The HPI–UCT Digital Health PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027 are open to qualifying candidates from the African continent. The partnership between the Hasso Plattner Institute and the University of Cape Town supports full-time research in digital health through UCT’s School of Information Technology and School of Public Health.
At a glance
Sponsor/host: Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and University of Cape Town (UCT)
Opportunity type: PhD and Postdoctoral research fellowships
Who it’s for: Qualifying applicants from the African continent
Study level: PhD and Postdoctoral
Research area: Digital Health, Information Technology, Public Health and related interdisciplinary fields
Study location: Full-time in Cape Town, South Africa
Closing date: 15 August 2026 for candidates beginning in February 2027
Last verified: 21 July 2026
High-value notes (read this first)
Applicants should identify potential UCT supervisors before applying and prepare a focused two- to three-page research proposal. Proposals are considered only where they align with the core research areas and supervisor expertise of the partnership.
Applications must be combined into a single PDF. Shortlisted candidates will later be asked to arrange three reference letters and attend a video-conference interview.
About the sponsor
The HPI–UCT Digital Health Partnership supports advanced African research in areas where computing, data and public health intersect. Fellows join the HPI Research School at UCT and participate in an interdisciplinary digital-health research network.
Source: HPI–UCT Digital Health call for applicants
What it covers
PhD fellows:
- Tuition and registration fees
- R262,200 per year, equivalent to R21,850 per month
Postdoctoral fellows:
- R300,000 to R380,000, depending on experience
Additional support:
- Up to R28,500 once-off equipment allowance
- Up to R38,000 per year for conference travel
- Funding for up to three years, subject to degree requirements and satisfactory progress
Research areas
- Health-information exchanges, standards, interoperability and common data models
- Electronic medical and health records
- Community-health-worker and patient-focused AI and digital technologies
- AI, AI ethics and AI safety in health
- Community-driven digital-health interventions
- Computational science and health-data processing
- Digital transformation of the health sector
- Monitoring and evaluation of digital-health programmes
- Economic evaluation of digital-health solutions
- Population-level analysis of real-world health data
- Data governance and research engineering
- Natural-language processing for digital health
- Health-systems processes
- Climate change and health
Eligibility
- Must be a qualifying candidate from the African continent
- PhD applicants must hold a relevant Master’s degree supported by a good dissertation
- Postdoctoral applicants must hold a relevant doctoral degree
- School of IT applicants should have Computer Science, Information Systems or related preparation
- School of Public Health applicants should have a relevant public-health, clinical or health-research background
- Must be prepared to study or conduct research full-time in Cape Town
- Applicants needing a study visa must be able to obtain one
- Must meet the English-language requirement or qualify for the English-medium education exemption
- A peer-reviewed publication record and willingness to support teaching are advantageous
Documents to prepare
- Curriculum vitae of two to three pages
- Complete academic transcripts
- TOEFL or IELTS results, unless exempt due to English-medium education
- Two- to three-page research proposal
- Names of potential UCT supervisors in Computer Science, Information Systems or Public Health
- One combined PDF containing all application materials
- Three reference letters if shortlisted
Closing date
15 August 2026 for candidates intending to begin in February 2027.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Submitting a proposal that does not align with a potential UCT supervisor
- Uploading several separate documents instead of one combined PDF
- Leaving out academic transcripts or language-test evidence
- Applying without the appropriate Master’s or doctoral qualification
- Submitting a generic research proposal without clear questions and methodology
How this opportunity was verified
Verified against the current two-page HPI–UCT Digital Health call hosted by the University of Cape Town and the UCT postgraduate funding noticeboard. The call confirms the February 2027 intake, funding values, eligible research fields, application documents and 15 August 2026 closing date.
How to apply
- Review the research areas and identify potential supervisors at UCT.
- Contact suitable supervisors to check research alignment.
- Prepare the CV, transcripts, language evidence and research proposal.
- Combine all materials into one PDF.
- Submit the combined file through the UCT LimeSurvey application before the deadline.