Professor Sean Tierney Training Fellowship Grant

Applications will be considered from the following candidates:

• COSECSA trainees, enrolled in a COSECSA FCS training programme and intending to sit the FCS examination in the year of application.
• COSECSA fellows in good standing who have completed COSECSA FCS training within the previous two years. 
• The proposed host institution must be a unit with subspecialty service or academic opportunity, anywhere within Africa. The applicant cannot already be based in this unit. It is not a requirement that the host institution offer a formal training programme in the chosen sub-specialty.
• Applicants must be intending to be on fellowship in the year following application.
• The fellowship must be full-time and tenable for one year outside of the applicant’s home institution.

Note: COSECSA FCS examination candidates who have not undertaken the FCS training programme are not eligible for this award.

Selection process

You are encouraged to plan as far in advance as possible. The Selection Board will be constituted of Fellows of both RCSI and COSECSA.

Applicants who have already received academic distinction in their postgraduate education will be favoured, as will applications which demonstrate that the applicant is using their initiative to obtain experience above and beyond that which they would likely derive from clinical experience in the hospital in which they are based.

You must have clear and specific objectives for the proposed fellowship and must demonstrate in your application that this will provide you with the opportunity to obtain sub-specialty training, with an opportunity for academic output.

Among the criteria the Board will consider in making its recommendations, it will primarily consider the:

• Merits of the proposed centre in relation to the candidate’s learning outcomes.
• Candidate’s curriculum vitae; and
• Value to East, Central and Southern African health services from the proposed visit.

Applications are accepted from 1 February until 30 April each year. 

The winner of the Fellowship Grant for the following year will be announced in June.

For the 2026 award, the closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday, 30 April 2025.

To apply you must:

1. Complete the online application form, providing details of your proposed Fellowship. The application form is automatically sent to the administrator for processing upon completion. 
2. 2. Submit the following to Miriam Kennedy, Department of Surgical Affairs, via email (RCSIFellowships@rcsi.ie):
   a. A copy of your curriculum vitae.
   b. Written acknowledgement from the unit to be visited, on headed paper which specifies the start and end dates of the Fellowship as well as the location of the Fellowship.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that his/her completed application is received in full before the closing date. 

Upon completion of their Fellowship, you will be expected to:

• Provide COSECSA and RCSI with a full report on completion of the Fellowship, using the template provided. Note: this report may become available for viewing on the RCSI website.
• Present a report of the Fellowship at a College meeting.
• Acknowledge the support of the College in any publication arising as a result of the Fellowship.
• Supply COSECSA and RCSI with copies of the above papers at the time of publication.

Notes

1. RCSI accepts no responsibility for any personal tax liability arising in any jurisdiction from the receipt of this Fellowship.
2. Applicants who are employed by RCSI will be excluded.