PhD Fellowships for Therapeutic Innovations in Africa (CDT-Africa)
Background
The Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) is a regional (Africa) center of excellence that supports capacity development for therapeutic discovery in Africa. By therapeutic, all relevant therapeutic innovations are included: medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and complex interventions (behavioural interventions and health service implementations). CDT-Africa is supported by the World Bank and the government of Ethiopia and hosted by Addis Ababa University.
Programs for PhD fellowships
CDT-Africa supports PhD fellowships through full or partial scholarships in the following programs:
Pharmacology Mental Health Epidemiology Public Health Microbiology Immunology and Parasitology
Pharmaceutics Tropical and Infectious Diseases Biochemistry
For 2017, full scholarship will be offered for up to ten exceptional regional female PhD fellows and up to five exceptional regional male PhD fellows. Fellowship status will be subject to regular reviews. Other successful candidates (up to a maximum of 15) will be offered partial scholarships, which will support tuition fee, research projects and for a 1-3 months internship of an approved programme of work in an international training institution.
Successful applicants from national institutions will be offered partial scholarships except under special circumstances, e.g., an extraordinary applicant lacking institutional support. All PhDs to be undertaken have to be directly relevant to therapeutic innovations; i.e., should be related directly to discoveries of therapeutics or should improve understanding of mechanisms of how interventions work or do not work.
PhD plans of fellows will be evaluated for relevance in relation to therapeutics. We therefore encourage interested applicants to discuss with potential mentors and CDT-Africa about their plans before applying. All fellows are expected to defend their PhD proposal within 18 months of being accepted into the programme and to complete their PhD within a maximum of four years.
Progress will be reviewed regularly and continuation of funding will be subject to satisfactory progress by CDT-Africa and the training programme. In addition to their regular PhD programme, fellows will also have training in cross-cutting and transferrable skills facilitated by CDT-Africa. Students already registered in a PhD programme will not be considered.
Eligibility criteria
The applicant has to meet the requirements of Addis Ababa University entry into a PhD programme as well as the requirements of CDT-Africa. There will also be an interview process in which the School running the programme and CDTAfrica team members will participate. Applicants from overseas (other African countries) will be interviewed by phone or Skype. Successful overseas students are expected to have the required visa and to have their qualifications approved in Ethiopia.
Priority institutions
Although all institutions within Ethiopia and the whole of the Africa region are eligible to apply for the scholarship, priority is
given to the following institutions that are active partners of CDT-Africa:
Ethiopia institutions
Addis Ababa University
Bahir Dar University
Debre Tabor University
Jimma University
Mekelle University
University of Gondar
Regional institutions
Makerere University
Mbarara University
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
University of Malawi
University of Zambia
Application deadline for 2017 entry Application document (CV, concept note for PhD thesis, official transcript, and copies of diploma, etc) must be submitted in
electronic copy to the following address before May 30, 2017:
Dr Anteneh Belete
CDT-Africa Training Lead antbeletes@yahoo.com or anteneh.belete@aau.edu.et
Dr Abebaw Fekadu
CDT-Africa Center Leader abebaw.fekadu@aau.edu.et
Tigist Eshetu
Research Coordinator Tigi.eshetu@yahoo.com