CREATE PhD Programme for African Researchers 2025

The CREATE PhD Programme will provide 25 doctoral fellowships to UK professional body registered health professionals who will register for their PhD at one of the five UK Partner Institutions  and conduct their research at one of six African Partner Institutions. 

In addition, the CREATE PhD Programme will also recruit and support an equal number of fellows based in African partner countries (Uganda, The Gambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia) to undertake a PhD. The fellows from the African countries will have the choice to register their PhD in their home country or at one of the UK partner institutions.  It is generally expected that all fellows will spend approximately 2 years in the African partner country undertaking their research.

UK recruited fellows will be paired with the African PhD fellow in the same country where they will be based, to create a blended south-north cohort of fellows. All CREATE PhD Programme fellows, regardless of their source of recruitment, will be able to access a large supervisory pool, training and mentorship offered by the Programme.

• Table of Content
• About CREATE PhD Programme
• CREATE PhD Programme
• Aim and Benefits of CREATE PhD Programme
• Requirements for CREATE PhD Programme Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for CREATE PhD Programme
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About CREATE PhD Programme

CREATE PhD Programme

Aim and Benefits of CREATE PhD Programme

The programme will provide a stipend, research costs, PhD registration and cover training costs.

You will receive a highly prestigious PhD Training Fellowship, which includes:

• Dedicated support from the Project Management Group to support the application process and to provide oversight of your PhD. 

• Outstanding global health supervisory expertise across a broad range of research themes and academic disciplines including laboratory science, bioinformatics, epidemiology, biostatistics, implementation science, social science and anthropology, development geography, health economics and health policy.

• Access to African Partner Institutions spread across the continent in countries with different disease burdens and health systems and with exceptional research platforms providing rich research opportunities.

• Access to relevant postgraduate training courses to promote scientifically rigorous research, and  a rich programme of training and cohort activities.

• The Digital Global Health Academy, a modular research training programme, aimed at equipping fellows to be future global health leaders

• A centralised mentorship scheme as an additional support to the supervisory team.

• Peer-partnering of UK and African PhD fellows, sharing knowledge, ideas and training opportunities, building a mutually supportive community of fellows.

Requirements for CREATE PhD Programme Qualification

• African national
• Willing to be based in one of the Programme African Partner Institutions (linked to the PhD) for the duration of their PhD
• Requisite training required to undertake the PhD Project (as specified for each project)

Interview date, Process and Venue for CREATE PhD Programme

Applications for 2024

• Stage 1 Applications Open:  Monday 9th September 2024
• Stage 1 Webinar and Q&A:  Wednesday 9th October 2024 (time TBA) 
• Deadline for Stage 1 applications: Friday 8th November 2024 (23.59 GMT)
• Stage 1 outcomes communicated: mid-December 2024
• Deadline for Stage 2 application: Tuesday 18th March 2025 (23.59 GMT)  
• Interviews: 13th and 14th May 2025

Application Deadline

How to Apply

The PhD programme is open to all candidates who want to undertake research focused on the major global health challenges in Africa. This fellowship programme will provide a 3-year research PhD training fellowship. Candidates apply through a localised admissions process at one of the African Partner Institutions (API), but if awarded a fellowship can be registered at either the API or another institution (e.g. a UK institution) dependent on the individual circumstances of the award.

Candidates submit an application to their API of choice, for a particular pre-identified project, along with any other required documentation (please consult the local recruitment contact point and/or website for further information).

For more details, visit CREATE PhD Programme website.