FACT SHEET
SSI RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME
Background
1.
Social Service Institute (SSI) recognises the value of:
a. Collaborating with prominent subject matter experts from local and
overseas institutions of higher learning to uncover the emerging trends and
leading thoughts that are driving learning and development in the social
service sector; and
b. Co-operating with leaders of leading local and international communitybased social service institutions to collect creative ideas and gather
innovative practices in designing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining
the delivery of social services and board governance at these organisations.
Aims of the Programme
2.
The SSI Research Fellowship Programme is created to achieve the following
two key objectives:
a. Primary Objectives
Through these collaborations and co-operations, SSI wants to:
 Position itself as a local and regional innovative thought leader in social
service practices to guide learning in social service delivery in the social
service sector;
 Promote the prominence, impact, and advancement of evidence-based
sector-specific action research in learning to influence social service
practices; and
 Enrich its social service and board governance competency-based
curricula to effectively transfer the learning of social service
practitioners in the classrooms to their workplace as the capability
builder of the sector.
b. Secondary Objectives
Besides conducting specific research work during their stay at SSI, the
Research Fellows may:
 Facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices in building social
service competencies and board governance between stakeholders of the
VWOs;
 Provide structured and time-bounded advisory services to these
organisations; and
 Deliver training and development programmes to the social service
practitioners.
Research Areas
3.
To deliver these objectives, the Research Fellows are invited to investigate and
expand the collective knowledge in the following research areas:
a. Uncover the emerging trends, leading thoughts and dominant strategies that
are driving learning and development of social service skills and practices
in the social service profession worldwide, and to contextualise these to the
Singapore setting to enrich SSI’s curricula; and
b. Search and identify creative ideas and innovative practices in designing,
implementing, evaluating and sustaining the delivery of social services
and/or board governance in non-profit organisations worldwide, and to
contextualise these to the Singapore settings for potential adoption by and
implementation at the VWOs.
Duties and Deployment
6.
The Research Fellows may continue to assume the teaching or research duties
assigned by their own institutions or organisations while they are in Singapore. Other
arrangements may develop between the institutions or organisations, the visiting
research fellows and SSI. Whichever way these may evolve; all visits will require the
approval of the executive branch of their learning institutions or the permission of the
Chief Executives of their community-based social service organisations.
7.
SSI may consider collaborating with overseas subject matter experts or and cooperating with leaders of key international community-based social service
institutions who are passing through Singapore or ASEAN countries while en-routing
in or out of their home countries.
8.
SSI may meaningfully work with other local institutes of higher learning and
government agencies share the services of its experts and leaders with its counterparts.
Selection Criteria
9.
To qualify for the Fellowships, the Research Fellows must have:
a. A track record of academic or professional excellence;
b. Accumulated at least a one to three years’ worth of post-doctoral work;
c. Researched on learning, social service delivery or board governance in a
community and social service setting;
d. Published in peer-reviewed professional journals; and
e. Excellent referees from the academia or profession, when needed.
Selection Process
10.
Applicants are required to submit the following material evidence to facilitate
the selection process:
a. Latest curriculum vitae;
b. Portfolio of a sample of published works;
c. 1-page testimony from each of the two referees, when needed; and
d. 2,000-word synopsis on the research proposal.
11.
The research candidates and their proposals will be reviewed by the Research
Fellowship Selection Panel.
12.
The members of the panel will convene to:
a. Consider and rate the research proposal;
b. Determine, where necessary and in consultation with the panel’s relevant
subject matter experts, whether a proposal could and should be approved
for final editing before the Fellowships are officially awarded for the
financial year; and
c. Consider the merits of extending the length of stay of the Visiting Research
Fellow beyond one term of 12 weeks, and to approve the application.
For more information on the programme, please contact:
Anthony Mok
Training Manager
Training and Development Department
Social Service Institute
The NCSS Academy
#04-01 TripleOne Somerset
111 Somerset Road, S238164
Email: anthony_mok@ncss.gov.sg
DID: 6589 5583
Fax: 6589 5540
www.socialserviceinstitute.sg
Please click here to download the Application Form for the SSI Research Fellowship
programme.