DSI-CSIR Bursaries  Applications Apply Here

About DSI-CSIR

CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) is recognized as one of Africa’s leading research and development organizations, established in 1945. Approximately 10 percent of the total African research and development budget is estimated to be devoted to the CSIR. It is Africa’s largest and most important research and development organization.

Research and innovation are key components of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), which is committed to South African socioeconomic development. By working with various entities and programs, DSI strives to advance science and ensure the well-being of all people in South Africa.

DSI-CSIR Bursaries 2022

The DSI-CSIR bursary program aims at supporting the education of qualified applicants by offering them finances. It is an inter-bursary program between DSI and CSIR to support postgraduate students.

For the academic year 2023, student applications are invited for the DSI-CSIR IBS (Inter-Bursary Support) programme, by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

IBS will award a postgraduate bursary to study in the following areas:

• Biotechnology (Biopharming, Bio-catalysis, and Bio-processing )
• Aerospace
• Health
• Composites
• Microsystems Technology
• Information and Communications Technology
• Modelling and data science (cybersecurity, data science, biometrics, etc)
• Titanium (the manufacturing elements)
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) – (product and process development, Bioprospecting research)
• Photonics (laser welding and optics, fiber-optics, free space communication)

Additionally, the bursary will cover studies for Honours, fourth-year Engineering, or a postgraduate diploma in the following fields:

• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Majors in biotechnology and related fields
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Degrees in engineering and related fields (Aeronautical Engineering, Electronic, Metallurgical, Electrical and Computer, etc)
• ICT (Data Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, GIS, Information Systems Management, Computer Science, etc)
• Health (Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, etc)
• Physics
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
• Mathematical Statistics or Statistics
• Applied Mathematics or Pure Mathematics

In accordance with departmental strategies, the DSI established the Inter-Bursary Support (IBS) programme, which supports capacity development in key areas. As part of its mission to support these skills development, CSIR supports the bursary.

Bursary Coverage

Based on the student’s study level, a bursary will be awarded:

• Coverage up to R100 000 per year will be available to honours, fourth-year engineering and postgraduate diploma students.
• A maximum of R120 000 will be covered per year for Master’s students.
• A maximum of R140 000 is available per year for doctoral students.

Those receiving bursaries will also be given a one-time laptop allowance of R10 000.

After the closing date of the application, all applicants will receive feedback about their applications within 2 months. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not heard back by 4 October 2022.

DSI-CSIR Bursaries Requirements and Eligibility

There are a number of minimum entry requirements that applicants must satisfy before they can apply. You will not be considered for the bursary if you do not meet all of the following requirements:

• Applicants must be South African citizens or permanent residents of South Africa
• It is required that you are enrolled in, or intend to enroll in, a full-time postgraduate course of study in one of the above-listed fields of study.
• Studying or intending to study toward a degree aligned with specific research themes and technology streams will be required
• You must be enrolled or studying at a South African public university
• To make sure your application is supported by the supervisor, you must find an appropriate supervisor
• The applicant must not be employed full-time
• Students with disabilities or from underprivileged backgrounds will get more privilege 
• Honours applicants: Your age must not exceed 28 years, and in your last year of undergraduate study, you must have obtained an average of 65% for all major subject areas
• Masters applicants: Your age must not exceed 30 years, and in your final year or Honour’s level, you must have obtained an average of at least 65% for all the major subjects.
• Doctoral applicants: It is essential that you are under 32 years of age and have an average of at least 65% in your Master’s. 

Application Details

Application needs to be done online at DSI-CSIR Bursary Application 2022.

All applicants will receive an email confirmation after their application has been received.

Candidates must download and read the before applying.

Documents Required

With your online application, please send these supporting documents. All these documents are mandatory – if you don’t submit any, your application may be rejected:

• Document of identification (certified copy) if you are a South African citizen
• In the case of international students, a passport along with proof of permanent residence (certified copies) is required
• A certified copy of the university degree certificate
• University transcripts/records (on letterhead of the institution)
• Proof of enrollment or application to a university (on the letterhead of the institution)
• Detailed CV
• If you are applying for a Master’s or Doctoral degree, a recommendation letter from your supervisor is required
• Applicants who are successful will be required to submit an admission letter indicating full-time registration (if available).

Closing Date

The closing date of the application date is  04 August 2022 . In order to ensure consideration of your application, please submit it prior to the deadline. Applications received after this time will not be accepted.

Contact Information

You can contact the CSIR IBS team directly with any questions you may have about this bursary program:

Name of contact person: Justice Komane
Email address: hcd-interbursary@csir.co.za 

or contact the administrators of this bursary: Excel@Uni
Email: support@auraams.app

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

Don’t miss out on current updates, kindly like us on & follow us on Twitter account OR leave a comment below for further inquiries.