SACTA Bursary South Africa 2025

ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – SACTA

The South African Cultivar and Technology Agency (SACTA) was formed with the goal of addressing a problem that developed due to a lack of new technology for self-pollinated or open-pollinated grain and oilseed crops in South Africa.

SACTA is a central institution, responsible for administering breeding levies for all self-pollinated grain and oilseed crops – particularly wheat, barley, soya beans and some canola cultivars.

ABOUT THE SACTA BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED

The SA Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) is inviting students to apply for their bursary programme, for the 2025 academic year.

Bursaries will be awarded for Postgraduate (Honours, Masters and Doctoral) studies, within fields of study that are relevant to the grain and oil-seed industry. Fields of study may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Agronomy
Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural Meteorology
Agricultural Writers
Biometry
Conservation Agriculture
Data Science
Demand Planner
Food Sciences (relevant to the crop industry)
Livestock Science
Molecular Biology
Pasture Science
Plant Biochemistry
Plant Breeding
Plant Entomology
Plant Nematology
Plant Pathology
Plant Physiology
Plant Virology
Precision Agriculture
Seed Applied Technologies
Soil Microbiology
Soil Science
Weed Science
other related field

MORE ABOUT THE SACTA TRUST BURSARY PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE & PAYMENT

The value of the bursary will depend on the level of study:

Masters by Dissertation students will receive funding up to R99 750 per annum, for 2 years.
PhD/ Doctoral Research students will receive funding up to R131 250 per annum for 3 years.

Bursary funds will be paid out according to the submitted and approved progress reports by the bursary recipient and their supervisor, with the first installment to be paid in January 2025.

MORE ABOUT THE SACTA BURSARY PROGRAMME – SERVICE CONTRACT & SELECTION

Once students have graduated, they must work within the grain and oil-seed industry of South Africa, for a duration of time equal to that of the bursary received.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and required to partake in telephonic interviews. Successful applicants will be notified within 8 weeks of the application closing date – if you do not receive any feedback within this time frame, please regard your application as unsuccessful.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SACTA BURSARY

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

You must be a South African citizen
You must have completed Matric
You must be studying or intend on studying full-time towards a Honours, Masters or Doctoral qualification relevant to the South African grain and oil-seed industry
You must be studying or enrolled to study at a recognised and accredited tertiary institution
You must NOT be in receipt of any other funding or bursary awards (unless agreed to by the Trust)
You must intend on conducting a dissertation/ thesis on a topic that has been approved by the Trust
You must be willing to work within the South African agricultural industry after completing your studies
You must have read and agreed to all of the SACTA Bursary condition, policies and procedures
You must agree to the terms of the Legal Undertaking (Section E) on the application form

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SACTA BURSARY

Applications must be submitted online at: SACTA Bursary Application 2025

Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your online application (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

ID document or Passport (certified copy – not older than 3 months old)
Colour ID photo
Curriculum Vitae
Proof of tertiary registration and fee statement (on institutions letterhead) (if not yet available, please submit these documents after being registered)
Full tertiary academic record, including latest results (on institutions letterhead)
Details of proposed research, including: working research title, description of research and gantt chart
Motivational letter to support your application, including: details of your academic abilities, financial need and future career goals

CLOSING DATE FOR THE SACTA BURSARY

1 October 2024.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER

For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact Agri Manage Solutions (Pty) Ltd (the Administrators of SACTA) directly:
Contact person: Beatrix De Witt
Email: beatrix@agrimanage.co.za
Please do NOT contact Agri Manage Solutions or SACTA if this bursary has already closed.