At the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Programme we are keen to build capacity for research in East Africa. We are aware that good PhD training is the foundation for a successful research career. As such, our PhD scheme is aimed at providing students with an opportunity to carry out their training in a high quality research environment. We have developed a quality-assured supervision system that includes supervision teams constituting two or three senior researchers and a student advisory committee that monitors the students' progress and advises on academic, career and - if necessary, social issues that may affect the students' training progress. In addition, students' progress is monitored through six monthly reports and an upgrading mini viva at the end of the first year to determine students' suitability to continue with PhD training. Our supervisory system is internationally renowned and we are now an Affiliated Research Centre (ARC) of the Open University in the United Kingdom with authority to wholly supervise and appraise students registered with the University.

The studentships are proposed by potential supervisors and are mainly funded through respective supervisor funding. Admission to the PhD scheme is through winning a partial or full studentship in a competitive interview process.

Those who win full studentships are appointed for a 3 months pre-registration position during which they are assessed for their suitability for registration for PhD. At the end of this period, students are formally assessed and only allowed to submit their registration application if they pass the assessment otherwise the studentship is withdrawn. Registration is subject to meeting the full requirements for the target university. At the end of the first year of registration, students undergo an upgrading assessment. This assessment determines if they will continue with the PhD training, be downgraded to an MPhil or even have their studentship withdrawn.

Partial studentships are targeted at students who are already registered for PhD in local universities and provide support for the students to spend time at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust carrying out their research project. Normally, partial studentships run for a shorter period than full studentships.