The MRC offers Masters and Doctoral scholarships for full-time study in the health sciences annually to students who have already obtained an honours degree and who wish to obtain postgraduate training in health research.

Health Priority Areas
Your project should fall within a Health Priority Area. Please refer to Annexure A to identify the most appropriate Health Priority Area to assign your project to.

Who will be considered for this scholarship?

Masters scholarships: In order to be awarded a Masters scholarship, candidates must have obtained an honours degree and shown potential for developing into a researcher.

Doctoral scholarships: A doctoral scholarship is considered on the basis of the candidate’s study record and the relevance and scientific merit of the project. The university at which the candidate will be registered must confirm that the candidate has been accepted for doctoral study.

Submission of applications

A full academic record must accompany the application.

An applicant must consult beforehand with the research supervisor under whose supervision the research will be carried out, as well as the supervisor at the university where s(he) will register.

The completed application form must be submitted to the university’s administrative office where the student will register. The administrative office will submit the application forms to the MRC.

Progress reports must be submitted with all applications for renewals.

  • MRC scholarships are tenable for one year only. Scholarship holders who wish to be considered for a further year of support must, therefore, apply for renewal of the scholarship.
  • Masters scholarships are renewable for a second year of study.
  • Doctoral scholarships are renewable for a second and third year of study.
  • Where an applicant upgrades from Masters to Doctoral studies, s(he) will qualify for a maximum of four years of funding.

The MRC’s closing date for applications (including renewals) is 30 September. Prospective applicants must please note that each institution has its own closing date which is earlier than that of the MRC.

Ethical Code

The attention of all persons holding MRC scholarships is drawn to the MRC’s publication Ethics Guidelines for Medical Research. A copy is obtainable from the MRC, free of charge.

Conditions

  • Candidates must be South African citizens or in possession of a permanent residence permit issued by the state department concerned before the application will be considered.
  • Scholarship holders may undertake teaching duties to a maximum of 9 hours per week.
  • Scholarship holders may not receive, concurrently with a MRC scholarship, other bursaries, grants or remuneration which bind them to enter the service of any organisation.
  • Candidates may not hold a bursary from more than one statutory science council at any given time.
  • Scholarship holders may not receive, concurrently with MRC scholarships, other non-binding remuneration/fellowships and grants without prior approval from the MRC.
  • Scholarship holders may not, without obtaining the MRC’s prior approval, register at a university other than that through which the application has been submitted.
  • Candidates in full-time employment will not be considered for a scholarship.
  • Should a scholarship holder not successfully complete his/her studies (three years for master’s and five years for doctoral studies), the MRC reserves the right to recover such payments from the holder of the scholarship.

Agreement

Successful applicants will be required to enter into an agreement with the MRC to complete their studies within the specified time.

Publications

Where the results of research undertaken with the aid of a MRC grant (whether wholly or partially), are published as theses or in some other form, acknowledgement of the support received from the MRC, must be made in the publication.

A reprint of each publication or one copy of a thesis should be forwarded to the MRC, PO Box 19070, TYGERBERG, 7505.

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