Australia Awards Post-Doctoral Fellowships 2018 for study in Australia (Fully Funded)

September 1, 2017

Application Deadline: 30 November 2017.

In 2018, the Australia Awards – Africa program will pilot Phase 2 of Post-Doctoral Fellowships, in partnership with the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN). Phase 2 of the pilot will be open to Eligible Applicants affiliated to Ghanaian, Kenyan or South African Universities that are members of the AAUN.

During the pilot phase, the Post-Doctoral Fellowship provides financial support for African academics affiliated with eligible Ghanaian, Kenyan and South African university and engaged in research activity. Fellowships will be up to two years in total, comprised of research components in both Australia and Ghana, Kenya or South Africa but limited to 12 months in Australia. The Australian component of the award will be fully funded by the Australia Awards – Africa Program.

The Pilot Post-Doctoral Fellowship program seeks to:

develop on-going educational, research and professional linkages between individuals and universities that are members of the AAUN, in Australia and Ghana, Kenya or South Africa
provide opportunities for high achieving academics to improve their research skills and contribute to development outcomes in Africa
contribute to Australia’s position as a high-quality education and training provider and a leader in research and innovation
contribute to the research capacity of Ghanaian, Kenyan and South African tertiary institutions, and
contribute to public and economic diplomacy efforts.

Australia Awards – Africa is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded initiative. It is designed to equip Africans with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to sustainable economic and social development outcomes in their own countries. In addition, Australia Awards – Africa builds long-term, sustainable links between targeted countries in Africa and Australia. The program provides a variety of Masters scholarships, postgraduate short courses and post-doctoral fellowships to Africans in the public, civil society and private sectors in targeted disciplines, that support the home countries’ developmental prioritie

Eligibility Criteria

A candidate must meet the following criteria:

Be a citizen of an eligible African country as outlined in the table in Annex 2 of the Post-Doctoral Fellowships Guidelines
Must be studying in Ghana, Kenya or South Africa
Must have the right to reside and work in Ghana, Kenya or South Africa
Must be affiliated with their home institution in Ghana, Kenya or South Africa in an academic/research capacity
Be at least 25 and not more than 50 years of age at the date of application
Home and Host Institutions must be members of the Australia Africa Universities Network
Not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently
Must not be married, engaged to, or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, at any time during the application, selection or mobilisation phases
be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to hold a Temporary Activity Visa (subclass 408). This may mean that DFAT will need to withdraw an Award offer if the Awardee cannot satisfy the visa requirements
Have been conferred a PhD at the time of application
Field of research must be aligned to Agricultural Productivity, Health and Science and Technology
Must have a letter of support from their home institution that outlines their agreement to the Fellowship, Annex 4 of the Post-Doctoral Fellowships Guidelines
Must have a letter of invitation from the Host Institution in Australia, outlining their commitment to the Fellowship, Annex 4 of the Post Doctoral Fellowships Guidelines
Must be able to commence their program in the academic year 2018

How to Apply

Steps required to apply for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Step 1	Read the Post-Doctoral Fellowships Guidelines to gain an understanding of the program and requirements for the application.
Step 2	Review and ensure that the minimum eligibility requirements, outlined in the Post-Doctoral Fellowships, are met.
Step 3	Read the Grant Agreement that you will be required to sign, (Annex 5 of the Post-Doctoral Fellowships,. Ensure that you are able to agree to these, within seven days of an offer being granted. If the offer is not accepted within this period, the offer may be withdrawn.
Step 4	When all conditions and eligibility criteria have been met, obtain an Application Form for the Post-Doctoral Fellowships. You will be able to download a form which will outline the steps required to successfully submit an application
Step 5	Complete the form and submit an application. Once you have successfully submitted your application, an email acknowledging the receipt of the application will be sent to the email address provided.Please note that, once an application has been submitted, no further changes (including the addition of any documents) can be made.