Bertha Scholarships 2018/2019 for Africans to Study in South Africa

The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship was established as a specialised unit at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) in 2011, in partnership with the Bertha Foundation, a family foundation that works with inspiring leaders who are catalysts for social and economic change.

In early 2018, the Bertha Centre celebrated six years of pioneering work in the field, with the inaugural Centre Review.

Through this partnership (Foundation & Centre) the GSB strengthens its commitment to transformation and equality and UCT’s strategic goal to address key development challenges facing Africa.

The Bertha Foundation supports activists, storytellers and lawyers across the world, who are working to bring about social and economic justice, and human rights for all. The Bertha Scholars at the GSB are part of this global Bertha Foundation network.

To date the Centre has awarded over R7 million in funding to more than 60 students from across the African continent.

Bertha Scholarship Eligibility.

The Bertha scholarship is offered to innovators, entrepreneurs, out-of-the-box thinkers, system-entrepreneurs, change-makers, social activists and cross-disciplinary candidates from any field provided they are actively involved in the exploration of social, environmental and/or economic justice using innovative approaches.

In doing this, the Centre aims to diversify the student body at the GSB, by enabling scholars who might not have been able to study at the institution, and investing in their journey to increase their social impact as their career evolves.

The Centre recognises the systemic impact of nurturing cross-disciplinary/sector relationships and networks, and therefore are committed to growing its Scholar Alumni Community. 

You are eligible for a Bertha Scholarship:

• • if you meet the admission requirements of the university for your selected course of study.
  • if you are an African citizen or permanent resident.
  • if you are an entrepreneur who has started or worked with a social/green/entrepreneurial innovative idea that seeks social and/or economic change.
  • if you are an intrapreneur who has worked on advancing social justice and pioneering inclusive opportunities through social innovation within an organisation.

• if you demonstrate strong leadership qualities within your field.

Bertha Scholarship Benefits.

The Bertha Scholarship covers full or partial costs of the MBA (both full-time and the modular programme) and MPhil in Inclusive Innovation programmes at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.

The scholarship entails joining an illustrious cohort of alumni, and a thriving community of dynamic change makers. Being a scholar is about joining a collective, as much as it is about propelling your own professional and personal trajectory.

Bertha Scholarship Timelines.

STAGE	DATE
1. Applications Open	1 August
2. Application Deadline	31 October
3. Scholarship shortlisting (internal committee meeting)	19 – 20 November
4. Shortlisted applicants invited for interview	23 November
5. Interviews	26 – 27 November
6. Scholarship committee meeting (internal)	4 – 5 December
7. Scholarships offered	7 December

How to Apply for Bertha Scholarship.

1. Submit your MBA or MPhil in Inclusive Innovation programme application before the respective deadlines to the GSB.
2. Submit the GSB Scholarship Application (http://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/scholarship-apply) Form which should include:
   • Your UCT GSB application number received from the GSB Admissions Office
   • Your contact details and your CV uploaded.
   • Your answers to the three essay questions, which shows how the degree programme at this stage in your career will help to accelerate impact in your area of work/interest and how it will contribute to society as a whole.
   • Your short [no longer than four minute] video.
   • In the choice of scholarship on the application form, remember to select the option for Focus on Social Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship (Bertha Scholarship).

Note: You will only be able to take up the Bertha Scholarship if you are successfully admitted to the UCT GSB programme for which you have applied. 

Your submission will be assessed and you will only be contacted if you have been selected for an interview with the scholarship selection panel.

Official Link

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