACAP members to participate in UC activities, as well as send faculty/staff to the UC members on mobility, with funding from CHED through SEARCA.
The MOU provides for the following:
- To facilitate academic exchanges between their respective members, and between themselves, encouraging mobility of research and teaching staff;
- To exchange good practices and organize joint/dual/multiple degrees offered jointly by their members and facilitate all activities of mutual interest and benefit that can contribute to approach this goal; and
- Execute separate agreements in writing for any undertaking jointly implemented, wherein a sharing of responsibilities shall be specified.
SUC-ACAP members, through the LevelUPHEI AFAR project, may participate in the following:
Summer School
April 2022 to June 2023
The UC Summer School is an annual program of the University Consortium that started in 2015. It is a postgraduate course designed to enhance the understanding of students and other professionals in rural studies, agriculture, and natural resource management on the importance of the interdisciplinary approach in tackling the issue of food and nutrition security in Southeast Asia for sustainable development.
Selection Criteria
- Junior faculty or researchers of SUC-ACAP member institutions who have recently completed (within the last two years) or are currently enrolled in Master's studies in in agriculture, agricultural economics, natural resource management, rural development, food and nutrition security, and related fields;
- With regular full-time appointment on active status (not on leave) with the sending institution, as certified by the Director of the Human Resource and Development;
- Willing and able to render return service of one year in the sending institution;
- Proficient in spoken and written English (all sessions will be conducted in English);
- Clearly expressed willingness to participate actively in the mobility program, including commitment support from direct superior;
- Endorsed by the University President; and
- Must not be a recipient of other International Continuing Professional Education (ICPE) programs by CHED.
Graduate Forum
April 2022 to June 2023
The UC Graduate Forum is an annual activity of the University Consortium that started in 2015. It provides a venue for graduate students from UC member universities and other UC partners to come together to present their research results. The Forum is an opportunity to share new knowledge, research ideas, and experiences in an open platform. It also encourages transdisciplinary studies and promote greater integration of research through strategic partnership among institutions; and strengthen the relationship between and among the institutions.
Selection Criteria
- Junior faculty or researchers of SUC-ACAP member institutions who have recently completed (within the last two years) or are currently enrolled in graduate studies in fields related to sustainable management of natural resource systems, food and agriculture policy, biotechnology in agriculture, food and health, information and communication technology, bioinformatics, and data management in agriculture;
- With regular full-time appointment on active status (not on leave) with the sending institution, as certified by the Director of the Human Resource and Development;
- With an ongoing or recently thesis research for which a paper could be written for oral presentation;
- Willing and able to render return service of one year in the sending institution;
- Proficient in spoken and written English (all sessions will be conducted in English);
- Clearly expressed willingness to participate actively in the mobility program, including commitment support from direct superior;
- Endorsed by the University President; and
- Must not be a recipient of other International Continuing Professional Education (ICPE) programs by CHED.
Faculty Forum
April 2022 to June 2023
The Faculty Forum is an activity of the UC that started only in 2019. Due to the success of the UC Graduate Student Forum, the Consortium decided to put up a similar forum for its faculty members. Thus, this Forum provides an opportunity for faculty members from member universities of the UC and other partners to come together to exchange research results, develop camaraderie, encourage transdisciplinary studies, and promote greater integration of research through strategic partnerships and collaborations. The first Faculty Forum held in 2019 gave rise to five collaborative researches, four of which were granted seed fund by the UC while the other was funded by the Taiwan government.
Selection Criteria
- Senior faculty members or researchers of SUC-ACAP member institutions, with at least a Master's degree or ongoing with their graduate studies;
- With regular full-time appointment on active status (not on leave) with the sending institution, as certified by the Director of the Human Resource and Development;
- With an ongoing or recently completed research study for which a paper could be written for oral presentation;
- Willing and able to render return service of one year in the sending institution;
- Proficient in spoken and written English (all sessions will be conducted in English);
- Clearly expressed willingness to participate actively in the mobility program, including commitment support from direct superior;
- Endorsed by the University President; and
- Must not be a recipient of other International Continuing Professional Education (ICPE) programs by CHED.
Faculty Mobility
January 2022 to June 2023
Under this component, selected faculty members from SUC-ACAP member institutions could spend one month OR one semester in any of the seven (7) UC members in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Selection is based on a proposal to be submitted by the applicant and acceptance from the host UC member university.
The one-month mobility is to come up with a collaborative program, either in research, extension, or other curricular activities between the project grantee's home institution and the UC member. Ideally, the faculty grantee is to be engaged in an ongoing research or curricular program of the host university.
The one-semester mobility provides an opportunity for junior faculty members to conduct research, take courses for credit, and be mentored by a UC member. Under this component, junior faculty members doing their thesis research for their graduate studies could avail of the facilities of these host UC member universities. They could also be supervised by expert scientists or researchers from the host universities. It is hoped that these co-supervisors could also be appointed as affiliate or adjunct faculty members of the relevant SUC-ACAP member universities and participate later in the respective student's thesis defense. This latter scheme could initiate a collaboration between the SUC-ACAP member and the matching UC member university.
Selection Criteria
- Senior (for one-month mobility) or junior (for one-semester mobility) faculty members or researchers of SUC-ACAP member institutions, with at least a Master's degree or ongoing with their graduate studies;
- With regular full-time appointment on active status (not on leave) with the sending institution, as certified by the Director of the Human Resource and Development;
- Willing and able to render return service of one year in the sending institution;
- Proficiency in spoken and written English;
- Clearly expressed willingness to participate actively in the mobility program, including commitment support from direct superior;
- Endorsed by the University President; and
- Must not be a recipient of other International Continuing Professional Education (ICPE) programs by CHED
Culminating Forum
August 2022 and August 2023
The Culminating Forum is a showcase of best practices in two final conferences. It includes presentations of participants' experiences and reflections during the project activity they attended, highlighting their learnings that they have cascaded down to their respective institutions.
Application Procedure
Applicants of the UC Activities must fill out online the UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM ACTIVITY - REGISTRATION FORM and choose the specific UC activity they will pursue. Check the online application guide to learn more about navigating the online application portal.
General Requirements
- Curriculum Vitae
- Re-entry Action Plans (REAPs)
- Nomination Form
- Scanned (1) valid government identification (ID) card with sample signatures from the SHEI Head and the grantee
Additional Requirements per UC activity
- Faculty Mobility
- Proposal - identify your objectives for the mobility and your target outcomes. You may consider both your personal/professional needs as well as your institution's. Include in your proposal the specific activities you hope to conduct to give the host university an idea on what you plan to do. These activities may be related (but are not limited) to the benchmarking of curricular, research and extension projects related to your discipline and can be developed/replicated in your university in partnership with the host university; involvement in particular research; attending a particular class lecture and/or delivering a seminar; arranging a bilateral MOU; drafting a collaborative project between your university and the host university; or for those with ongoing graduate studies, identifying a host supervisor and doing research. These are just examples, and you may further expound on other activities in line with your/your university's needs.
- Graduate Forum and Faculty Forum
- Abstract of your paper presentation, which resulted from your research study
