Postgraduate student bursaries for 2025

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is pleased to announce a call for applications for Honours, Masters and Doctoral scholarships for full time studies in 2025.

Projects:

Only projects relevant to SANBI’s mandate and research strategy, and identified as a priority will be considered.

The four strategic objectives (SO) which informs the strategy are:

1. Foundational biodiversity knowledge and information is available to inform priority applied and strategic projects

2. The state of biodiversity, including pressures and responses, is assessed and findings are used to inform policies and decision making

3. Integrated knowledge and evidence on priority issues is provided to inform policy, decision making and actions

4. The value and impact of NBG and NZG collections are enhanced through the strategic application of research projects and maintaining research infrastructure for SANBI’s research activities

If you are unsure whether a project qualifies please contact us before submitting an application.

Projects and research themes:

Requirements:

Candidates must be pro-active, enthusiastic, and interested in doing excellent research that can make a difference. These scholarships are only available to South African citizens and will be awarded in line with national equity targets. Students need to apply for university programmes themselves and the scholarship is conditional upon them securing their placement in a postgraduate programme and have provisional acceptance from prospective academic supervisors. Please contact the SANBI and university supervisors for endorsement prior to applying.

Conditions:

Only full time studies will be supported
Applicants must be South African citizens and under 35 years of age
Applicants can register at any South African university
Only research projects in line with SANBI’s mandate and research strategy will be considered
Applicants must not be employed
Existing studies will not be supported
Registration for a second Honours, Masters or Doctoral degree will not be considered
For Masters studies, applicants must hold an Honours degree/Postgraduate Diploma

Scholarship values: (to cover living expenses and university fees)

Honours: R120 000 for one year only
Masters: R150 000/year for two years
Doctoral: R180 000/year for three years

Application procedure:

Application form

Applications are to include:

a letter of interest;
a project outline (one page for Honours and two pages for Masters and Doctoral);
full CV;
certified copy of academic record/transcript;
certified copy of highest qualification;
certified copy of ID;
two letters of academic reference;
letter from a prospective university supervisor as well as from a SANBI supervisor, indicating willingness to supervise;
provisional registration/acceptance from the university.

SANBI reserves the right not to fill these scholarships. If no response has been received within 30 days of the closing date, candidates may assume that their applications were unsuccessful.

Contact details:
Dr Ferozah Conrad (f.conrad@sanbi.org.za)
Ms René du Toit (r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za)

Full time studies in 2025