Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Deadline: September 15, 2022
The aim of the visiting fellowship program and the scholarships is to help African Ph.D. students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve the quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).
The VFP does this by increasing the mobility and level of exposure of the Ph.D. students to international knowledge in the field of innovation and development. The program forms part of the efforts by AfricaLics to contribute to the development of a vibrant research community in Africa in this emerging and highly multidisciplinary field. The Swedish International Development Agency, Sida (Stockholm), has so far provided funding for the visiting scholarships as part of the project Enhancing research capacity on Innovation and Development in Africa through the African Network on Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) – Phase II (2017-2022). Discussions are ongoing with Sida about the continuation of the VFP activities as part of a Phase III application that is under evaluation and a decision on funding is expected in late 2022.
The AfricaLics secretariat (hosted by the African Center for Technology Studies – please see: https://www.acts-net.org/) is responsible for the project with the AfricaLics Scientific Board providing advice on scientific matters and issues of strategic importance. The AfricaLics Ph.D. VFP 2023 is organized jointly by the AfricaLics secretariat through ACTS and UJ-TRCTI with the participation of other relevant African and international universities active in the field of Innovation and Development. Mentors for the program will be carefully selected to ensure the best possible match with the successful Ph.D. visiting fellows.
Eligibility Criteria
The scholarship option is open to Ph.D. students from countries classified by the OECD/DAC as low and lower-middle-income countries in Africa whose studies, irrespective of sectoral discipline, focus on the relationship between innovation and economic, social or and environmentally sustainable development.
Female Ph.D. students and students from low-income countries are particularly encouraged to apply as AfricaLics endeavors to contribute to increasing the currently low number of female scholars and low-income countries scholars in Innovation and Development research studies in Africa.
Applicants must be enrolled as Ph.D. students at African universities and must have completed their first year of Ph.D. studies by December 2022. A maximum of four-five visiting scholarships are available for 2023, but a final number of accepted visiting fellows will depend on the in-depth assessment of applications and funding availability. The visiting scholarship is complementary to the studies of the Ph.D. students at their home universities and applicants must already have secured basic funding for their Ph.D. studies from other sources (e.g. African governments, other organizations, self-financing).
The program gives priority to students working on topics related to the research themes identified by the AfricaLics network as important to the future of Africa. These research themes can be accessed from the AfricaLics website (see: https://africalics.org/thematic-areas/).
SEE ALSO: Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund
Application Requirement
Applicants for the AfricaLics Ph.D. visiting fellowship program should:
- Be enrolled as a Ph.D. student at a university in Africa.
- Have completed their first year of studies by December 2022
- Have a background (BSc, MSc, etc.) in Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Science, and Technology Policy, Business, Geography, History, or Development Studies. Applicants may also work in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) subjects, technology management, or even manufacturing but from a social science perspective.
- Possess adequate skills in English (documentation may be requested).
- Be working actively on a subject relevant to the field of innovation and development as defined above.
- Submit a brief application 1 page/500 words explaining your own background, motivation for applying, and expected outcomes of participation in the AfricaLics Ph.D. visiting fellowship program.
The application must be accompanied by the following documents:
- A brief outline of your current Ph.D. project including a training plan (max. 5 pages). Please ensure to:
- Be clear on the theoretical and conceptual frameworks you are using in your research.
- Carefully stipulate your research questions making sure that these research questions are clear and focused.
- Stipulate evidence that you intend to address each of your research questions
- Clearly specify the sources of the data/information that you will use to obtain the evidence that you require.
- Explain how you intend to go about collecting this evidence (using e.g. interviews; databases, surveys, etc.)
- Curriculum Vitae – CV (including Ph.D. courses attended so far)
- Letter of support from the main Ph.D. supervisor confirming that the Ph.D. student will have completed her/his upgrade/probation/ proposal defense by the end of December 2022
- Letter of support from the University Administration at the university where the Ph.D. student is enrolled
- Copies of academic certificates (copies of Bachelor and Master Certificates as a minimum)
- One writing sample (article or chapter) from the current Ph.D. program
You are NOT expected to submit a copy of your passport when applying for the Ph.D. visiting fellowship program. If you are offered the scholarship, you will be asked to handle any visa issues that may be relevant yourself. Collection of personal data will be kept at a minimum, stored safely, and will not be used for any other purposes.
Applications with all relevant attachments should be forwarded to visitingphd@africalics.org by 23.00hrs East Africa Time (EAT) on 15th September 2022.
Applications not fulfilling the requirements above will not be considered, so please forward any questions you may have to visitingphd@africalics.org and you will be assisted.
Successful candidates will be notified by mid-December 2022, following which they will be required to confirm their interest (sign study agreement form) and deal with any issues related to visa issues and access to South Africa.
Application Registration Deadline: 15th September 2022
To Apply: Click here
Official Website: Click here
