OWSD PhD Fellowship for Women Scientists: Current Status
- Country
- Global South (host institution in Africa, Asia/Pacific or the Arab region)
- Institution
- Approved OWSD host institutions
- Value
- Full fellowship when a call is active — terms republished with each new call
- Level
- phd
- Eligibility
- International Students
- Field
- Sciences, Engineering, ICT
About
Quick answer: The OWSD PhD Fellowship funds women scientists from developing countries, including Nigeria, to do a PhD in the natural sciences, engineering or ICT at a host institution in the Global South. But as of August 2026, there is no open application call: OWSD’s own page states there was no call in 2025 because of funding constraints, and no 2026 call has been announced.
Any website advertising a “current OWSD deadline” right now is wrong — the only reliable source is owsd.net/phd-fellowships, where OWSD says it will post updates when funding is secured. Nearly 600 women have held the fellowship to date, and Nigerian scientists are well represented among OWSD members, so it is worth watching for the next call.
Eligibility
- Women only, from OWSD’s list of Science and Technology Lagging Countries — Nigeria qualifies.
- Fields: natural sciences, engineering and ICT (medicine and social sciences have historically been excluded).
- Study must be at a host institution in the Global South — not Europe/North America.
- Full criteria (degree, age limit, host placement) will be republished with the next call — treat older criteria as historical until then.
Additional Information
What to do now: bookmark owsd.net/phd-fellowships and check it periodically; prepare your Master’s transcripts and research idea so you can move quickly when a call opens. Meanwhile, Nigerian women in science can also consider Commonwealth PhD Scholarships and the PTDF overseas scheme.