South Africa recognises special contributions of studies that concentrate on the rich and ancient heritage of the country. Research in the field of palaeo- and archaeosciences has profound relevance to all people, and is central to the recent emphasis on Heritage Development by the South African Government. There is without doubt no other country that has such a complete, endless terrestrial rock record covering the Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic periods documenting a climatic shift from glacial polar conditions to subtropical desert. The Karoo Sequence Studies hold clues to understanding both the end-Jurassic and end-Permian extinctions .
This call document details the three discrete funding categories earmarked for support by the DST interim funding strategy:

• Support for research costs and associated student bursaries;
• Support for research equipment; and
• Support for technical skills

Applicants have the opportunity to apply for funding support in all or one of these three funding categories.

It should, however, be noted that this is a competitive call, and each funding category application will be regarded as a stand-alone application, and will be adjudicated independently of the others. This means that successful appraisal in one funding category will not automatically guarantee success in the others.

Applicants who request support in more than one funding category are thus advised not to structure and submit proposals that are dependent on successful appraisal in another area.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 March 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application