Programme Details

• TWAS-NRF Postdoctoral Fellowships are tenable at research institutions in South Africa for a minimum period of six months to a maximum period of two years. They are awarded to scientists from developing countries* (other than South Africa) to enable them to pursue postdoctoral 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.

*See list of 155 eligible developing countries in the Framework document - bottom of page.

Eligibility

Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

• 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 have obtained a PhD degree in a field of natural sciences;
• apply for the fellowship within five (5) years of having obtained a PhD degree in a field of the natural sciences;
• be a regular employee in a developing country (other than South Africa) and hold a research assignment there;
• 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;
• must 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.
• must provide an official letter of release from their employer to authorise absence for the full duration of the fellowship.

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 postdoctoral research training programme. For details of recognised HEIs and other Public Research Institutions click here.

An official letter of acceptance must be obtained from the potential host institution and/or supervisor. The letter must cover detail on:

• The research project to be undertaken by the applicant; and
• Available infrastructure and facilities for an enabling environment for host’s research

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

Successful applicants must have all foreign qualifications (obtained from non-South African universities) evaluated by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA). A SAQA evaluation certificate must be submitted with the application, if available. If not available, the proof that SAQA evaluation has been applied for must be attached. The applicants will nonetheless need to provide proof of SAQA accreditation before they can register at most South African institutions

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 Postdoctoral Fellowship Call for 2018 by accessing the link: https://nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za on the NRF Online application system and follow the all the steps in the Application and Funding Guide 2018 (see bottom of this page).:

Remember to submit your application upon completion.

The deadline for applications is 6 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:

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

CONTACT DETAILS

When making an enquiry, please use “NRF-TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowship Call” as the email subject line

For general queries contact the 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

When making an enquiry, please use “NRF-TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowship Call” as the email subject line

For NRF Online application and grants management related enquiries, please contact:
Mrs Melissa Govender
Professional Officer: Grants Management and Systems Administration (GMSA)
Telephone: 012 481 4311
E-mail: melissa.govender@nrf.ac.za

Ms Zodwa Mahlangu
Liaison Officer: Grants Management and Systems Administration (GMSA)
Telephone: 012 481 4114
E-mail: zodwa.mahlangu@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.
Tel: 012-481 4202
E-mail: supportdesk@nrf.ac.za