TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme 2023: Apply Online, Eligibility & Last Date

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If you want to study in South Africa in a fellowship program in Natural Sciences then you can apply for the prestigious scholarship program known as the TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme 2023. Candidates who are interested in natural Sciences can apply for this fellowship program and they will be selected based on the eligibility criteria mentioned in the official notification. The candidates can check out the eligibility criteria last date and the step-by-step procedure to apply online for the doctorate program from the article provided below in order to be eligible for the fellowship program and apply for it individually. 

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TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme 2022
TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme

About TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme 2023

TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme is a very prestigious doctoral fellowship program that is available at the research institution situated in South Africa for a maximum period of 3 years. This Fellowship will be provided to scientists from developing countries other than South Africa so that they can pursue Ph.D. programs in Natural Sciences in South African universities. The awarded candidates will be provided with the cost of study funding and this will only cover the tuition fees and the accommodation cost for a maximum of Rupees one lakh per annum. Return economy flight tickets and other costs will also be awarded to the candidates selected for this fellowship program. The applicant must follow the retailed eligibility criteria to be eligible for this scholarship.

Also Read: USA Scholarships

Important Dates

  • The last date to apply online for this scholarship will update soon.

Benefits Of TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme

The following benefits will be provided to the applicants to apply for this scholarship:-

  • The selected candidates will receive Partial Cost of Study (PCS) funding and this will only cover tuition fees and accommodation costs for a maximum of R101 196 per annum per student. Additionally, the National Research Foundation (NRF) will cover the cheapest return economy flight and the visa and/or study permit costs for TWAS-NRF doctoral-awarded candidates.

Eligible Countries 

Students from the following countries are eligible to apply for this fellowship program:-

  • Eligible nationalities
  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Rep.
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Congo, Dem. Rep.
  • Congo, Rep.
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Rep.
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini, Kingdom of
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Equatorial
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran, Isl. Rep.
  • Iraq
  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Korea, DPR
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lao PDR
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Moldova, Republic of
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • North Macedonia, Republic of
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip)
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Syria
  • Taiwan, China
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Türkiye
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Documents Required

The following documents are required to apply for TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme:-

  • English language proficiency certificate
  • A detailed research project registered and approved by the host institution
  • A letter of support from the prospective host supervisor
  • An official academic record on the university letterhead
  • An official proof of study application and/or acceptance letter from a host South African institution, department, or laboratory
  • English language proficiency certificate (if available at the time of the application). If not available, this will be required before any NRF funds will be released to the student and must meet the specified requirement.
Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must follow the following eligibility criteria given below in order to be eligible for this doctor-will program presented in South Africa:-

  • The applicant must be citizens and permanent residents from developing countries on the African continent and elsewhere;
  • The applicant must not be living, studying, or working in South Africa in 2022;
  • The applicants who were previously employed or studying towards a degree, or undertaking research in South Africa, and have returned to their country of origin, but have been in their country of origin for less than two (2) years, are not eligible to apply;
  • The applicant must have obtained an MSc degree in a field of natural sciences;
  • The applicant must have obtained a minimum of 65% at the master’s level in order to apply for doctoral funding;
  • The applicant must register at a South African public university in 2023, on a full-time basis and may be based at any of the 26 South African public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Find the updated list at the bottom of this page;
  • The applicant must be a maximum of 32 years of age by 31 December of the year of application;
  • The applicant must have proof of evaluation of all foreign qualifications (obtained from non-South African universities) evaluated by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) or proof that the applicant has submitted his/her qualifications to SAQA for evaluation. Failure to submit proof will result in the application being rejected. Further information on the process can be accessed by logging on to www.saqa.org.za;
  • The applicant must meet the visa and immigration laws of the applicant’s home country and South Africa. The applicant must arrange his/her own Visa and/or study permit under the programme for study in South Africa. Neither NRF nor TWAS will be responsible for assisting with visa arrangements. However, the NRF will cover the cheapest return economy flight and the visa and/or study permit costs for NRF-TWAS doctoral applicants;
  • The applicant upon completion of their studies, all NRF-TWAS grant holders must return to their country of origin and must spend at least 3 years and/or equal to the number of years of study supported in their country of origin;
  • The students who fail to return to their home country will be liable to pay back the amount to the NRF equal to the number of years of study support they have received;
  • The applicant is only eligible to pursue research under Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) disciplines as only these disciplines will be supported under the NRF-TWAS doctoral funding:
  • The applicant must not take up other assignments during the period of her/his fellowship;
  • The applicant must provide official proof of study application and/or acceptance letter from a host South African institution, department or laboratory;
  • The applicant must provide motivation from the prospective doctoral supervisor. It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact the respective institution to apply for acceptance and to secure a supervisor for the doctoral study
  • The applicant must provide an English language proficiency certificate (if available at the time of the application). If not available, this will be required before any NRF funds will be released to the student and 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. Information on the IELTS tests can be obtained from the British Council in the applicant’s home country or accessed at: www.ielts.org. 
  • The applicant must 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;
  • The applicant must provide an official academic record on the university letterhead;
  • The applicant must be financially responsible for any accompanying family members

Also Read: National Post Doctoral Fellowship

TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme 2023 Application Procedure

The applicant must follow the following application procedure to apply for this scholarship:-

TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme Official Website
TWAS-NRF Doctoral Programme Official Website
  • Please follow the detailed guidelines in the step-by-step “Application and Funding Guide for the 2023 academic year”.
  • Applicants must contact institutions in South Africa or potential supervisors to obtain a placement in the doctoral research training programme. 
  • 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.
  • Universities will set their own internal cut-off dates for applications and applicants must abide by those dates.
  • Applicants must have all foreign qualifications (obtained from non-South African 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. 
  • 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.
  • Remember to submit your application upon completion.

Terms And Conditions

The applicant must follow the following terms and conditions to apply for this fellowship program:-

  • Incomplete applications will not be considered as will applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria.
  • 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.
  • Applicants who were previously employed or studying towards a degree, or undertaking research in South Africa, and have returned to their country of origin, but have been in their country of origin for less than two (2) years are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must have proof of evaluation of all foreign qualifications (obtained from non-South African universities) evaluated by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) or proof that the applicant has submitted his/her qualifications to SAQA for evaluation. Failure to submit proof will result in the application being rejected.
  • Upon completion of their studies, all NRF-TWAS grant holders must return to their country of origin and must spend at least 3 years and/or equal to the number of years of study supported in their country of origin.
  • The students who fail to return to their home country will be liable to pay back the amount to the NRF equal to the number of years of study support they have received.
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
    • Mr Lehlogonolo Phaahla
    • Professional Officer – HICD. Telephone: 012 481 4315.
    • Email Address: LA.Phaahla@risa.nrf.ac.za

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