12 Fully Funded Africa Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT: Climate and Development Doctoral Programme for African Scholars

Overview

The Africa Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships in Climate and Development at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa provide an opportunity for emerging African researchers. The four-year doctoral training programme is designed to develop scholars capable of addressing complex climate and development challenges. Rather than following a conventional independent research structure, the programme features a structured design:

• Year 1: Structured pre-doctoral coursework to establish a strong academic and methodological foundation.
• Years 2–4: Independent thesis research, supervision by relevant academic teams, and doctoral skills training.

For the 2027 intake, the programme will award 12 fully funded fellowships across 19 advertised research topics, covering areas such as climate adaptation, cities, health, energy, biodiversity, education, finance, agriculture, water, fisheries, and political economy.

Eligibility

• Citizenship: Open exclusively to citizens of African countries, including African citizens currently living outside the continent.
• Academic Qualification: Applicants must hold a completed Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to climate and development, matching the disciplinary requirements attached to the selected research topic.
• Age Limit: Applicants must be under 35 years old as of 1 February 2027.
• Application Limit: Each candidate may apply for only one of the 19 available research topics.
• UCT Admission: Successful fellowship candidates must subsequently apply for and secure formal PhD admission at the University of Cape Town.

Women, as well as candidates with lived experience of displacement or disability, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Benefits

The programme offers 12 fully funded four-year doctoral fellowships hosted through the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) at UCT.

How to Apply

Applicants must first select the single research topic that best matches their academic training and prepare the required application documents:

• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) of no more than five pages, including contact information for three referees (with at least one being the Master's dissertation supervisor).
• An academic or research writing sample.
• Academic transcripts for both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
• A letter of motivation tailored to the specific research topic.
• A copy of a national ID or passport.

Applications must be submitted through the official online application page.

Deadline

The application deadline is 15 October 2026 at 23:00 South African Standard Time (SAST).