BACKGROUND
The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an African-led initiative that aims to close the skills gap in the applied sciences, engineering and technology (ASET) necessary for socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Rsif aims to train quality PhD students and post-doctoral researchers 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 also supports the strengthening of research and innovation ecosystems at selected African Host Universities (AHU) by providing funding through competitive grants. Rsif supports training, research and innovation in five 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
Eligible applicants must:
- Be a citizen of any country in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Have a relevant master’s degree related to the Rsif fields of study.
- Meet the specific admission requirements of the Rsif AHU that hosts the PhD program.
- Be 35 years of age and below at the date of application.
- Be willing to enrol full-time in a PhD program at an Rsif AHU in the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Should not be holding another PhD scholarship when applying to the Rsif PhD scholarship.
- Be willing to spend 6-12 months in a ‘sandwich’ training at an international partner university, research institute or private company.
- Be willing to work on a research topic that aligns with and contributes to national or regional development in Africa.
- Priority for the scholarships will be given to women and existing young academic faculty who do not have a PhD.