The Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (PRF) funds one discipline only: virology. Its bursaries support students doing an Honours, Master’s or PhD research project on viruses, and the application forms on the PRF website stay open all year. For 2027 study, the next deadline for every level is 28 February 2027; Honours students also have a second deadline on 15 September each year.
From a polio laboratory to a research fund
The PRF is a not-for-gain association whose money comes from the R1.1 million it received in 1976 when it sold its laboratories and facilities to the Department of Health. Invested in a managed share portfolio, that sum has let the PRF pay out more than R110 million for research. An honorary board of business people and senior virologists governs the Foundation, and a Scientific Advisory Panel made up of heads of virology departments around the country judges the applications. Applications must arrive at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), where the PRF’s email address is hosted.
Three levels, three deadlines to know
- BSc (Hons) in virology: deadlines on 28 February and 15 September of each year.
- MSc: funded for up to two years; new applications close on 28 February each year.
- PhD: funded for up to three years; new applications close on 28 February each year.
Current MSc and PhD bursary holders renew their funding on separate renewal forms, also due by 28 February. The PRF says applications must reach it on or before the deadline and that it will not consider late ones. At present the PRF does not accept applications for post-doctoral fellowships or travel grants, because research grants and bursaries take up its funds.
Who the PRF will fund
- You must already be registered for the degree you are applying for, so a 2027 Honours or Master’s student applies once registered, ahead of 28 February 2027.
- You need a pass of at least 60% and must attach your latest academic record as proof.
- The PRF gives preference to South African citizens and permanent residents.
- The project must be virology research. The PRF’s evaluation criteria favour laboratory or epidemiological work on viruses over clinical research, and projects relevant to human viral disease in South Africa.
A research proposal, not just a form
Each level has its own online form on the PRF site: the BSc (Hons) bursary application on prf.ac.za, the PRF MSc bursary application and the PRF PhD bursary application. The forms read like a small grant proposal. The MSc form, for example, asks for:
- a project title and a scientific abstract of up to 1,500 characters;
- a literature review (maximum 20 references), background and rationale, specific objectives, any preliminary data, the research plan and methods, and a timeline;
- your supervisor’s details and comments;
- the status of human or animal ethics approval, since the PRF will not consider an application without the relevant approval;
- a CV of no more than two pages, your academic record, proof of registration, proof that you completed your BSc, and the signed Grants Application Signatory Form, which you download from the same page and upload again;
- your institution’s name and banking details.
The Honours form is shorter, with a single project description covering purpose, objectives and lab techniques. Extra files on any form are limited to 600KB each, so compress graphs into one PDF annex.
After the degree: the final bursary form
When you finish, the PRF wants confirmation that you graduated and a list of your publications, submitted on its Final Bursary Form and emailed to prf@nicd.ac.za. Any publication that comes from PRF-funded work must acknowledge the Foundation.
Students looking for other health science funding can compare the SANBS bursary for immunohaematology, the NRF’s Honours funding and the rest of our medical bursaries hub.