GEM Elite scholarships - 2026
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中国体育彩票 the GEM scholarships
The Graduate School of Economic and Management Sciences (GEM) is currently recruiting for the GEM Elite doctoral scholarships - full-time doctoral scholarships, valued at R200 000 per year for three years.
The new intake of full-time PhDs will commence their studies in Stellenbosch on the 20th of January 2026.
Eligibility criteria
Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for a scholarship:
- A candidate must meet the minimum criteria for admission to a PhD programme at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票. This requires a master's degree in the relevant discipline.
- The bursaries are open to South African citizens and foreign nationals. Preference will be given to previously disadvantaged South African citizens.
- Candidates must have achieved a minimum mark of 70% to be eligible for the GEM Elite Scholarships.
- Only applications in one of the Faculty's Researc?h Themes (follows below) will be considered.
There are limited scholarships available. Submission of an application, even if you meet all of the criteria, does not guarantee funding.
The final alloc?ation of scholarships is made at the discretion of the Graduate School governing board and is subject to funding availability; and where the Faculty is able to appoint a suitable supervisor.
The Graduate School reserves the right to not award any scholarships.
How to apply and application details
Follow these steps to apply for the 2026 cohort of the Graduate School:
- Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria before you submit an application.
- Download and complete the Application Form??:??
- You will be required to write a letter motivating your suitability for the scholarship (maximum length: one A4 page), as well as a research concept note (no maximum length) on a research topic which you intend to study during your doctoral studies. These should be completed on the application form in the relevant sections.
- Please consult the 2026 Research Themes (below) to guide you in choosing a research topic. Research topics outside the listed research themes can be accommodated only if it falls within the current research themes that are active in one of the Faculty's academic departments.
- ?Compile the required supporting documents:
- In addition to the completed application form, the following supporting documents are required:
- Academic records: Full particulars of ALL previous and current tertiary studies. Please submit copies of certified diploma/degree certificates AND official study records (transcripts). Please note that academic records from student portals will not be acceptable.
- ID or passport: A certified copy of your ID (South African) or passport (international) photo page
- Proof of competency in English: Applicants either need to provide proof that they have obtained their qualifications from tertiary institutions where English is the language of instruction, or proof of English Language proficiency. This evidence must accompany your application and must not be older than 24 months from the date of application.
- Submission of your application:
- Completed and signed application forms + supporting documents should be submitted to the Graduate School Office via email (GEM@sun.ac.za) by 15 August 2025. No late applications will be accepted.
- Please ensure that your three references are informed that their referee letters, stating your capability to complete doctoral studies, should be sent directly to the Graduate School via email (GEM@sun.ac.za) on or before 15 August 2025.
- Applications which are incomplete will not be considered.
Due to the large number of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the Graduate School.
If you have not received a response from the Graduate School Office by the 20th of October 2025, your application should be considered unsuccessful.
Contact details:?
Any queries regarding the application process can be sent to GEM@sun.ac.za.
Scroll down to view the 2026??? research themes by department.
Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST): 
- Theme 1: Social-Ecological
Systems (ranging from conservation, food, urban and agricultural systems) – see
CST website for current research projects and focal areas?
- Theme 2: Just
Energy Transitions – see CST website for current research projects and focal
areas
Business Management:
At the department of Business Management, the emphasis is on basic research and not on applied research. We do not accept students whose sole purpose is to address a company-related problem.
Admittance to the PhD programme requires a highly specialised academic background including under-graduate qualifications. It is thus not suitable to potential candidates with a more a more 'general' (non-specialisation) academic background.
- Theme 1: Brands, consumers and culture
- Theme 2: Marketting communication and societal impact
- Theme 3: Business-to-Business Relationships and networks
- Theme 4: The linkage between strategic management, systems and complexity
Economics:
- Theme 1: Access to basic services/infrastructure (e.g. water, sanitation and housing) and health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Theme 2: South
Africa’s optimal inflation target and the tradeoff between high and low
inflation regimes
- Theme 3: Financial stability: The role of macroprudential policies in a debt-constrained economy
School of Public Leadership (SPL):
- Theme 1: Public Leadership.
- Theme 2: Public Participation.
