TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship

Applications are being received for the TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. This fellowship program has been established by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and TWAS. The program is for foreign scholars from developing countries in the South who wish to pursue research toward a PhD or postdoctoral research in the field of the natural and related applied sciences, in departments and laboratories of public and private universities of Türkiye and TÜBİTAK Research Centers and Institutes.

The Fellowship is offered for a sandwich research visit for PhD students from developing countries who are registered for a PhD in their home country or another developing country (other than Turkey). Candidates must have passed the PhD qualifying exam or be in an advanced stage of their PhD. In this regard, they will have to submit a letter from their Ph.D. thesis advisor which confirms that s/he is fully engaged in the research laboratory work for their Ph.D. thesis.

TWAS will be responsible for providing travel support to Turkey and from Turkey to the researchers’ home / living country and will also cover visa related expenses. TÜBİTAK will be responsible for a monthly allowance to cover accommodation and living expenses and medical facilities for minor ailments as available in Turkey at amounts to be specified by TÜBİTAK. The study fees, including tuition, registration and research costs, should be waived or covered by the host institutes. The language of instruction is English.

Program Details

• Host Institution: Partner Turkish Universities and research institutions in Turkey. Please find more details below.
• Eligible Fields: Please see more details below.
• Number of Awards: Not specified.
• Duration: For a minimum period of 6 months to a maximum period of 12 months.
• Target group: Please find the full list below.

TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship Benefits

The TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship will provide the following benefits to successful candidates:

1. Travel support to Turkey and from Turkey to researchers’ home country
2. Visa related expenses
3. Monthly allowance to cover accommodation and living expenses and medical facilities for minor ailments as available in Turkey
4. The study fees, including tuition, registration and research costs, are waived or covered by the host institutes.

Eligible countries

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep., Chad, Chile, China, Taiwan, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep., Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Kingdom of, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon,

Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Equatorial, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Isl. Rep., Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, State of,

Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Republic of Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Eligible Fields for the TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship

Eligible fields under the TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship are the following:

1. Agricultural Sciences
2. Structural, Cell & Molecular Biology
3. Biological Systems & Organisms
4. Medical & Health Sciences, including Neurosciences
5. Chemical Sciences
6. Engineering Sciences
7. Astronomy, Space & Earth Science
8. Mathematical Sciences
9. Physics
10. Computing and Information Technology.

Host Institutions and TÜBİTAK Research Centers

Please click here to see a list of public and private universities in Turkey. In addition, TÜBİTAK Research Centers and Institutes’ names and links are available from the following links:

• TÜBİTAK MAM
• TÜBİTAK BİLGEM
• TÜBİTAK UZAY
• TÜBİTAK SAGE
• TÜBİTAK RUTE
• TÜBİTAK UME
• TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE
• TÜBİTAK TBAE
• TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM
• TÜBİTAK National Observatory
• TÜBİTAK BUTAL.

TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship Eligibility

To apply for this program to study in Turkey, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be permanent residents and nationals of a developing country in the South (click here to see the list).
• Candidates from Science and Technology Lagging countries (STLC) and women are especially encouraged to apply. For the list of STLC, please see https://twas.org/66-countries. Developing countries that are not in the list are also eligible to apply.
• Must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in Turkey or any developed country;
• Provide an official Acceptance Letter (using the template below) from an eligible department, institution or laboratory of a public or private university in Turkey, or TÜBİTAK Research Centers and Institutes.
• Requests for acceptance must be directed to the chosen host institution(s) in Turkey, and NOT to TÜBİTAK. Without preliminary acceptance, the application will not be considered for selection. The acceptance letter must be signed by the highest authority of the chosen host institute. The maximum number of academic advisors in Turkey can be 2 (two).
• Provide the Research proposal form prepared in the format determined by TÜBİTAK (using the template below);
• Provide evidence of proficiency in English if the medium of education was not English: provide evidence in English, e.g. standardized test card (TOEFL, IELTS etc.) or a University-issued letter certifying the knowledge of the language. If the medium of education was English, please write a brief statement indicating what type of education was in English, e.g. high school, BSc or MSc degrees, this statement must be signed and dated by the applicant;
• Not take up other assignments during the period of her/his fellowship;
• Be financially responsible for any accompanying family members;
• Not have previously received or been awarded a fellowship under this programme;
• Must return to her/his home country upon completion of the fellowship.

Furthermore, applicants must meet the following requirements whether they are applying for the Postgraduate or Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

For Postgraduate Fellowship Applicants

• Applicants already onsite in the host country (Turkey) are not eligible to apply for this fellowship;
• Hold a master’s or equivalent degree in natural and related applied sciences (in one of the fields specified above);
• Be a maximum age of 35 years on 31 December of the application year;
• By the deadline date of the application, having registered for a doctoral in natural and related applied sciences (in the fields specified in the call text), in a higher education institution in the home country or another developing country. S/he must have successfully passed the PhD qualifying exam or be in an advanced stage of their PhD research in natural and related applied sciences (in the fields specified in the call text). Applicants must certify this criterion with an official Registration & No Objection Certificate (using the template below). This document must be issued within three months before the application date, and it should also mention briefly the timeline and research work planned;

For Postdoctoral Fellowship Applicants

• Be employed in a developing country (other than the host country) and hold a research assignment there. Applicants must provide a Supporting Statement from the head/director of the applicant’s current employer according to the format of TÜBİTAK (see sample that can be downloaded below or from TÜBİTAK’s online application website). The supporting statement is to support the candidate’s application and prove that s/he will be given leave if awarded.
• Hold a PhD degree in natural and related applied sciences (in one of the fields specified above);
• Be a maximum age of 45 years on 31 December of the application year;
• Candidates who received their PhD from a university in Turkey are required to receive an acceptance letter from a university other than the one where they received their doctorate degree, and carry out their research with an academic advisor(s) other than their doctoral thesis advisor.

Similar opportunities

1. ANSO Scholarship for International Students in China;
2. Ghent University PhD Scholarship for Developing Countries;
3. Mohamed Bin Zayed University Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence.

How to Apply for the TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship

Eligible candidates for this scholarship program, must follow the given instructions below:

1. To be able to submit the online application form to TÜBİTAK via TYBS, candidates must first create a profile on the platform of the TÜBİTAK Researcher Information System (ARBİS) that is available here
2. ALL applications to the Fellowship must be submitted online only via the TÜBİTAK online application system that is available through the TYBS System

Information about researchers and academic advisors in Turkey must be up-to-date in the Researcher Information System (ARBIS) before applying online via TYBS. Applicants must be aware that TÜBİTAK and TWAS will not accept applications submitted by any other means except via the online application form.

No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Therefore, it is recommended to submit your electronic application as soon as possible. Queries concerning the submission of applications via the online portal of TÜBİTAK should be directed to [email protected]

Application Documents

• host acceptance letter template
• research proposal form template
• registration and no objection certificate template.

The deadline to apply for this program is December 16, 2024. For more details on the TWAS-TÜBİTAK Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Fellowship program, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.