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The IOFF-Subspecialty Fellowship Application Process
Application form in English language
Application form in French language
Application form in Portugese language
Application form in Spanish language
For translations you may use https://www.deepl.com/translator.
Step 1 => Start your Online application file
Please read information on the program and FAQ’s.
Eligible candidates come from low-resource or underserved countries and permanently live and work in a low-resource or underserved country.
The actual list of countries can be seen here.
Eligible candidates are under 40 years of age at the time of submitting their application file.
Fluency in a language spoken (mainly: English) at the host center is mandatory.
Please complete the online application form.
Note: Your answers to our questions aiming at your motivation to apply with us, your expectations for your fellowship stay (given granted!) and the impacts that you wish to gain from attending our program are of utmost importance in the assessment, so please consider well your answers and reply in detail.
Now please upload the requested documents which are
* Scan of your passport showing your picture and nationality
* Scan of your “Specialist in Ophthalmology” degree certificate
* Confirmation that you have completed your residency training
* Recommendation letter issued by your present chair, providing with details on work responsibilities and work performance.
It should also refer to the relevance of the planned training for the home institute. The letter should be duly signed and be printed on institute’s
letterhead.
* Recommendation letter issued by the chairperson or supervisor of a position that you had been holding earlier (e. g. during residency), providing
with details on work responsibilities and work performance. The letter should be duly signed and be printed on institute’s letterhead.
* Additional for the one-year opportunity: post fellowship confirmation
* If available: Recommendation letter issued by the chairperson of your voluntary or charity work
* If available: Scans of your additional qualification or fellowship certificates (Ophthalmology Foundation Exams, SOE Fellowship, EBO, ICO Exams or Fellowships etc.)
English translation is required for all certificates and recommendation letter(s) that are not originally issued in English, please upload a copy of the original certificate(s) or letter(s) and certified translation(s) in English, together with the original version in one document.
Do not upload additional documents that are not requested as these will not be considered.
Please note:there is a 20 MB size limit for the application forms and all documents (zip-file).
Step 2 => Eligibility determination
After you have submitted your online application file for the eligibility check we will revert to you within 10 days either with the eligibility confirmation or with a specification of what is needed to fulfil our formal requirements for being eligible for our program.
Eligible candidates receive a pdf with their application file.
Step 3 => Application to IOFF Host Institute
The IOFF Host Network lists all Hosts by Name, Medical Center, Subspecialty, City and Country. Select the Host that meets your goals and interests best. Click on the institute’s name to open the datasheet with additional information.
Please send your application file together with a letter of intend, explaining why you chose this particular host to the host’s contact, copy in the supervisor’s email ID and the IOFF-Subspecialty Fellowship Office.
IOFF Candidates may not apply to a host institute in their home countries.
Please contact just one host institute at a time. Contacting two or more host institutes at the same time is a violation of the IOFF regulations and may lead to immediate exclusion from the IOFF-Subspecialty Fellowship Program.
Your request will be reviewed by the Host you have approached: please allow for two weeks to hear back from the host institute.
The host institute may request an interview (on Zoom or Skype) to get to know you.
If the Host accepts your request, please agree on a start date with your host’s contact depending on the date of the application deadline as below.
Three-Months opportunity
Application deadline: February 28
=> Fellowship starts between September 1 same year and May 1 the year after
Application deadline: July 31
=> Fellowship starts between February 1 next year and November 1 the year after
One-Year opportunity
Application deadline: July 31
=> Fellowship starts between February 1 next year and November 1 the year after
Step 4 => Submission
Finally submit the confirmed host notice of acceptance to the IOFF-Subspecialty Fellowship Office so that your application file can be processed for expert’s review and funding decision.