The below steps are mandatory to enrol as a new local postdoctoral research fellow at UCT.

Step 1

The following is required reading: 

• PDRF-related policy documentation
• Enrollment Criteria and Eligibility for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town

Step 2

Once the above required reading and steps have been completed, you may follow the link to the new Postdoctoral Enrollment process via Peoplesoft. Listed documentation below will be required to be uploaded.

(Kindly note that enrollment process can be located on the 3rd page of Peoplesoft ) 

1. Certified copy of South African ID
2. MoA - Memorandum of Agreement
3. Full CV (to include a full list of publications)
4. PhD certificate or PhD submission of doctoral degree
5. Award letter from funder
6. Approved and signed Conditions of Award ( Advert of the Award) 

Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the required documentation to be uploaded on the new Enrollment process via Peoplesoft.

 Postdoctoral Administration Office

 email: pdocs@uct.ac.za

Tel: 021 650 5065

The below steps are mandatory to enrol as a new international postdoctoral research fellow at UCT.

Step 1

The following is required reading: 

• PDRF-related policy documentation
• Enrollment Criteria and Eligibility for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town

Step 2

As an international fellow you are required to apply for international clearance via the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO). Click here for a guide to the IAPO pre-registration process.

Step 3

Once the above required reading and steps have been completed,Once the above required reading and steps have been completed, you may follow the link to the new Postdoctoral Enrollment process via Peoplesoft. Listed documentation below will be required to be uploaded 

(Kindly note that enrollment process can be located on the 3rd page of Peoplesoft ) 

1. Certified copy of visa
2. Certified copy of passport
3. Medical insurance
4. MoA - Memorandum of Agreement
5. Full CV (to include a full list of publications)
6. PhD certificate or PhD submission of doctoral degree
7. Award letter from funder
8. Approved and signed Conditions of Award ( Advert of the Award) 

 Postdoctoral Administration Office

 email : pdocs@uct.ac.za

Tel: 021 650 5065

A document known as the "Conditions of Award" ensures that all applicants and candidates are subjected to the same criteria so that selection is free and fair. It clearly outlines the terms of reference for all fellowships available to postdoctoral researchers at the university. The head of department or fund holder must compile this document. It is then submitted to the Postgraduate Funding Office, where it will be approved by the deputy vice-chancellor of research and innovation. A copy of this document, as well as a copy of the advertisement, will be submitted by the PDRF Office in the Postgraduate Funding Office (PGFO) to the South African Revenue Services along with a request for tax exemption.

You must enter into a legally binding Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with UCT, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the faculty/host department. Such agreements will protect both parties and provide recourse to both parties in the event of a dispute or complaint. The MoA will ensure compliance with the University’s code of conduct, policies and conditions.

The MoU is a bilateral agreement between yourself and the principal investigator and provides a framework for the work to be done and a means of monitoring the agreed-upon expectations of both parties.

PDRFs are funded by several different sources, including the University's Research Committee (URC), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and a number of other external foundations and agencies.

Payment

An agreed-upon amount of your fellowship will be paid to you on completion of the MoA and once you're enrolled. The balance of the fellowship will be released to you at agreed-upon intervals during the year.

Payment is made by the PGFO and may take the form of 2 to 4 payments to your fee account, which can be transferred to your banking account at a later stage.

While you wait for the transfer of funds to your banking account, limited cash advances can be drawn via the PGFO. The balance of the fellowship will be paid in subsequent instalments once tax exemption has been received.

After receipt of the fellowship, any balance on your University account will be your sole responsibility and UCT will not take responsibility for offsetting any outstanding balance at the end of your tenure.

Tax exemption

These fellowships are non-taxable, unless they comply with the guidelines for "open scholarships" as set out by the South African Revenue Services (SARS). In essence, this means that:

• fellowships must be granted without fringe benefits
• no services are required of the successful candidate in return for the fellowship.

After the first instalment has been paid to you, the PGFO will make a request for tax exemption on your behalf. The balance of the fellowship will be paid in subsequent instalments once tax exemption has been received.

A PDRF who undertakes research for the benefit of an individual or corporation will not normally be granted tax exemption.

Termination

You and/or your principal investigators are required to inform the PGFO when you terminate your tenure at UCT. Where such termination occurs before you have completed your research and/or full tenure, UCT reserves the right to recover all or some of the funds that have been paid to you in advance.

The academic activities of the PDRF will be described in the conditions of award and the MoU. The PDRF will not be required to provide any service in return for the fellowship value and the limited teaching, lecturing, supervision or other work that is integral to the training of the PDRF must be fully recorded in the MoU.

The MoU will be used as informal terms-of-reference and/or a guide to resolve any disputes arising between the PDRF and its department.

Each fellowship is awarded for one year only. Fellowships and tenures are renewable for up to a maximum of 5 years thereafter. A sixth year of tenure will not be considered.

PDRFs are not permitted to register for any degree whilst enrolled as a PDRF at UCT, nor are they permitted to undertake full-time employment with any party within or outside of the University. Work in the form of consultancies may be permitted with the express agreement of the head of department and the dean of the relevant faculty, who will act as the monitoring agents of such consultancy, which is subject to limitations on hours of work and income derived.

