Australia Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships for Africans, 2018

Australia Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships funded by Australia Government are now open for applications for the academic year 2018-2019. This is an opportunity for the next generation of global leaders to undertake study, research and professional development.

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

The Australia Awards are prestigious international scholarships and fellowships funded by the Australian Government that aim to contribute to the long-term development needs of Australia’s partner countries, in line with bilateral and regional agreements.

Applicants must be at least 25 and not more than 50 years of age at the date of application. An applicant or awardee should meet DFAT’s English language requirements for receiving an Australia Awards Scholarship.

Course Level: Fellowships are available to pursue postdoctoral programme.

Study Subject: 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 priorities.

Scholarship Award: The Australian component of the award will be fully funded by the Australia Awards – Africa Program.

Number of Scholarships: Not Known

Scholarship can be taken in 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.

Eligibility: 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 mobilization 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 Ph.D. 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

Nationality: Citizens of African Country (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe) are eligible to apply for this fellowship programme.

College Admission Requirement

Entrance Requirements: Applicants must be at least 25 and not more than 50 years of age at the date of application

English Language Requirements: An applicant or awardee will meet DFAT’s English language requirements for receiving an Australia Awards Scholarship. Where an applicant or awardee does not meet DFAT’s English language requirements the awardee will need to provide an academic English language test. Accepted English language tests are:

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)

Africa Scholarships

How to Apply: Applications for the 2018 Phase 2 round will open on 1 September 2017 and close 30 November 2017. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their application and supporting documentation is submitted by the closing date. Applications (including supporting documentation) received after the closing date will not be considered.

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 Guidelines. 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.