PASET-RSIF PhD Scholarship 2025/2026 | A 3-4 Year Doctoral Training: The Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) – Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) is now accepting applications from scholars from Sub-Saharan Africa who do not have a Ph.D. degree for its 2025 Ph.D. Scholarship. The deadline for submission of applications for the PASET-RSIF Ph.D. Scholarship is 15th June 2025.

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an African-led initiative with the goal of strengthening skills in the Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology to further socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) is the flagship program of PASET. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society. It is funded by contributions from African governments, the World Bank and the Government of Korea and facilitated by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya.

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PASET-RSIF PhD Scholarship 2025/2026 | A 3-4 Year Doctoral Training.

RSIF aims to train quality Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers at selected African universities (‘African Host Universities’) 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 the African Host Universities by providing funding through competitive grants.

RSIF supports training, research, and innovation in five PASET 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.

The specific objectives of RSIF are to:

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Create a stock of highly skilled scientists, professionals, and innovators in ASET areas.
Identify and nurture young talented Africans who wish to further their studies in ASET fields where expertise is needed most.
Address imbalances in the number of women and disadvantaged groups in ASET fields in Africa.
Build African university capacity to provide relevant ASET training and to ensure continued investment in scaling up the ASET education and workforce.

PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund PhD Scholarship Thematic Areas.

RSIF supports training, research, and innovation in five PASET Priority Thematic Areas:

ICT including big data and artificial intelligence
Food security and agri-business
Minerals, mining and materials engineering
Energy including renewables and
Climate change.

PASET-RSIF PhD Scholarship Eligibility.

Applicants must

Have a relevant master’s degree in one of the fields of study. The master’s degree must have been completed less than six years before April 30, 2025.
Meet the specific admission requirements of the African Host University they are applying to.
Be a citizen of a sub-Saharan Africa country.
Be willing to enroll full-time in a Ph.D. program at an African Host University in the 2025-2025 academic year.
Be willing to spend 6-24 months in a ‘sandwich’ training at an international partner university, research institute, or private company.
Demonstrate that their research goals are well aligned to the RSIF Priority Thematic Areas and contribute to Africa’s development.
Priority for the scholarships will be given to women and existing young academic faculty who do not have a Ph.D.

PASET-RSIF PhD Scholarship Benefits.

RSIF Ph.D. Scholars will receive the following benefits:

The RSIF Ph.D. Scholarship covers university tuition and related fees, a competitive stipend to cover living expenses, travel, medical insurance, and research costs.
RSIF Ph.D. scholars will be supported to spend 6-24 months in a ‘sandwich’ training at an international partner university, research institute or private company.
RSIF Ph.D. scholars become part of a growing network of emerging leaders in ASET fields in Sub Saharan Africa.
RSIF Ph.D. scholars will have access to RSIF competitive research grants upon completion of their Ph.D.

How to Apply for PASET-RSIF PhD Scholarship.

Apply online via https://www.rsif-paset.org/calls/apply/

Reference the RSIF Ph.D. scholarship call guidelines (English or French) for guidance in completing your application. Please note that only complete applications submitted online will be accepted. Should there be any challenges navigating the application system, please contact rsifscholarships@icipe.org

Complete the online application and submit together with the required supporting documents via the online system.
The online platform will accept the following file types: doc, Docx, pdf, jpg, jpeg, png. The maximum file size accepted for any single file is 32 MB.
Submit together with the required supporting documents.
The application must be completed in English or French.
Applications must be submitted no later than 15 June 2025 at 5:00 pm (East Africa Time; UTC+3).

Closing date for applications: 15th June 2025.