NITheCS INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
This is a flagship NITheCS programme, which offers outstanding training to students within the eight themes of NITheCS.
NITheCS internships allow registered students at South African universities, namely those at honours and first-year masters levels, to join NITheCS staff or Associates during their recess periods to complete a research project. Their projects are evaluated by the supervisor and an independent examiner – normally an academic at the student’s home academic institution – and can be used for credits if the home institution approves.
One of the aims of this programme is to alleviate the pressure of honours level project supervision experienced by university departments. In some cases, a supervisor utilises the services of a PhD student as a tutor. This eases the supervisor’s work burden, while the tutor gains valuable experience.
Topics for research projects
Our Associates propose dynamic and innovative research topics for prospective interns each year, which span our eight core themes. These projects provide students with the chance to engage in cutting-edge investigations, from theoretical foundations to practical applications. Topics are designed to challenge interns intellectually while encouraging collaboration with other team members, preparing them for future contributions to academia, industry or interdisciplinary ventures. By participating, interns can immerse themselves in solving complex problems and advancing their knowledge within their chosen theme.
View the research topics for the NITheCS Winter Internship Programme 2025.
Previous years’ research topics:
What does NITheCS offer participants?
- NITheCS financially supports students who pass the screening process in terms of travel costs, accommodation costs and subsistence allowance.
- Subsistence allowance / living expense support per day up to a capped amount.
- Generally, the internship period for students without a need for transport and accommodation allowances is 28 days. When transport and accommodation costs are incurred for the duration of the internship, the period of the internship is 21 days.
- NITheCS aims to use bus services for the transport of students wherever possible.
Projects that qualify and report-back responsibilities
- Internship students need to establish in advance (from their home academic institute) if their projects would count as credits towards their degrees.
- Student must submit a project report within two months of completing the internship.
- If a project topic becomes the topic for a following degree, NITheCS should be notified, as this information is reported to stakeholders.
- Any published papers based on work done during the internship should be reported to us, as it affects NITheCS publication statistics. Please remember to acknowledge NITheCS in any such papers. To do this, use this phrase as your reference: ‘National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) South Africa‘.
Supervisor responsibilities
The supervisor should:
- sign off the project and inform NITheCS of the score awarded for the project.
- inform NITheCS if the student would be able to use the project to count towards a current degree, or if the topic could be used for a higher degree.
Benefits for supervisors whose PhD students participate as tutors
- The bulk of the work shifts from the supervisors to your PhD students, who will teach or manage the student interns.
- This is an opportunity for PhD students who act as tutors to gain experience.
- The average time required of tutors is two to three hours a day for 28 days. Tutors are paid per hour, with total payment capped.
How to apply to become part of the programme?
- Respond to our Call for Applications for the NITheCS Winter Internship Programme 2026 when this opens in the first quarter of 2026.
- If you meet the criteria to apply, you’ll can choose one of our research topics that is being hosted at a university other than your own. Ask your lecturer/supervisor for a brief letter of recommendation, and then complete our Application Form. During the application process, you will be required to upload your motivation, full academic record, proof of student registration and a copy of your ID/passport.
- Students who are accepted on the programme will be informed shortly after the closing date.