SANBI Biological Invasions Student Bursaries 2024

About SANBI

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) was initially founded in 2004 in compliance with the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, under the South African Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries.

SANBI’s primary objective is to conduct research, disseminate information related to biodiversity, and play a role in the management of biodiversity resources in the country. Additionally, SANBI is tasked with participating in ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration efforts. These endeavors aim to enhance the biodiversity of the country, particularly within the National Botanical and Zoological gardens, serving both educational and recreational purposes.

SANBI Biological Invasions Student Bursaries

SANBI is extending an invitation to students to apply for the Biological Invasion Bursary for the academic year 2024.

This bursary will be granted for Honours, Masters, and Doctoral projects that align with SANBI’s core focus areas, which include status reports and monitoring, incursion detection and response planning, risk analysis, eradication planning and coordination, and taxonomy. Successful bursary recipients will be actively involved in research activities as part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s efforts to address biological invasions.

Coverage

The bursary will be granted on the condition that students successfully enroll in an accredited university program.

SANBI is set to grant the following scholarships:

1 scholarship for Honours studies, worth R60,000 plus tuition fees.
3 scholarships for Master’s studies, each worth R115,000 plus tuition fees.
4 scholarships for Doctoral studies, each valued at R161,000 plus tuition fees.

The bursary may cover the expenses related to part-time study registration or operational costs for other projects, provided that the project is closely aligned with SANBI’s mission and all required documentation is submitted.

Scholarship funds are disbursed directly to the students, while academic fees are remitted directly to the host institution upon the submission of an invoice.

Candidates pursuing a Master’s or Doctoral degree may be eligible for a one-year project development internship if they are at risk of not completing their studies within the designated timeframe. Project development interns must submit a new bursary application for the subsequent year.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must meet the specified minimum entry criteria outlined below. Failure to meet all these requirements will result in your application being ineligible for consideration:

You need to hold South African citizenship.
You should be enrolled in a postgraduate program (Honours, Masters, or Doctoral) in one of the approved research project areas.
Your enrollment must be at a recognized university in South Africa.
You should exhibit enthusiasm, proactivity, and a genuine interest in conducting research aimed at enhancing our knowledge and management of biological invasions.

How To Apply?

Applicants need to download the SANBI Biological Invasions Bursary Cover Sheet 2024 and complete it.

Shortlisted applicants will receive notifications within 28 working days following the closing date. If you do not receive any communication during this period, kindly consider your application as unsuccessful. SANBI retains the discretion to withhold bursaries if no eligible candidates are chosen.

Applications should be sent via email to: students@sanbi.org.za AND cc sanbi.dbi.bursaries@gmail.com.

Please include “SANBI Biological Invasions Bursaries Application 2024 ” in your email subject line.

Documents Required

Applicants must provide copies of the following required supporting documents along with their filled cover sheet. The submission of these materials is mandatory; failure to include any of them may result in disqualification of your application.

Certified copy of your ID document.
Certified copy of your academic record for courses studied.
Certified copy or certified translation (if required) of your highest qualification completed.
A comprehensive Curriculum Vitae.
Two reference letters from academic supervisors.
A statement of support from a SANBI staff member who will serve as a contact or co-supervisor.
A statement of support from a prospective academic supervisor.
For Honours applicants: A one-page project outline.
For Honours applicants: A provisional letter of acceptance from the university.
For Masters and Doctoral applicants: A two-page project outline.

NOTE:

Submission of the mentioned documents is a mandatory requirement. In case any of these items are absent, your application may face disqualification.
Ensure that all supporting documents are properly named and ideally consolidated into a single PDF file, which should also include the cover sheet.
Please note that the total email size should not exceed 11 MB.

Closing Date

The application deadline is 3 November 2023 (at 16:00).

Applications submitted after this cutoff date will not be taken into consideration. Kindly ensure that your application is sent before the closing date.

Contact Details

For any inquiries related to this bursary programME, please reach out to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) directly:

Contact person for application process queries: Ms. René du Toit
Email: r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za

Contact person for academic queries: Prof. John Wilson
Email: jrwilson@sun.ac.za

Please do not send any questions after the closing date. View our other bursaries/scholarships open for application here: https://allbursaries.co.za/notice/

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