The Host Organization
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a non-profit international agricultural research center and is a member of a worldwide consortium of 16 international centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).  The CGIAR is an international group of representatives of donor agencies, eminent agricultural scientists and institutional administrators from developed and developing countries who guide and support its work and is co-sponsored by the World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation (FAO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The CGIAR mission is to promote sustainable agriculture to alleviate poverty and hunger and achieve food security in developing countries.

        With a staff of over 400 scientists and support personnel, representing more than 40 nationalities, ICARDA serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil and faba bean; all dry-area developing countries for the improvement of on-farm water-use efficiency, rangeland and small ruminant production, and the Central and West Asia and North Africa region for the improvement of bread and durum wheat, chickpea, and farming systems.  ICARDA's research provides global benefits of poverty alleviation through productivity improvements integrated with sustainable natural-resource management practices.  ICARDA meets this challenge through research, training and dissemination of information in partnership with the national agricultural research and development systems.

        The results of research are transferred through ICARDA's cooperation with national and regional research institutions, with universities and ministries of agriculture, and through the technical assistance and training that the Center provides. ICARDA offers a range of training programs, from residential courses for groups to advanced research opportunities for individuals.  These efforts are supported by seminars, workshops, scientific meetings, publications and specialized information services.

The Internship Program
ICARDA's internship program is designed to provide practical experience in research and other areas of the Center's activities for eligible applicants. The subject should be of mutual interest to the intern and the hosting Program/Unit of ICARDA.  The internship will usually be for a period of one to six months, as per the need, and is not intended to lead to an advanced degree (M.Sc. or Ph.D.).  The practical experience provided during the internship would complement and strengthen the intern's academic study and provide contacts in the professional spheres that s/he is likely to enter at later stages in preparation for an advanced degree.  On the other hand, the intern is expected to contribute to enhanced research efforts in the host Program/Unit of the Center by bringing in diversity and additional dynamism in the research team.

        The activities for the intern will be tailored to the needs of both the intern and the host Program /Unit.  Opportunities are wide including such fields as management of natural resources- water, land and biodiversity; plant-water relations; water-use efficiency; plant nutrition; agro-ecological characterization using geographical information system and remote sensing; crop modeling; crop production; integrated management of pests and diseases; on-farm research and technology transfer; range management and rehabilitation; nutrition and management of small ruminants (sheep and goats); milk processing; sociological and socio-economic studies; improvement of wheat, barley, food legumes (lentil, chickpea, faba bean) and feed legumes (vetch and lathyrus) using classical plant breeding, farmer-participatory approaches, and biotechnology; grain quality evaluation; seed production, seed health testing; genetic resource collection, conservation, characterization, and documentation; computer and biometrics; library and information system management; information dissemination; and publishing.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria
A limited number of internships will be available every year for applicants from the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region as well as from out side.  Priority will be given to applicants from the region and those who are self-funded.  Candidates must be able to work in a multi-cultural environment with research and support staff of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Their work will be within the ICARDA on-going research programs and activities and should not be part of or lead to any degree training. Fluency in English, some prior research experience, computing skills, and working knowledge of other languages (Arabic and French) would be advantageous. A selection committee would review all applications.

Terms of Internship
The interns would be exempted from usual ICARDA fees for training and training material. They would, however, be expected to pay their international travel, local transport, insurance and living expenses at ICARDA. The host Program/Unit will provide office and research supplies and facilities. Subject to availability of funds, the host may also cover costs of accommodation of interns in ICARDA trainee's apartments, and their local transportation and health and accident insurance. But this would likely be very restricted. The interns are not permitted to bring their dependents/family members with them.  Details of monthly charges for accommodation, local transportation and insurance are available from the Head of the Human Resources Development Unit (HRDU) at ICARDA.

Applications
Applications for the internship program can be made all the year round. Interested persons are invited to send a letter indicting field of interest and duration of internship; a detailed curriculum vitae; and the name, address, fax and e-mail contact information of two referees, one of whom should be the current advisor to:

Head, Capacity Development Unit
ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466
Aleppo, Syria
Tel: (00963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112
Fax: (00963-21) 2213490, 2225105, 5744622
E-mail: a.sidahmed@CGIAR.ORG
(Include no graphics or other large file attachments while sending application by e-mail).