PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) PhD Scholarships

Published on Monday, 6 September 2021

PhD Scholarships available to support 3-4-year doctoral training in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 

The Fourth Call for applications is now open. 

Deadline for submission: 30th September 2021 at 5:00 pm (East Africa Time; UTC+3) 

Background 

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an African-led initiative with the goal of strengthening skills in the Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology to further socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) is the flagship program of PASET. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society. It is funded by African governments, the European Commission, the World Bank and the Government of Korea and facilitated by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya. 

RSIF aims to train quality PhD students and post-doctoral researchers at selected African universities (‘African Host Universities’) to address the human resource gap of highly qualified specialists in the fields of applied sciences, engineering, and technology (ASET) and to contribute to improving research and innovation capacities in those fields in SSA. RSIF supports training, research and innovation in five PASET Priority Thematic Areas: (1) ICT including big data and artificial intelligence, (2) Food security and agri-business, (3) Minerals, mining and materials engineering, (4) Energy including renewables and (5) Climate change. 

Eligibility

(Further information and application guidelines available on the RSIF website). 

To be eligible for a RSIF PhD Scholarship, applicants must: 

  • Have a relevant master’s degree in one of the fields of study. The master’s degree must have been completed less than six years before 31st July 2021. 
  • Meet the specific admission requirements of the African Host University they are applying to. 
  • Be a citizen of a sub-Saharan Africa country. 
  • Be willing to enroll full-time in a PhD program at an African Host University in the 2021-2022 academic year. 
  • Be willing to spend 6-24 months in ‘sandwich’ training at an international partner university, research institute or private company. 
  • Demonstrate that their research goals are well aligned to the RSIF Priority Thematic Areas and contribute to Africa’s development. 
  • Priority for the scholarships will be given to women and existing young academic faculty who do not have a PhD; and applicants who are 35 years of age and below. 

Benefits

  • The RSIF PhD Scholarship covers university tuition and related fees, competitive stipend to cover living expenses, travel, medical insurance, and research costs.
  • Graduates will have access to RSIF competitive research grants upon completion of their PhD. 

Applications

Applications are accepted through the online application platform: https://www.rsif-paset.org/calls/. Applications submitted by email or in hardcopy will not be accepted. 

Please address any questions to: rsifscholarships@icipe.org 

For more information on RSIF please visit: www.rsif-paset.org