The CoE in Human Development is offering bursaries to Post-Doctoral Fellows, and Doctoral and Masters students who wish to do research that falls into one of the thematic areas of the CoE-HUMAN.

The award of bursaries is governed by the Ministerial Guidelines for Improving Equity in the Distribution of DST/NRF Bursaries and Fellowships (2013). In terms of these guidelines, bursaries are intended primarily for South African citizens and permanent residents, although a small number of foreign and SADC citizens will be considered.  South Africans registered at foreign universities only do not apply.

Bursary holders and their supervisors will sign performance agreements with the CoE, obliging:

• Masters students to fulfil the requirements for their degree within two years and to have at least one co-authored paper in a peer-reviewed journal accepted for publication;
• Doctoral students to fulfil the requirements for their degrees within three years and to have at least two first-authored papers accepted for publication or published;
• Post-Doctoral Fellows to have at least two first or co-authored papers accepted for publication, in press or published in each year of the three-year Fellowship.

The amount of the bursaries are R70 000 and R100 000 per annum for Masters and Doctoral students respectively, and R200 000 per annum for Post-Doctoral Fellows. Universities and Science Councils may top up bursaries in accordance with their institutional policies.

Awards are made to institutions that will provide financial reporting. All support provided by the CoE-HUMAN, whether financial or technical, must be acknowledged in published papers, policy briefs, theses, and presentations. The acknowledgement is to the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Researchers or students who receive funding or technical assistance from the CoE-HUMAN will list the Centre as their affiliation in the format given above, following their affiliation to their host institution.

In application, Masters and Doctoral students or supervisors must submit:

• The student’s CV, including race and gender of applicant;
• A full academic record;
• A copy of the identity document of applicant;
• A one-page summary of the student’s proposed topic or research area and how it relates to the core themes of the CoE Human Development (see above);
• A brief biosketch of the nominated supervisor; and,
• A letter of support from the nominated supervisor

Funds will only be paid to the institutions on registration of the student and in accordance with institutional procedures.

Post-Doctoral Fellows must be within 5 years of graduating with their Doctoral degree. In application, candidates or their nominated mentor must submit:

• The candidate’s CV;
• A full academic record;
• A copy of the identity document of applicant
• A two to three page summary of the candidate’s proposed topic or research area and how it relates to the core themes of the CoE Human Development (see above)
• A brief biosketch of the nominated mentor.

Funds will only be paid to the institutions on the appointment of the Fellow and in accordance with institutional procedures.

Bursaries will be awarded following assessment of applications by the CoE Management Committee comprising, amongst others, the CoE Director and lead researchers in the CoE. Decisions will be based on the candidate’s suitability, the relevance of the topic to the CoE in Human Development, the professional track record of both the candidate and the supervisor or mentor, and with consideration for a fair distribution of bursaries across the collaborating institutions.

The Supervisor or Mentor will sign a contract requiring annual reports detailing candidate’s progress on degree and/or publications requirements, conference presentations and publications.  If you would like to apply, please fill out this information to access the full online form.

Please note:

1. Incomplete forms are grounds for disqualification
2. Information that you fill in the form gets seen by the review committee, so please ensure details are correct and complete
3. The committee’s decision is final.  There is no appeal process.  However, you may reapply in the next call.

The closing date for the current call for applications is 8 February 

Start filling in your grant application by giving us these basic details. You will then be re-directed to the full form and receive and email with the link. The form is not submitted to the CoE-HD for review until you agree to the terms and conditions that CoE-HD grants.

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About CoE-HUMAN bursaries

The CoE in Human Development offers bursaries to Post-Doctoral fellows and Doctoral and Masters students who wish to do research that falls into themes related to human development.