- Theme 3: Marine and Coastal Governance:
- Examining institutional arrangements, legal frameworks, and implementation mechanisms for effective marine and coastal governance at local, national, and international levels.
- Investigating multi-level governance structures, including the roles of governments, local communities, NGOs, and private sector actors in decision-making and power-sharing.
- ?Assessing the integration of Indigenous and local knowledge into formal governance systems
- Theme 4: Small-Scale Fisheries and Community Livelihoods:
- Assessing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to community food security, nutrition, and socio-economic well-being
- Analysing the impacts of environmental and institutional factors (e.g., climate change, market access, policy reforms) on the sustainability and resilience of small-scale fisheries.
- Investigating gender dynamics, equity, and the rights of marginalized coastal communities within fisheries governance and the blue economy
- Theme 5: Blue Economy: Sustainable Development and Equity
- Evaluating blue economy policies for their effectiveness in balancing economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social equity
- Assessing the potential and challenges of emerging blue economy sectors (e.g., marine renewable energy, aquaculture) for local livelihoods and ecosystem health
- ?Theme 6: Integrated Natural Resource Management and Conservation:
- Developing and evaluating ecosystem-based management frameworks for coastal and marine resources
- Investigating the effectiveness of community-based conservation and local environmental governance in sustaining both biodiversity and human livelihoods
- Assessing the impacts of climate change on coastal communities, fisheries, and livelihoods, with a focus on justice and equity
- Theme 7: Applied Ecological Economics –measurements of environmental burden, environmental impacts of materials, waste and energy use in developing economies, integrated environmental assessment and modelling
- Theme 8: Environmental Care - Values, Attitudes, Habits and Religious Beliefs
- Theme 9: Support (Entrepeneurship focussed)
- Theme 10: Talent (Entrepeneurship focussed)
- Theme 11: Policy (Entrepeneurship focussed)
- Theme 12: Funding (Entrepeneurship focussed)
- Theme 13: ?Entrepeneurial Ecosystem Analysis
Logistics (Transport Economics):
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- Theme 1: Travel behaviour and data analytics:
- Theme 2: Transport Accessibility and Economic Welfare.
- Theme 3: Urban, regional and transport economics.
- Theme 4: Maritime transport and Port Development.
- Theme 5: Role of International trade, transport infrastructure, logistics on economic development and growth.
- Theme 6: Road user charging and support for distance-based user charges in a developing country context.
- Theme 7: A congestion Tax for South Africa: A Cape Town or Johannesburg Case Study
- Theme 8: Strategic Supply Chain Decision-Making in SMEs: Balancing Outsourcing and Insourcing for Operational Performance
- Theme 9: Efficiency in Land-Side Cold-Chain Logistics for Perishable Exports
School of Accountancy:
- ? Theme 1: Remuneration governance: Exploring available and
potential new remedies to ensure that firms remunerates fairly, responsible and
transparently
Department of Industrial Psychology:
- Theme 1: Sustainable human resource management practices for achieving economic, social and governance (ESG) goals.
- Theme 2: Alignment of human capital metrics and reporting with key international disclosure standards.
- Theme 3: Decent work
- How far have we come with the sustainability development goals?
- Decentwork – measurement equivalence
- Sustainability development goals vs inner development goals
- Theme 4: Decent work (measurement equivalence, antecedents, moderators and mediators
- Theme 5: Investigating student success to promote racial equality: (how) does learning potential matter? Validation of a model of learning potential of first year university students from no-fee paying and fee-paying schools.
- Theme 6: Employee wellbeing
- Theme 7: Investigating the Longitudinal effects of Economic stress (i.e., precarious work, underemployment, job insecurity) on Psychological well-being at work
- Theme 8: Working at the office, or not? Investigating the long-term employee well-being effects of hybrid, remote, or flexible work arrangements
Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management:
- Theme 1: Spirituality and wellbeing; Disability studies; Indigenous knowledge systems and health; Decolonial/postcolonial theories; critical methodologies
- Theme 2: Sociology of health with a focus on issues managing the social aspects of HIV/Aids, climate change & health, managing health misinformation, African health indigenous knowledge systems and corruption and health
- Theme 3: Health-based document analysis and design, Health communication and literacy, Healthcare innovation
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