Because a PDRF is essentially a trainee, the conditions of award and the MoU must describe the kind of training and work to be done by both the PDRF and the department. In addition to this, the University may from time to time provide professional development courses and seminars to assist PDRFs. PDRFs may organise seminars and training courses amongst themselves or for senior students in their specific areas of research and such events can be hosted and accommodated by UCT's Postgraduate Centre.

The ERP is for early career academics or those who have not yet established themselves as researchers. It includes a wide range of professional development seminars and workshops which are open to all staff, as well as research development grants for eligible early career staff. (The grants are dependent on funding and limited to staff who meet certain criteria, which include being on academic conditions of service, and being an active participant in the researcher development initiatives of the Research Office).

In the ERP, early career academics are helped to plan their research careers so that they can achieve the various milestones necessary to advance in a research intensive university – a doctoral degree, accredited (subsidy-earning) research outputs (such as articles, books, patents, creative productions), successful grant proposals, postgraduate supervision, and NRF rating.

Retired or current professors with excellent research and supervision experience are engaged to offer seminars on a wide range of topics such as:

The ERP also offers workshops on postgraduate supervision, grant proposal writing and conference presentations. Writing retreats are organised at the request of departments or research groups.

Find the 2023 programme here (downloadable PDF) and register for the training sessions by contacting Nocky Bobo.

Digital Library Services (DLS) helps with Research Data Management (RDM) and offers Digital Scholarship, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and data stewardship services to the research, teaching and learning communities at UCT.

DLS champions all ethically open forms of digital scholarship, research, teaching and learning at UCT, including the following:

• Data curation activities
• Geographic information systems (GIS)
• Data management planning (UCT DMP )
• Digitisation for digital preservation and access
• Training for research data management (RDM)
• Online platforms for showcasing (Ibali) and preservation (Izolo)
• A community of Data Stewards & Champions across the university
• Sharing and publishing of data on UCTs open data repository (ZivaHub )

They regularly offer training opportunities. You can access a calendar with all future trainings here and view content on previous trainings here.

UCT’s Responsible conduct of Research (RCR) Policy is applicable to all staff and students based at or affiliated to UCT and includes provision for training and education in RCR.

The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is tasked with developing and delivering appropriate RCR training activities to the UCT research community across a variety of platforms including face-to-face workshops, written communication, online training initiatives and webinars.

They currently offer a series of online training modules. You can access these via UCT's SuccessFactors platform by searching "integrity".

Each module consists of online content and a self-contained knowledge check, followed by a final assessment on the Learning Management System. Once you have completed the final assessment (and achieved more than 80%), you will be directed to a course evaluation. A certificate of attendance (for individual modules) will be triggered once the course evaluation has been submitted.

It is RECOMMENDED that you access SuccessFactors and the online modules using Microsoft Edge.

Modules 1-4 of the RCR courses have been accredited for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Ethics points through the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). They are classified as level 1 credits and accrue at the rate of one point per hour to a maximum of 2 hours (modules 1, 2 and 3) and 3 hours (module 4).

The ORI is required to submit the points on your behalf and undertakes to do so on a monthly basis for any courses completed during the prior month. If you wish to claim your CPD ethics points, please complete this short form to notify us.

The Blue Desk is located opposite the main entrance to the Postgraduate Centre. This is a visible, dedicated service that provides a one-stop information service for all matters relating to the postdoctoral sector.

The Blue Desk information service offers:

• a central point of contact for your enquiries about any aspect of postdoctoral affairs
• a broad range of information – if staff cannot answer your query or resolve your problem, they will refer you directly to the person who can
• directions (and a map) to all areas on campus
• information on services and facilities available at UCT
• information and advice on getting the most out of the Postgraduate Centre and its facilities, specifically the available space for meetings and seminars
• information on funding and other opportunities
• information and advice on the Postdoctoral Research Fellows Association (PDRF)
• copies of UCT student and PDRF publications
• faculty postgraduate booklets, maps, etc
• help with PeopleSoft, Amathuba and Vula (UCT's online resources).

The University's Postgraduate Centre is located on the upper campus on the upper level of the Otto Beit Building, adjacent to the Postgraduate Funding Office. This heritage site has been extensively renovated to provide an attractive and comfortable space where PDRFS as well as master's and doctoral students meet, use the internet, read and hold seminars.

The centre can be used:

• as a forum for large or small discussions
• to accommodate and encourage inter-departmental and inter-faculty communication and association
• just to relax, read or surf the net.

The centre offers:

• TB Davie Seminar Room
  It can be used for seminars, conferences, training courses, etc. There is no charge to PDRFs or master's and doctoral students for the use of the room or equipment.

  • digital and overhead projectors
  • whiteboards
  • flip-charts
  • chairs and tables for up to 45 people.

• Mandela Rhodes Room
  This room is equipped with comfortable chairs and reading materials (including the Mail & Guardian and Business Day newspapers, Time and the Economist magazines, and other miscellaneous materials). There are also tables and 10 computer workstations. (Printing facilities are not available.)

Fellows are eligible for membership of the Postdoctoral Association (PDA). This association provides a platform for fellows via social events for networking and foster research collaboration. The PDA makes available relevant information to support, guide and represent new and current fellows, helping to address any challenges. Once fellows register, they are informed of PDA events via email. For more information, contact Temitope Egbebiyi or Siobhan Brigg.