Harry Crossley Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at University Of Cape Town 2017

Applications are invited for the Harry Crossley Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowships award of a limited number of Fellowships, available to South African and South African permanent Resident students at the University of Cape Town. 

Application Deadline: 4th May, 2017

Offered Annually? Yes

About the Award: The Trustees of the Harry Crossley Foundation through the University of Cape Town are offering Fellowships to early career researchers to support a full-time focus on clinical and translational research at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences to support talented young health sciences researchers who completed their PhD within the last 5 years.

Eligibility: Two types of award are available:

Harry Crossley Clinical Research Fellowships to support dedicated research time for early-career clinical, academic and research staff. The award will provide busy clinical researchers and health professionals attached to the Faculty of Health Sciences the time required to, for example, complete a PhD or deliver on an important research project. Ethics approval should be in place for the proposed research. In keeping with the Foundation’s philosophy of supporting researchers in the earlier stages of their career, applicants should be under 45 years of age; in cases where fellowships are intended to support PhD completion, a more flexible age ceiling may be applied.  Applicants should have an employment contract with UCT/PGWC that exceeds the duration of the award. Fellowships must be taken up by September 2017. Value: up to R150, 000 per award (up to one year of support).

Harry Crossley Postdoctoral Fellowships to support talented young health sciences researchers who completed their PhD within the last 5 years. Applicants must be under 40 years of age, and must have submitted their PhD thesis by the application deadline. Applicants should not be registered for study towards any degree at the time of assuming the fellowship. Applications must be supported by a suitable research host in the Faculty of Health Sciences. There are no fringe benefits so that the successful candidate is responsible for his or her own medical aid and insurance arrangements. Tax-free status will be arranged with the South African Revenue Services. Preference will be given to clinical and translation research. The Fellowship may not be held concurrently with any formal fellowship from UCT or national funding bodies such as the NRF and the MRC. Fellowships must be taken up in the second half of 2017.

Ineligibility: Students who will be employed for more than 20 hours per week in 2017; who will register for part-time courses, the 4th year of an undergraduate degree, the LLB, postgraduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas and who will register for degrees in disciplines in Religious Studies and Political Studies

Financial Need Criteria: Financial Need must be illustrated by completing the AFFADAVIT on the reverse side of the Application Form. See Application procedure below.

• The applicant’s cost of attendance at UCT in 2017 will be calculated to cover actual tuition fees, reasonable accommodation costs based on the least costly UCT residence fee, food, living costs and academic sundry costs (costs for field-trips, conference/other travel and research running expenses cannot be included).
• Please note that Applicants’ expenses due to life-style choices (such as costly accommodation, payment of clothing bills, etc.) will not be taken into account, nor will costs for the support of dependents, insurances, research running costs, ‘pocket money’ or ‘entertainment’ be considered.
• The University of Cape Town considers this AFFIDAVIT to be a legally binding document and reserves the right to request you to furnish the relevant documentation in evidence of your answers/statements.

If it is found that you have provided information that is false or untrue, the University of Cape Town further reserves the right to disqualify your application and/or to cancel and recover any scholarship funds that may have been paid out to you.

Academic Criteria:  A minimum of 65% aggregate (GPA) for the undergraduate or Honours degree is required in order for applicants to be academically eligible. This will need to be shown via certified copies of the Applicant’s academic transcripts.

Application Procedure The following documents are required:

1. The Harry Crossley Research Fellowship APPLICATION FORM, and the AFFADAVIT (on the reverse side of the Application Form) must be duly completed and signed. The Application Form can be sourced from http://www.uct.ac.za/apply/funding/postgraduate/applications/
2. A LETTER OF APPLICATION in which applicants are required to include a statement that they undertake, as a condition of award, to plan and organise one or more seminar programme(s), per degree (only at Master’s and Doctoral degree levels), directly related to their line of study, to be held in the Seminar Room of the University of Cape Town’s Postgraduate Student Centre. These will form part of the Harry Crossley Seminar Programme. Cross-disciplinary seminars can be arranged by more than one Fellowship-holder. The seminars must add value to the study and area of the research of the students. The letter of application must not be any longer than ONE A4 page. Please include a short statement with regard to your financial need.
3. ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS (certified copies of the originals). UCT graduates need to request the PGC&FO to source these from the system. The transcripts must show that the applicant has achieved the undergraduate or Honours degree with a minimum pass-mark (GPA) of 65%. Please do not attach certificates.
4. CURRICULUM VITAE This document must be limited to ONE A4 page.
5. ACADEMIC REFERENCES Letters of reference are required from TWO ACADEMICS who have taught/supervised the applicant at University must be submitted. The PGC&FO will not source these on behalf of the applicant and applicants are responsible for ensuring that the references are sent directly to the PGC&FO.
6. ACCEPTANCE FOR STUDY BY ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT A document from the academic department indicating that the applicant has been accepted, is likely to be accepted, or provisionally accepted for study in 2017.
7. BANK STATEMENTS for July & August 2016 must be attached.

Value and Duration of Program: 

• Harry Crossley Clinical Research Fellowships: Value: R200, 000 per award (one year of support).
• Harry Crossley Postdoctoral Fellowships: Value: R200, 000 per award (one year of support).

How to Apply: Applications must be completed on the attached form and submitted electronically to: research.health@uct.ac.za by midnight on  4th May 2017.

Visit Program Webpage for more details

Award Providers:  University of Cape Town, Harry Crossley Foundation

Important Notes: The University of Cape Town reserves the right to:

• disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications, and
• change the conditions of award or to make no awards at all.