TWAS-ICCBS Postgraduate Fellowship Programme 2025 for young scientists from developing countries

Application Deadline: 14 August 2025 (midnight CEST time).

Applications are now open for the 2025 TWAS-ICCBS Postgraduate Fellowship Programme. The International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) — comprising the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry and the Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular and Drug Research in Karachi, Pakistan — and TWAS offer fellowships to young scientists from developing countries (other than Pakistan) who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in chemical and biological sciences.

Programme Details

• TWAS-ICCBS Postgraduate Fellowships are tenable at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) – comprising the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry and the Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular and Drug Research – for studies leading to a PhD degree in the following fields: organic chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular medicine, pharmacology, physical chemistry or analytical chemistry.
• Applicants must be registered for a PhD degree in their home country (SANDWICH option) in order to apply for the fellowship.
• The Fellowship may be granted for a minimum period of 6 months and a maximum period to be decided with ICCBS.
• ICCBS will provide a monthly stipend which should be used to cover living costs, such as food, accommodation, local transportation and incidental minor illness. The monthly stipend will not be convertible into foreign currency.
• The language of instruction is English.

Eligibility

Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

• be a maximum age of 35 years on 31 December of the application year.
• hold a Master’s degree in a field of natural sciences;
• be nationals of a developing country (other than Pakistan);
• must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in Pakistan or any developed country;
• provide a certificate of good health from a qualified medical doctor;
• be registered PhD students in their home country and provide the “Registration and No Objection Certificate” from the HOME university (see sample that can be downloaded below or included in the online application form);
• provide an official Preliminary Acceptance Letter from ICCBS (see sample preliminary acceptance letter that can be downloaded below or included in the online application form). Requests for acceptance must be directed to the Director of ICCBS (Prof. Dr. Raza Shah at raza.shah@iccs.edu or protocol.iccbs@iccs.edu) who will facilitate assignment of a host supervisor. In contacting Prof. Dr. Raza Shah, applicants must accompany their request for a preliminary acceptance letter with copy of their CV and a research proposal outline and two reference letters;

Application Procedure:

• The deadline for receipt of applications is 14 August 2025 (midnight CEST time).
• Applicants must submit an Acceptance Letter from ICCBS when applying, or by the deadline at the latest. Without preliminary acceptance the application will not be considered for selection
• Reference letters must be on letter-headed paper and SIGNED.
• Please be advised that applicants may apply for only one programme per calendar year in the TWAS and OWSD portfolio. Applicants will not be eligible to visit another institution in that year under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes. One exception: The head of an institution who invites an external scholar to share his/her expertise under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes may still apply for another programme.
• Applications can only be accepted via the online portal using the apply now button at the bottom of this page. A tutorial on how to use the online application form is available below for download.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the TWAS-ICCBS Postgraduate Fellowship Programme