CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - MSc DEGREE-SEEKING SCHOLARSHIPS - ROUND 2

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

MSc DEGREE-SEEKING SCHOLARSHIPS (24-MONTH RESEARCH MOBILITY)

• RAMDDA Project – Drug Design and Discovery

The RAMDDA (Research and Academic Mobility for Drug Design and Discovery in Africa) Project invites applications for FIVE (5) MSc degree-seeking research scholarships to support a two-year research mobility in advanced areas of drug design and discovery.

These scholarships aim to strengthen postgraduate research capacity, promote inter-institutional collaboration, and enhance advanced training in experimental and computational chemistry across Africa.

• Scholarship Duration
• Twenty-four (24) months per scholarship.
• After successful completion of the program, the candidates will receive MSc degree from the host institution. 

• Scholarship Benefits

Each scholarship includes:

• Monthly living allowance: EUR 890
• Full tuition fee coverage
• Health insurance for the full duration of the MSc programme
• The scholarship is awarded as a study grant and does not constitute an employment contract.
• Concurrent EU-funded scholarships are not permitted.
• Eligible Research Areas

Applicants must propose research aligned with the drug design and discovery directions pursued at each of the following participating institutions.

1. Botswana International University of Science and Technology (Palapye, Botswana): Organic Chemistry, including organic synthesis, natural product chemistry, and Bioinorganic Chemistry.
2. University of Ghana (Accra, Ghana): Organic Chemistry, including natural product chemistry
3. University of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa): Organic Chemistry, including organic synthesis, natural product chemistry, and phytochemistry.

Interdisciplinary proposals are welcome only if they are clearly focused on drug discovery applications.

• Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

1. Be African nationals and residents of an African country.
2. Conduct research relevant to drug design and discovery, and drug delivery.
3. Demonstrate that the proposed research will contribute to their MSc thesis.
4. Be able to undertake a full-time, 24-month research stay at the selected host institution.
5. Comply with the rules and regulations of admission of postgraduate students at each host university. Some host universities may request applicants to submit language test results (e.g., GRE, ILTES or TOFEL).
6. Applicants are not eligible to apply for a position in a university in the country of their origin (e.g., Ghanaians are not eligible to apply for UG and South Africans are not eligible to apply for UFS).

• Required Application Documents

A complete application must include:

☐ Completed RAMDDA Scholarship Application Form (see the Downloads page)

☐ Copy of Passport (only biodata pages)

☐ Research Proposal prepared strictly using the RAMDDA Proposal Template, not longer than 3 pages in total

☐ Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages)

☐ Academic transcripts

☐ Motivation letter (max. 1 page)

☐ Proof of Residence (National ID)

☐ Language Test Results (if available)

☐ Certificate of Work Experience (if available)

☐ List of Publications and conference presentations (If there are any) 

☐ Proof of belonging to a disadvantaged group (if applicable)

☐ All other documents you consider useful to evaluate your profile

• Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Applicant’s academic background, preparedness, and research potential,
• Scientific quality and feasibility of the proposed research,
• Relevance to drug design and discovery,
• Alignment with RAMDDA research objectives,
• Expected contribution to capacity building and collaboration,
• Full selection criteria can be found at www.ramdda.org,
• Please apply ONLY for UFS, UG and BIUST.

Applications from female candidates and under-represented groups are strongly encouraged.

• Application Submission

Submission method: use the RAMDDA application portal https://apply.ramdda.org/ 
Application opens on: June 11, 2026

Application closes on: July 25, 2026
Notification of results: on or before August 20, 2026

• Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

• Additional Information

For inquiries and additional information, visit www.ramdda.org or email to ramddaorg@gmail.com or admin@ramdda.org 

• About RAMDDA

RAMDDA is a collaborative academic mobility and research capacity-building project funded by the European Commission under the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility program, involving the University of Botswana, University of the Free State, Addis Ababa University, University of Ghana, Adama Science and Technology University, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, and University College Cork, aimed at advancing drug discovery, postgraduate training, and sustainable research partnerships in