The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund is the flagship programme of PASET, the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, launched in 2013 by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda and later joined by Kenya and Cote d'Ivoire. It funds three-to-four-year PhDs at RSIF African host universities in five priority thematic areas: ICT including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agri-business; minerals, mining and materials engineering; energy including renewables; and climate change. The award covers university tuition and related fees, a competitive living stipend, travel, medical insurance and research costs, and includes a six-to-twelve-month sandwich placement at an international partner university, research institute or private company. Applicants must be citizens of a sub-Saharan African country and hold a relevant master's degree; priority is given to women and to existing young academic faculty who do not yet hold a PhD.