African Centre for Crop Improvement Scholarships for Young African Crop Scientists

African Centre for Crop Improvement :
ACCI Scholarships

Course(s) Offered: Agriculture
Course Level: Graduate (PhD)
Provider: ACCI
Country to Study in: South Africa

Scholarship Description
The African Centre for Crop Improvement, ACCI, at the University of KwaZulu - Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa offers the prestigious scholarship, African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) Scholarships, to young African scientists who are keen to make Plant Breeding their career.

The aim of the ACCI is to train African plant breeders, in Africa, on African crops. This involves 1 years of academic studies at the University of KwaZulu - Natal and 3 years of field research in the student home countries, at their home institution.

The crop that ACCI students breed are food security crop: Cereals, roots and tubers and legumes. Eligible applicants will be offered the African Centre for Crop Improvement Scholarships. Phase I was 2002 -2007; while Phase II was 2007-2011. Phase III of this program will be 2012-2018.

Eligibility
Applicants must:

1. Be under 40 years of age
2. Possess an MSc in either Plant Breeding, Plant Genetics, Plant Pathology, Crop Science or Horticultural Science or equivalent degree.
3. Have a position in their home country as an agricultural research scientist in a national agricultural research institution or NGO, or as a University lecturer.

Eligible groups
Selected African countries including: Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi or South Sudan.

Participating Institutions
The African Centre for Crop Improvement, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of KwaZulu - Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, South Africa

Fields of study
The ACCI aims to train African plant breeders in Eastern and Southern Africa, on African crops, to breed better crops using conventional and molecular breeding tools.

The focus is on the breeding of African and African grown Crops (cereals, roots and tubers and pulses) for increased drought tolerance and improved food security for the poor in Africa.

Number of awards
Not specified by provider

Sponsorship duration
The duration of degree program - 4 years

Scholarship benefits
An ACCI scholarship in Year One will cover all basic personal costs, including One return airfare, economy class, to South Africa for students from outside the South African borders.

In the 4th year of PhD registration, the students will return to campus in Pietermaritzburg for the final phase of writing up their PhD thesis. To cover this, the ACCI will cover the following: A return economy flight; Accommodation for a three (3) month period; and the costs of printing and binding of the thesis.

For the complete list of benefits, click here.

Method of Application
Applications from potential candidates should be in the form of : A CV containing clear contact details, including academic record; 3 references, one of whom should be the MSc supervisor; and A letter of motivation, including notes on the applicant's interest areas in plant breeding.

For complete application requirements and other details, please click here.

Applications to be sent to: acciadmin@ukzn.ac.za

DEADLINES:
The deadline date for application to the current call is 31 October, 2012

PLEASE NOTE:
Successful candidates would be eligible to begin their studies in January 2013

Application Deadline: 31 October 2012
Open to International students: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Scholarships in South Africa for International Students