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.
About The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate. They shared a belief that developing nations, by building strength in science and engineering, could build the knowledge and skill to address such challenges as hunger, disease and poverty. From the start, the Academy had essential support from Italian scientists and political leaders.
The Third World Academy of Sciences, as it was first known, was inaugurated officially in 1985 during a ceremony attended by UN Secretary-... continue reading
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TWAS-NRF Doctoral Fellowship Programme
Aim and Benefits of TWAS-NRF Doctoral Fellowship Programme
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.
Requirements for TWAS-NRF Doctoral Fellowship Programme Qualification
Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:
- be citizens or permanent residents of a developing country* (other than South Africa);
- must not be living studying or working in South Africa or any developed country;
- 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;
- must have obtained minimum of 65% at the masters’ level in order to apply for doctoral funding;
- must register at a South African public university in 2022, on a full-time basis and may be based at any South African public research institution including Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Science Councils and National Research Facilities;
- must be a maximum of 32 years of age by 31 December of the year of application;
- must have obtained an MSc degree in a field of natural sciences;
- 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;
- 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;
- provide 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,
- 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 Deadline
July 8, 2022
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) on nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za to apply
For more details, visit TWAS website.
