Programme Details

• TWAS-NRF Doctoral Fellowships are tenable at research institutions in South Africa for a maximum period of three years. They are awarded to scientists from developing countries (other than South Africa) to enable them to pursue PhD research in the natural sciences.
• TWAS-NRF African Renaissance Doctoral Fellowships are tenable at research institutions in South Africa for a maximum period of three years. They are awarded to scientists from Africa (other than South Africa) to enable them to pursue PhD research in the natural sciences.
• NRF will provide travel to and from South Africa, a standard monthly allowance which should be used to cover living costs, such as accommodation, food and health insurance. The monthly stipend will not be convertible into foreign currency.
• The language of instruction will be English.

Eligibility

Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

TWAS-NRF Doctoral programme:

• be nationals of a developing country* (other than South Africa);
• must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in South Africa or any developed country;
• must be a maximum of 35 years of age by 31 December of the year of application;
• must have obtained an MSc degree in a field of natural sciences;
• provide evidence that s/he will return to her/his home country on completion of the fellowship;
• not take up other assignments during the period of her/his fellowship;
• provide an official letter from a host South African institution, department or laboratory and motivation from the applicant’s host;
• meet the following requirements of the English Language Proficiency Academic test: IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0); or TOEFL (paper) 575 (TWE 4.5); or TOEFL iBIT (min. 20); or Cambridge minimum 58,
• present a detailed research project that must be registered and approved by the host institution and provide a letter of support from the prospective host supervisor;
• be financially responsible for any accompanying family members.

*The list of 155 eligible developing countries is available in the Framework document you may download at the bottom of the page.

TWAS-NRF African Renaissance Doctoral programme:

• be nationals or permanent residents from Africa (except South Africa);
• must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in South Africa or any developed country;
• must be a maximum of 35 years of age by 31 December of the year of application;
• must have obtained an MSc degree in a field of natural sciences;
• provide evidence that s/he will return to her/his home country on completion of the fellowship;
• not take up other assignments during the period of her/his fellowship;
• provide an official letter from a host South African institution, department or laboratory and motivation from the applicant’s host;
• meet the following requirements of the English Language Proficiency Academic test: IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0); or TOEFL (paper) 575 (TWE 4.5); or TOEFL iBIT (min. 20); or Cambridge minimum 58,
• present a detailed research project that must be registered and approved by the host institution and provide a letter of support from the prospective host supervisor;
• be financially responsible for any accompanying family members.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR BOTH DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES:

Stage 1:

Application for acceptance at South African Institutions

Applicants must contact institutions in South Africa or potential supervisors to obtain a placement into the doctoral research training programme. For details of recognised HEIs and other Public Research Institutions click here.

• Applicants must provide an official letter from their host South African institution, department or laboratory and motivation from the applicant’s host. It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact the respective institution to apply for acceptance. In addition, it is also the responsibility of the applicant to secure a supervisor for the study;
• The research project must be registered and approved by the host institution (a letter of support from the prospective supervisor must be attached to the application.

Application for evaluation of foreign qualifications from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

Applicants must have all foreign qualifications (obtained from non-South Africa universities) evaluated by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA). Proof that at least the applicant has submitted his/her qualification for evaluation at SAQA must be submitted with the application, failing which the application will be rejected.

Applicants are advised to start this process early to allow time for processing. Information on the process can be accessed by logging on to www.saqa.org.za. On the SAQA website, navigate to Service - Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications - General Information. Applicants must strictly adhere to all the instructions and provide all applicable documents to avoid delays and rejection of applications. Applicants are advised to courier all application documents to SAQA directly.

Stage 2:

Submitting your application

Applicants must apply for the NRF – TWAS Doctoral Fellowship/  TWAS-NRF African Renaissance Doctoral Call for 2018 by accessing the link: https://nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za/ on the NRF Online application system and follow the steps below:

On accessing the link, please follow the following instructions:

• Individuals that are not registered on the NRF Online system, must first register by selecting the ‘new registration’ option and complete all sections.
• Once a profile has been created, login using your passport number and password.
• Select “My Applications”.
• Select “Create Application”.
• Select the call for which you are applying: NRF - TWAS Doctoral Fellowship Call for 2018.
• Select “Apply now”.
• Complete all relevant sections of the application form
• Remember to complete all compulsory sections of the application as incomplete applications will not be considered for support by the NRF. Please follow the step-by-step directions supplied in the Funding Guide.
• Remember to submit your application on completion.

Please see the step-by-step guideline in the "Application and Funding Guide" you can download at the bottom of this page.

Please attach the required documents in one PDF file in the following order:

• Passport;
• Official acceptance letter from host institution;
• Certified copies of undergraduate and postgraduate certificates;
• English Language Proficiency Academic test if available; and
• SAQA evaluation certificate, if available.

Should you not follow the guidelines for attaching the necessary documents, your application will not be considered.

Remember to submit your application upon completion.

The deadline for applications is 18 July 2017.

No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Therefore, it is recommended to submit your electronic application as early as possible.

• The call for applications where you will find the programme details, eligibility criteria, required documents and certificates as well as the online application form will only be available once the call opens. Applicants must be aware that NRF and TWAS will not accept applications submitted by any other means except via the online application portal.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered as will applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria.
• Contact the university postgraduate or research office for queries related to institutional processes and deadlines
• Queries concerning the call for applications to the TWAS-NRF Fellowships programmes should be directed to the contacts below:

CONTACT DETAILS

TWAS Fellowships Office

ICTP campus, Strada Costiera 11, 34151 Trieste, Italy

Tel: +39 040 2240 314, Fax: +39 040 2240 689

E-mail: fellowships@twas.org

National Research Foundation, South Africa

Ms Zikhona Lose
Professional Officer: Grants Management and Systems Administration (GMSA)
Telephone: 012-481 4365
Fax: 012-349 1179
E-mail address: zikhona.lose@nrf.ac.za

Ms Malebo Mohlala
Liaison Officer: (GMSA)
Telephone: 012-481 4121
Fax: 012-349 1179
E-mail address: malebo.mohlala@nrf.ac.za

Ms Lutanani Rambau
Professional Officer: Reviews and Evaluation (RE)
Telephone: 012-481 4208
Fax: 086 508 3401
E-mail address: Lutanani@nrf.ac.za

For technical online enquiries, please contact the NRF Support Desk during office hours from 08:00 to 16:30 Monday to Friday on telephone 012-481 4202; E-mail: supportdesk@nrf.ac.za.