ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – SANBI
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) was first established in 2004 in accordance with the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act under the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.
SANBI’s main aim is to conduct research and decimation of information pertaining to biodiversity as well as contribute to the country’s management of biodiversity resources. SANBI is also responsible for partaking in ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration. This ensures that the country’s National Botanical and Zoological gardens enhance the country’s biodiversity for educational and entertainment purposes.
ABOUT THE SANBI BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
SANBI is inviting students to apply for the Biological Invasion Bursary, for the 2025 academic year.
The bursary will be awarded for Honours, Masters and Doctoral projects relevant to SANBI’s focus areas (status report and monitoring; incursion detection and response planning; eradication planning and co-ordination; risk analysis; and taxonomy). Bursary recipients will conduct research as part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s work on biological invasions.
Candidates can view the list of SANBI potential projects here (if you would like to conduct studies towards another research project area, please contact SANBI to verify if your proposal is suitable).
MORE ABOUT THE SANBI BURSARY PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE
Awarding of the bursary is on condition that students successfully register in to an approved programme at university.
SANBI will be awarding the following bursaries:
- 1 bursary for Honours studies, valued at R60 000 plus fees
- 3 bursaries for Masters studies, valued at R115 000 plus fees
- 4 bursaries for Doctoral studies, valued at R161 000 plus fees
The bursary may cover the cost of registration of part-time studies or running costs of other projects, if the project is strongly aligned to SANBI’s mandate and all documents are provided.
Bursary funds are paid directly to the student and academic fees are paid directly to the host institution on receipt of an invoice.
Masters and Doctoral applicants may be considered for a 1 year project development internship, if they are unlikely to complete their studies within the allocated period of time. Project development interns will be required to re-apply for a bursary the following year.
MORE ABOUT THE SANBI BURSARY PROGRAMME – SELECTION
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 28 working days after of the closing date – if you do not receive any feedback within this time frame, please regard your application as unsuccessful. SANBI reserves the right not to award bursaries if no suitable candidates are selected.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SANBI BURSARY
Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):
- You must be a South African citizen
- You must be registered to study towards a postgraduate (Honours, Masters or Doctoral) qualification, in one of the approved research projects areas
- You must be registered to study at a recognised university in South Africa
- You must be enthusiastic, pro-active, and keen to conduct research that will help improve understanding and management of biological invasions
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SANBI BURSARY
Download and complete the SANBI Biological Invasions Bursary 2025 Cover Sheet (.docx)
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed cover sheet (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
- ID document (certified copy)
- Academic record for courses studied (certified copy)
- Highest qualification completed (certified copy/ certified translation if required)
- Full Curriculum Vitae
- 2 reference letters from academic supervisors
- Statement of support from a prospective academic supervisor
- Statement of support from a SANBI staff member who is to act as a contact or co-supervisor
- Honours applicants: 1 page project outline
- Masters and Doctoral applicants: 2 page project outline
Applications must be submitted via email to: students@sanbi.org.za AND sanbi.dbi.bursaries@gmail.com
(Insert the words “SANBI Biological Invasion Bursary Application” in the email subject line).
Application notes:
- The submission of the above documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified.
- All supporting documents should be named correctly and preferably compiled into 1 single pdf document (including the cover sheet).
- The total email size must not be more than 20MB.
CLOSING DATE FOR THE SANBI BURSARY
1 November 2024.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER
For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) directly:
Academic queries:
Contact person: Prof John Wilson
Email: jrwilson@sun.ac.za
Application queries:
Contact person: Ms René du Toit
Email: r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za
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