ABOUT THE COMPANY – BM-NHSP

We (sagist.co.za team) are pleased to inform you about Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme (BM-NHSP) South Africa 2025-2026   /read full details

The Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme (BM-NHSP) is an initiative by the National Health Research Committee (NHRC) which aims to fund the train 1000 PhDs students over the next decade, in the health and clinical research. The BM-NHSP Programme is in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the Public Health Enhancement Fund (PHEF).

ABOUT THE BM-NHSP BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED & COVERAGE VALUE

The Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme (BM-NHSP) are inviting PhD students to apply for funding. The purpose of the programme includes these 4 priority research areas: Rural Health, Mental Health, Digital Health and Violence, Injury and Trauma.

Students who have completed a MBChB or Master’s degree and are in the 2nd year of PhD studies, in these specialized fields may apply:

• Biostatistics
• Data Science
• Demography
• Digital Health
• Epidemiology
• Genomics/ Bioinformatics
• Health Economics
• Immunology

The bursary will provide funding for the full duration of the degree, as a full-time tax-free scholarship. The bursary value is dependent on the applicants after-tax take-home pay, in line with the public service professional scales of the qualification. The scholarship amount will remain fixed for the duration of the studies, based on the benchmarking process.

MORE ABOUT THE BM-NHSP BURSARY PROGRAMME – CONDITIONS

Conditions of the scholarship:
1) Scholars must spend a minimum of 90% of their time conducting research.
2) Scholars may NOT spend more than 10% of the time on teaching and clinical activities.
3) Scholars may NOT receive any other bursary/ scholarship/ grant/ remuneration while in receipt of the BM-NHSP award, which may require them to undertake services at another organisation.
4) Scholars may NOT be in receipt of more than 1 bursary from a South African Government statutory entity, at a time.
5) Scholars may NOT receive any other other non-binding remuneration/ fellowships or grants while in receipt of the BM-NHSP award.
6) Scholars may NOT register at any other university other than the one through which the application has been submitted, without approval from SAMRC’s Division of Research Capacity Development.
7) Scholars may NOT change their supervisor without informing the SAMRC’s Division of Research Capacity Development.
8) Supervisors will be required to submit progress reports every 6 months.
9) Scholars will be considered for renewal of funding every year, based on academic performance.
10) Scholars will be required to sign an agreement with the SAMRC to complete studies within the allocated time period.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BM-NHSP BURSARY

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

• You must be a South African citizen OR a South African permanent resident
• You must have completed a MBChB or a Master’s degree qualification
• You must be registered for full-time studies as a PhD student (preferably in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year)
• You must be registered to study at a South African university
• You must have an official PhD research proposal approved
• You must have written commitment of participation from an experienced research supervisor willing to train you for the entire course of the degree
• Preference will be given to under-represented designated groups, institutions, and under researched priority research areas (where applicable)

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE BM-NHSP BURSARY

Applications must be submitted online at for the Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme
The following documents must be submitted electronically via email to: Colleen.Vanwyk@mrc.ac.za
(Insert the words “BM-NHSP Application – Your Full Name” in the email subject line).

The submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application be disregarded:

• South African ID document (certified by a Commissioner of Oath)
• Motivational letter demonstrating your suitability for the programme and how receiving the award will positively impact your career (1 page)
• Abridged Curriculum Vitae with a full list of research outputs within the last 7 years, as well as other meritorious achievements
• Official letter stating first date of registration for the degree to be funded
• Proof of ethics clearance
• Support letter outlining availability of research funding or running cost
• PhD proposal aligned with the priority research areas, and an abstract outlining the following: rationale, design, feasibility, plans for research translation, information dissemination and potential impact of the proposed research project (2 pages)
• Official letter of approval for final version of your research proposal
• Letter from host institution detailing your career plan after completing the PhD (1 page)
• Supervisor’s abridged track record with publications, grants and experience in research supervision of PhD students, and signed commitment form (3 pages)
• Most recent payslip (not older than 3 months)

CONTACT THE BM-NHSP BURSARY PROVIDER

For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) directly:
Contact person 1: Dr Lindokuhle Ndlandla
Tel: 021 938 0442
Email: Lindokuhle.Ndlandla@mrc.ac.za

Contact person 2: Ms Colleen Van Wyk
Email: Colleen.Vanwyk@mrc.ac.za
Tel: 021 938 0384

Please do NOT contact the SAMRC if this bursary has already closed. View our other bursaries open for application here: https://www.zabursaries.co.za/bursary-news/