Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) ISO LOMSO Fellowship Program 2023- South Africa |Fully-Funded

Certainly, the future awaits those who seek out opportunities and run with them. Stellenbosch Institute For Advanced Study (STIAS) has begun accepting applications for the ISO LOMSO fellowship program for Africans. This fellowship is for African scholars that have gotten their doctoral degree within the space of seven years and hold an academic position in the university or research institute in any African country.

 

ISO LOMSO means ‘the eye of tomorrow’ in isiXhosa. Seeing and laying the future for tomorrow. Again, if you want to apply, you must be sure to have completed your doctorate degree or an equivalent. Also, you must have established a research program.

 

The ISO LOMSO fellowship program gives candidates a three-year attachment to STIAS to enable the successful candidates to develop and conduct a long-term research program of their choice. This is mainly to facilitate and support the researchers to become established scholars in their respective fields.

 

Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS)

 

Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Universiteit Stellenbosch in Afrikaans) is a public school known for its research methods. It is located in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch was founded in 1918, it is the oldest University in South Africa. More so, it is the oldest extant University in Sub-Sahara. The University designed and manufactured Africa’s first microsatellite which was launched in 1999.

 

Additionally, Stellenbosch was the first African University to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to knowledge in Sciences and Humanities. It boasts of a computerized library that is scattered around the campus and even outside the main facility.

 

They also have several satellite libraries that are serving the different faculties in the school. The University has a botanical garden, this botanical garden is the oldest botanical garden in South Africa. It also has a radio station known as MFM (Matie FM) located in the Nellie.

 

At the University, students are taught, allowed to write their assignments, take tests, and write their exams in either English language or Afrikaans. This University will host the ISO LOMSO fellowship program.

 

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be a national of any African country
• Be born after January 1, 1980
• Have an affiliate at research or higher education institute in an African country even in the future
• Must have obtained a doctoral degree from any recognized higher education institution (worldwide) after the 1^st of January 2015
• Completed a post-doctoral fellowship or equivalent post-PhD research program
• Be in a position to commence the first period of residency at STIAS between July 2023 and June 2023

 

Discipline:

• Any discipline is eligible to apply
• The application documents must be filled in the English language
• Candidates who are from non-Anglophone African countries will be permitted to carry out their research in their preferred language

 

Evaluation Criteria:

After filling out the form, selected candidates will be evaluated according to these criteria

Level: The candidate’s academic excellence and the originality and scholarly strength of the proposed research project

Innovation: The project’s promise of new insights and the potential to produce new knowledge

Interdisciplinarity: This is to check if the project methodology allows for drawing from different disciplines and its potential to facilitate an interdisciplinary discourse

Relevance: The project’s relevance for scholarship and knowledge production in Africa

Feasibility: Whether the research design and the research plan are convincing and realistic.

 

Additional consideration will be given to:

• Gender representation
• Diversity of nationalities
• Diversity of disciplines
• Participation in various or current research projects
• Previous international experience

 

Benefits:

What you will benefit from if selected for the ISO LOMSO fellowship program

• Economy return flight ticket
• Accommodation within walking distance from the institute.
• Individual offices are equipped with a PC, phone, and printer.
• Monthly stipend for daily living costs.
• Access to the Stellenbosch University library with high-speed internet connection.
• Participation in the regular STIAS fellows’ seminars, STIAS public lectures, daily lunch, and social events.
• A child care subsidy for candidates accompanied by young children while in residence.

 

Application:

Meanwhile, the following documents should all be in PDF format and must accompany your ISO LOMSO fellowship program application:

• A motivational cover letter of not more than one page in length. In essence, the letter should include a description of your academic career. Also, it should carry in detail, the ideas and experiences that have shaped and motivated your intellectual work.
• A pre-proposal for a three-year research project. Like, this should be a short essay of two to three which provides:

1. A summary of the applicant’s current research work
2. The main thesis of the proposed research project, including the problem statement and aim of the project
3. An overview of existing literature and other sources for the project.
4. The project’s theoretical background and methodological approach.
5. The significance or relevance of the project for African scholarship.
6. A provisional time framework with proposed periods of residency at STIAS, additional activities, and research output.

• One or two recent writing examples authored by the applicant (articles or book sections) related to the proposed projects.
• A copy of the applicant’s doctoral certificate.
• A letter of support from the applicant’s home institution (either from the head of the department, dean of faculty, principal of the college, or equivalent.
• Two letters of recommendation from scholars who are familiar with the applicant’s work, preferably, one from the applicant’s current home institution and one from another institution. Again, the letter should be printed on official institutional letterhead and should include the name of the recommender. Also, an indication of how long and in what capacity the recommender has known the applicant. An evaluation of the merit of the applicant’s proposed project and ability to complete the proposed project during three years.

Finally, the letters of recommendation will be confidential and should be sent by the recommender directly to

isilomso@sun.ac.za

Host country: South Africa

Closing date: February 15, 2023

Scholarship form:   

https://stias.ac.za/fellowships/iso-lomso/

STIAS 2023 is your opportunity to get funded for your research, see the world, and also work alongside experts and like minds in the actualization of your dreams and betterment of the African continent at large. Join the team of high-flying individuals and let your work speak for you.

Remember, we have your scholarship interests at heart so, we bring ongoing and new scholarships to your doorstep