AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme (Africa)

Deadline: 4 October 2024

The Africa Research Excellence Fund, AREF, is pleased to launch the call for the AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme for 2024/25.

Aim

The aim of the Research Development Fellowship Programme is to provide opportunities for talented health researchers based in Africa, so that they can lead research that is responsive to its African settings and can contribute to reducing the burden of disease. It aims to develop emerging African scientists through developing their skills, experience, confidence and research outputs.

Fellowships offer awardees the opportunity to develop their own research ideas, research skills and capabilities, to grow their research relationships through collaboration and mentorship, and to work towards a substantial research funding proposal. 

Programme Scope

The scope includes human health research in infectious and non-communicable diseases that are significant and/or identified as “neglected” in Africa. 

Fellowship Outline

The Fellowship enables researchers to undertake a combination of research training and professional development activities that contribute to the researcher journey. It comprises on the job training (including a small research project), networking and visits, developing collaborations, attending specialist training and an international conference.

Each Fellowship has the following components:

Preparatory period before the placement. A minimum of one month to a maximum of three months.

Placement for research training and professional development at a centre of excellence in Europe or Africa. A minimum of three months to a maximum of nine months.

Follow-up Period immediately after the Placement. A minimum of one month to a maximum of three months.

Mentorship support for each fellow and their mentors.

Intensive grant writing workshop programme.

On completing the Fellowship, the opportunity to apply for further funding via AREF’s annual Seed Funding competition.

The maximum period for the whole Fellowship is 15 months broken down as follows:

Maximum 3 month preparatory period

Maximum 9 month placement

Maximum 3 month follow up period

Funding Information

Applicants can ask for a maximum of:

£25,000 for a Fellowship with a 3-month placement

£37,000 for a Fellowship with a 6-month placement

£47,000 for a Fellowship with a 9-month placement

This includes costs for the Preparatory and Follow-up Periods.

They expect to make around 25 RDF awards depending on the funding available.

Seed Funds

Towards the end of the Research Development Fellowship programme, AREF will hold a Seed Fund competition.

The Seed Fund is an award of up to £50,000 over 12 months. to give Fellows the opportunity to develop pilot data for a larger grant proposal, refine their research questions and develop, adapt or validate innovative methods and data collection

Outcomes

By the end of the placement, they expect Fellows to provide evidence of outcomes including: –

being a more effective researcher

developing their own research ideas

submitting applications and winning funding

disseminating their findings with impact

leading effective collaborative teams.

Who can apply?

The RDF scheme focuses on Early-Career health Researchers (ECR) from Africa who plan to develop their research career in Africa and have the potential to become research leaders.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have chosen to focus their career on human health research and are progressing on the pathway to become, but are not fully established as, independent researchers, with the potential to lead research that is original and innovative. This can be demonstrated through their employment, training, research experience and outputs.

Nationality and residency

Applicants must be a national of a country in Africa.

Applicants need not be resident in Africa at the time of applying, provided that the application is officially supported by an African institution that meets the eligibility criteria for an Employing Organisation which confirms that the applicant is employed locally.

Employment

Applications must be working at least 30% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) in an active research role; and EITHER

have guaranteed employment with a legally established research organisation or a university in Africa for the duration of the Fellowship, or,

have guarantee of employment at a centre of research excellence outside Africa, and an honorary contract with a legally established research organisation or university in Africa for the duration of the Fellowship. They must spend at least 70% of their time based in Africa (this must be confirmed in the support letter from the institution in Africa).

Academic qualifications

Individuals with the following qualifications may apply:

Clinicians and non-clinicians with a PhD qualification or equivalent postgraduate degree (DPh/DPhil/MD) in a health-related subject from a recognised institution of higher education or,

Clinicians with a specialist clinical qualification. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and a specialist clinical qualification. Examples of specialist clinical qualifications are FRCP, FWACP or equivalent or,

Clinicians with a Masters degree. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and the Masters must have contained a research component. They would expect a plan to gain a PhD or equivalent doctorate (although not funded as part of the AREF Fellowship).

For more information, visit AREF.

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