The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation-South African Medical Research Council Capacity Development Programme

Building a vaccine R&D and manufacturing workforce for Africa

MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation Scholarships for pharmacy, health, life and allied sciences graduates

The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation (CSSFF) - South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Capacity Development Programme is a partnership aimed at training and building an Africa-based workforce for vaccine development, testing and manufacturing in Africa. The programme is geared to enhance Africa’s health and biotechnology human capital and to grow Africa’s workforce in vaccine manufacturing.

We are seeking applications from promising candidates for the CSSFF-SAMRC-UWC MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation Scholarship. The UWC master’s programme provides regulators and those working in the regulatory departments of pharmaceutical companies with the skills to lead the development, licensing, and ongoing pharmacovigilance of drugs in their countries. The programme comprises interactive online coursework (of 18 months) followed by an industry relevant research project and mini-thesis preparation (six (6) months). The average required time commitment per week is 10 to 12 hours dependent on a student’s prior knowledge of the subject and the time they wish to invest to successfully pass each module. The entry requirements for this MSc are:

• Four-year degree in pharmacy – [e.g., BPharm or BSc (Pharm)].
• Degree in medicine or allied discipline.
• Four-year degree in science (e.g., BSc Hons).
• Four-year degree in a non-scientific discipline plus three years’ work experience.
• Three-year degree in science plus three years’ work experience.
• Post Graduate Diploma in Regulatory Sciences delivered by FCD in partnership with UWC plus three years’ work experience.

More information on the MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation programme can be found here. For more details, please contact Prof Samuel Egieyeh at segieyeh@uwc.ac.za or +27 21 959 3388.

The CSSFF-SAMRC-UWC MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation Scholarship comprises:

• R195 000 for tuition over 2 years
• R160 000 stipend per annum only for unemployed candidates
• Once-off research project funds may be requested in year 2. Approval of project funds is dependent on budget availability.

Requirements for all applications

• Must be South African citizen, permanent resident and/or African planning to study in South Africa.
• Must intend to register for the MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation degree at the University of the Western Cape in 2025.
• Must meet the entry criteria for the degree.
• At the time of commencement of the award, applicants must be registered for or admitted to the master’s degree.
• The research project must fall within the industrial pharmacy, vaccine research, development and manufacturing areas.
• Applicants must provide a reference letter highlighting their suitability for the programme. 
• Applicants must provide a motivation letter stating their career objectives and how success in this programme will impact their career and include a curriculum vitae (cv) detailing their work experience and achievements.
• Additionally, employed applicants must provide a support letter from their employer: i) describing how the applicant will be supported to complete the degree; ii) confirming that the applicant will be granted protected time for the duration of the degree; and iii) indicating the percentage of time per week secured by the applicant for their studies.
• In year two, all awarded candidates will be required to provide a title and abstract for the intended industry-based research project that the candidate will be working on and indicate the availability of project funds.

How to apply

Opening date: 13 September 2024
Closing date:  24 October 2024, 23:59 SAST

Application process

Application steps below must be completed before or by 24 October 2024, 23:59 SAST.

• Step 1 - Complete the online application form.
• Step 2 - Upload all the required supporting documents.

Please use the checklist below to ensure that you have submitted all necessary supporting documents.

RFA documentation

• Kindly view the 2024 RFA MSc Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation Scholarship guidelines.pdf (samrc.ac.za) for full details of the call, eligibility and application process.
• Link to online application Scholarship Application (samrc.ac.za)

The South African Medical Research Council reserves the right to disqualify ineligible, incomplete, unresponsive and/or inappropriate applications, change the conditions of the award, extend the closing date, or make no awards at all. Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted after completion of the review, selection, and approval processes. Should you not hear from the SAMRC by 31 December 2024, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

For enquiries on the submission process please contact Dr Lindokuhle Ndlandla at Lindokuhle.Ndlandla@mrc.ac.za/Tel. 021 938 0442.