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Full details of the scholarships and the application process can be found on the application portal.

Eligibility criteria

Applications must meet all the following criteria:

  • Proposed scholarships must not commence before 1 September 2026.
  • Applicants must be early- to mid-career researchers, on a research career pathway.
  • Applicants must be permanently based in and studying or employed at an affiliated institution in a country that fits into one of the following categories – low-income economies; lower-middle-income economies; a limited number of upper-middle-income economies which have a high prevalence of HIV. See the full list of eligible countries below, as defined by the World Bank.
  • The maximum scholarship amount is £15,000 GBP. Applications that exceed this amount will be rejected. Please see submission guidelines below for detailed information about what can and cannot be funded.
  • Applicants must have the support of both the host and home institution (where applicable) prior to submitting an application.
  • Following the US government’s restrictions on and monitoring of international students, as well as its downgrading of support for international HIV-related research, we cannot sponsor placements at US institutions at the current time.
  • Previous scholarship recipients are not eligible to reapply.

Eligible countries

Low-income economies: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Republic of Yemen.

Lower-middle-income economies: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Arab Republic of Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Upper-middle-income economies with a high prevalence of HIV: Botswana, Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Namibia, South Africa, Thailand.
(Source: World Bank Country and Lending Groups; accessed 15 January 2025)

Note: before funding can be confirmed, successful applicants will be subject to ID verification and checks against registers for sanctions, anti-money laundering, politically exposed persons and adverse media.

Funding

We can fund:

  • Tuition fees for in-person or online course attendance.
  • Laboratory fees – lab fees are capped at £5,000 and must not exceed 40% of your total budget.
  • Shipping, consumables, and incidentals.
  • Travel, including flights, airport transfers, travel insurance and the cost of obtaining a visa.
  • Accommodation.
  • Subsistence for placements that include travel over 50km from your home institution.
  • Local travel during your placement.

We cannot fund:

  • Costs associated with your principal (home institution) course or employment.
  • Purchase of equipment, including laptops and phones.
  • Text books.
  • Subsistence costs for scholarships that do not require travel over 50km from your home institution.
  • Staff costs, including back-fill for your post or engagement of assistants.
  • Proposals submitted by a team of researchers – the funding is intended to strengthen the capacity of individual researchers.