The HPI Fellowships in Digital Health are jointly run by the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Hasso Plattner Institute, through UCT’s School of Information Technology (SIT) and School of Public Health (SPH). Each year they fund a new group of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from the African continent to carry out research at the meeting point of computing and health. Work spans health information systems, electronic health records, AI in healthcare, data governance, natural language processing, and community health interventions. Fellows are based on campus in Cape Town and work with UCT supervisors across the two schools. The aim is to build African research capacity in digital health.
Benefits & funding
- PhD students: registration and tuition fees covered, plus a stipend of ZAR 262,200 per year (about ZAR 21,850 per month).
- Postdoctoral fellows: ZAR 300,000 – 380,000 per year, set according to experience.
- One-off equipment allowance of up to ZAR 28,500.
- Conference travel support of up to ZAR 38,000 per year.
- Funding runs for up to 3 years, subject to degree requirements and satisfactory progress.
Eligibility
- Open to qualifying students from the African continent.
- PhD applicants: hold a Master’s degree in computer science, information systems or a related IT field (for SIT), or in epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems or health economics (for SPH).
- Postdoctoral applicants: hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field.
- English proficiency: TOEFL 570+ (paper) / 230+ (computer), or IELTS 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each section — waived for applicants educated in English.
- Prior peer-reviewed publications and an interest in teaching are viewed favourably.
Can you apply?
Worth a closer look
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Eligible nationalities
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · DR Congo
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Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
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Education required
Master · PhD
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We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Prepare a single PDF containing a 2–3 page CV, academic transcripts, English test scores, and a 2–3 page research proposal naming intended UCT supervisors.
- 2Submit via the UCT application form before the deadline.
- 3Shortlisted candidates provide three reference letters and take part in a video interview after the deadline.
Program timeline
15 August 2026
Application deadline for the 2027 cohort
After the deadline
Reference letters and video interviews for shortlisted candidates
Successful fellows begin their studies
February 2027