The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is an international organization founded in 1987 and based at the offices of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), in Trieste, Italy. It is a programme unit of UNESCO. OWSD is the first international forum to unite eminent women scientists from the developing and developed worlds with the objective of strengthening their role in the development process and promoting their representation in scientific and technological leadership.
OWSD PhD Fellowships:
The next call for applications will open in early 2023.
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 OWSD fellowship covers:
- A monthly allowance to cover basic living expenses such as accommodation and meals while in the host country
- A modest annual support allowance to be used at the student's discretion to support their research environment
- 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
- Support for language training, either before or during the fellowship programme
- Support for shipment of research samples
- Costs for personal computer or software purchase
- Support for family members
- Additional return tickets to the home country for personal reasons
The OWSD PhD Fellowship is offered only to women candidates.
1. Candidates must confirm that they intend to return to their home country as soon as possible after completion of the fellowship.
2. Eligible countries:
The list of eligible countries is also available here.
Africa:
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Kingdom of), Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Arab region:
Djibouti, Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen
Asia & the Pacific:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People’s Dem Rep., Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Latin America & the Caribbean:
Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay
Formerly, OWSD had a list of eligible countries which included all LDCs and any additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa. With this new list, effective for any fellowship from 2017 onward, some countries in Africa (including Nigeria) are no longer considered low income and are therefore no longer eligible for fellowships support. Some new countries outside Africa have been added.
The immediate effect is that OWSD Fellowships will now be open to applicants from 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) identified by the United Nations, plus 19 countries selected because of their low income levels and specific needs for support in building research capacity.
We will do our best to work with those countries that are no longer on the list to see if we can provide partnership funding for fellowships in the future.
Moreinfo: https://owsd.net/activities/postgraduate-training-fellowships
