Lebanese graduate students attending the University of Oxford will be eligible to apply to a newly launched scholarship programme thanks to a generous fund set up by Lebanese shipping and logistics company CMA CGM.
The CMA CGM Excellence Fund for Lebanon will support 20 Lebanese students for three years at three universities: Oxford University; King’s College, London; and Imperial College, London. The objective of the scholarship programme is to encourage students to return to their homeland after their studies, enriched by their international experience at a prestigious institution, to become future leaders and play a role in developing their country. Scholarships will include course fees and a stipend for living expenses.
The CMA CGM Group, one of Lebanon's main employers, developed the CMA CGM Excellence Fund for Lebanon in 2021 to champion educational success for Lebanese students at leading Lebanese and international universities. The creation of these new scholarships for those pursuing their studies in Oxford and London means that 145 students will now benefit from the programme at a range of partner universities in the UK, France and Lebanon.
The agreement was signed in London on 28 September 2023 by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, and Professor Chas Bountra, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford, in the presence of the Lebanese Ambassador to London Rami Mortada.
Rodolphe Saadé said: ‘I am very pleased to have signed at the Embassy of Lebanon in London this partnership with the University of Oxford, King’s College London and Imperial College London. Twenty additional students will now be able to pursue their studies in major international universities as part of the CMA CGM Excellence Fund for Lebanon.’
Professor Chas Bountra said: ‘Oxford’s academic links with Lebanon reach far back and over the years many brilliant Lebanese students have studied at Oxford. I am delighted that the CMA CGM Excellence Fund for Lebanon will further strengthen these ties by ensuring talented Lebanese scholars are able to join the Oxford community regardless of their financial situation. Our special thanks to Mr Saadé and CMA CGM Group for their vision and support in establishing CMA CGM Excellence Fund for Lebanon.’
