OWSD PhD Fellowships 2018 for Women Scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries (Fully Funded)

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Application Deadline: June 1st 2018

The Fellowship is offered to women scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) to undertake PhD research in the Natural, Engineering and Information Technology sciences at a host institute in the South.

Purpose

The programme is administered with funds generously provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is offered in partnership with host institutes throughout the developing world.

The general purpose of the fellowship programme is to contribute to the emergence of a new generation of women leaders in science and technology, and to promote their effective participation in the scientific and technological development of their countries.

The specific aims of the fellowship programme are:

• To improve access to educational and training opportunities in science and technology for young and talented women graduates from STLCs.
• To increase the scientific productivity and creativity of women scientists in STLCs.
• To empower a new generation of talented women to assume a leadership role in science and technology.
• To encourage women scientists to contribute to the sustainable development of their home countries.
• To enable women scientist from the South to collaborate and network on a regional and international level.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Candidates must confirm that they intend to return to their home country as soon as possible after completion of the fellowship.

 Eligible countries

The list of eligible countries is also available here.

Afghanistan Angola
Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Bolivia Burkina Faso Burundi
Cambodia Cameroon Central African Rep. Chad Comoros Congo Côte d’Ivoire
Dem Rep. Congo Djibouti
El Salvador Eritrea Ethiopia Equatorial Guinea Gambia Ghana Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau
Haiti Honduras
Kenya Kiribati
Lao People’s Dem Rep. Lesotho Liberia
Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mongolia Mozambique Myanmar
Nepal Nicaragua Niger
Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) Paraguay Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Solomon Islands Somalia South Sudan Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan Tanzania Timor-Leste Togo Tuvalu
Uganda Vanuatu Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Eligible scientific fields

• Agricultural Sciences
• Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences
• Biological Systems and Organisms
• Chemical Sciences
• Computing and Information Technology
• Engineering Sciences
• Mathematical Sciences
• Medical and Health Sciences
• Neurosciences
• Physics
• Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology

Fellowship support

Candidates can choose between two study schemes:

• a full-time fellowship (maximum 4 years funding), where the research is undertaken entirely at a host institute in another developing country in the South.
• a sandwich fellowship, where the candidate must be a registered PhD student in her home country and undertakes part of her studies at a host institute in another developing country.
  The sandwich fellowship is awarded for a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 research visits at the host institute. The minimum duration of the first visit is 6 months. The total number of months spent at the host institute cannot exceed 20 months. The funding period cannot exceed 4 years.
  OWSD particularly encourages candidates to consider the sandwich option, which allows them to earn the PhD in their home country while accessing specialist researchers and equipment abroad, at the host institute.

The fellowship support is only provided while the student is on site, at the host institute.

Benefits:

The OWSD fellowship covers:

• A monthly allowance to cover basic living expenses such as accommodation and meals while in the host country
• A special allowance to attend international conferences during the period of the fellowship
• A return ticket from the home country to the host institute for the agreed research period
• Visa expenses
• Annual medical insurance contribution
• The opportunity to attend regional science communications workshops, on a competitive basis
• Study fees (including tuition and registration fees) in agreement with the chosen host institute which is also expected to contribute

Required documents for application

OWSD strongly encourage eligible applicants to start gathering all requested documentation as soon as possible; sometimes it takes weeks to receive all relevant letters.

1. PhD research proposal outline

• Candidates must submit a PhD research proposal outline (max 2.000 words) which should be a summarized description of the PhD research proposal.
• Guidelines for writing a good research proposal outline are available here.
• Candidates are invited to study carefully these guidelines and ensure that their proposal is well structured and clear. The project proposal is given particular attention at selection.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the OWSD PhD Fellowships 2018