The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) is a consortium of six African and two northern partner institutions, and nine collaborating institutions with the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg as the Lead Institution. SSACAB II has received funding through the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training, and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa) program. DELTAS Africa is an initiative of the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) with funding support of Wellcome Trust and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The funding aims to develop and improve biostatistical skills among researchers in order to create biostatistical research nodes of excellence and a network to nurture researchers with advanced skills and expertise.
The Consortium is inviting applications for full-time MSc scholarships in Biostatistics for the 2024 academic year. The financial support provided by the scholarships aims to enhance biostatistical capacity and increase the number of researchers and practitioners in SubSaharan Africa. Biostatistics is a growing field in Sub-Saharan Africa due to increased biomedical data for population health and research and the need for quantitative analytical skills.
Benefits
The MSc scholarships will cover the following for selected fellows in the 2024 academic year:
- Tuition fees and basic medical insurance.
- A monthly stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses.
- Reasonable support for the MSc research project and supervision.
- Travel costs to and from the academic training institution and the host research institution
Requirements
- MSc scholarships are open to candidates with a strong background in Statistics, Mathematics, Demography, and other quantitative fields. Additionally, the following are also encouraged to apply:
- (1) Competent candidates from the health science fields, such as biomedical sciences, pharmacy, and medicine who may benefit from a postgraduate course in biostatistics.
- (2) Candidates who have completed their masters’ coursework and require support with their research component.
- Eligible applicants should have applied for a place at either the partner or collaborating institutions offering postgraduate biostatistics degree programs.
- The scholarship is open to nationals of low and middle-income countries in the Sub-Saharan African region who are resident in the region as per World Bank definition
- Applicants should be under 35 years of age to qualify for the MSc program. Applicants
- Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the respective universities offering the MSc degree before applying for the fellowship
Documents Required for Application
Applications must provide the academic training institution with:
- A comprehensive curriculum vitae including relevant research and work experience
- Letter of motivation explaining why you want to pursue an MSc in biostatistics
- Certified copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
- Evidence of acceptance or application to study Biostatistics at a partner institution in 2024 academic year
- Two confidential referee reports should be sent directly to the training institution
Method of Application
The application process is two-fold:
- Applicants should first apply for places at their preferred host training institution. Contact information for each institution and their respective Institutional Leads is provided below.
- Separate written applications for the DELTAS Africa SSACAB II scholarship should be sent to Dr. Pascalia Munyewende: pascalia.munyewende@wits.ac.za and copied to Prof. Eustasius Musenge: eustasius.musenge@wits.ac.za
Applications must provide the academic training institution with:
- A comprehensive curriculum vitae including relevant research and work experience
- Letter of motivation explaining why you want to pursue an MSc in biostatistics
- Certified copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
- Evidence of acceptance or application to study Biostatistics at a partner institution in 2024 academic year
- Two confidential referee reports should be sent directly to the training institution
For more Information,
Visit the Official Webpage
Application Deadline: July 31, 2023
