SFA Foundation POSSIBLE- Africa Fellowship Programme 2022 (Up to US$ 65,000)

SFA Foundation POSSIBLE- Africa Fellowship Programme 2022 | The Science for Africa has open portal for POSSIBLE- Africa Fellowship Programme 2022 for Postdoctoral African Scholars. The programme is Preparing Outstanding Social Science Investigators to Benefit Lives and Environments in Africa Programme. How to apply

The POSSIBLE- Africa Fellowship Programme is a 24 month early postdoctoral (graduated within the last 5-10 years) fellowship opportunity for outstanding African scholars in the Social Sciences & Humanities, who propose research that aims to create evidence to inform sustainable development within the African continent.

POSSIBLE- Africa is a programme of the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) that is being implemented with funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The fellowship opportunity also aligns with the goal of SFA Foundation to address the continent’s most pressing developmental needs by generating knowledge that solves problems and informs decision-making.

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POSSIBLE- Africa Fellowship aims:

• To build a critical mass of independent African research leaders in the SS&H to lead science programmes at local and international levels. These leaders will have the capacity to engage successfully with funders, policy makers, communities, and other stakeholders, and to serve as mentors and supervisors for the next generation of researchers in Africa.

The objectives of the fellowship programme are:

• To form a high-quality and equitable cohort of postdoctoral fellows in the social sciences and humanities (SS&H).
• To develop emerging independent research leaders and enhance training in SS&H.
• To establish a SS&H advisory board to guide POSSIBLE Africa fellowships and other SS&H initiatives of SFA Foundation.

Fellowship Activities:

The fellowship programme will include SFA Foundation’s coordinated learning and related activities that will provide research and professional capacity strengthening opportunities for POSSIBLE-Africa fellows: These activities include:

• Original research
• Formal learning
• Grant application development
• Policy engagement, advocacy activities and public outreach
• Mentorship programme
• Virtual monthly seminar series
• Scientific outputs
• Curriculum development

Fellow eligibility:

African Scholars who have completed their PhD in any SS&H discipline in the last 5-10 years prior to the application date are eligible to submit a proposal for funding through the POSSIBLE-Africa fellowship programme. Applicants must be citizens of any African countries. Applicants must have an affiliation (academic or non-academic) with an African Institute of higher learning or research Centre in any African Country. Females are encouraged to apply, as are scholars from marginalized and disadvantages groups.

Applications are more likely to be successful if they can demonstrate:

long term institutional commitment (i.e., commitment to retain them after the fellowship) and
that they will contribute an existing body of data to the public domain (e.g., empirical data built up through numerous related consultancies, which are suitable for theoretical analysis with a view to producing scientific outputs during the fellowship).

Host institution eligibility:

The fellowship must be hosted by an African higher education institution (HEI) or academic research centre. Fellowships must be hosted by a HEI or research centre that has a strong track record of producing and managing research and a conducive research system (e.g., administrative support, good financial governance system and regular intellectual events). In hosting a POSSIBLE-Africa Fellow, institutions must commit to:

1. Provide the required office space, library and other facilities the fellow requires to meet the aims of their research programme.
2. Limit the teaching responsibilities of the fellow (including lecturing, tutorials, supervision and examining of students and other student contact time) to a maximum of 6 hours per week. The Research Fellow should have a minimal administrative workload.
3. Ensure that the fellow receives the same level of support as other permanent members of the department including eligibility to supervise postgraduate students and invites to departmental meetings attended by other faculty staff.
4. Provide the fellow with a supervisor who is an experienced and research-active faculty member with relevant disciplinary expertise and can commit to guiding the fellow throughout the fellowship.
5.  Ensure that the fellow has timely access to the funding provided by the POSSIBLE-Africa fellowship as required and not unduly delay access to funding.
6. Have appropriate equity, diversity, and inclusion policies in place
7. Demonstrate an acceptable level of financial grants management capacity.

Applicants must include an institutional letter of support from an appropriate representative of their proposed institution (e.g., the Research Director, Vice Chancellor/Provost/Chief Executive Officer or equivalent), demonstrating the institution’s commitment and ability to meet these requirements.

Supervisor eligibility:

The fellow’s supervisor or host academic must be an established researcher who is recognized globally as an expert in their field. This level of expertise would typically be demonstrated by:

1. a strong publication track record in the fellow’s discipline.
2. an active research portfolio.
3. links to a SS&H and/or interdisciplinary research group to which they actively contribute and within which the fellow’s research project can be situated
4. recognition in the form of awards and speaking invitations (e.g., invited keynote presentations).

The supervising academic’s field of study and current research must be well matched to the fellow’s proposed research. Applicants must include a brief curriculum vitae and a letter of support for their proposed supervisor in their application.

Eligibility (Research Topic):

SS&H scientists proposing to conduct basic (pure) or applied research in any SS&H discipline are eligible to apply for a POSSIBLE-Africa scholarship, if their research will produce knowledge to inform the theme of improving lives by creating evidence to inform the range of problems facing the continent. Applicants will be asked in their application form to provide a statement outlining how their research is aligned with or relevant to priorities of:

1. a specific African community (geographic or interest-based)
2. their host institution’s research strategy; and/or
3. local, national, continental and/or international priorities

Applicants will be required to develop proposals that address the theme of improving lives by creating evidence to inform the range of problems facing the continent in addition to other relevant research outputs. Mixed method proposals will be encouraged.

How to Apply

Application Deadline: December 11, 2022