The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) Essential Grant-Writing Skills Programme – March/May 2025

The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is providing an Essential Grant-Writing Skills Programme designed for early-career well being and biomedical researchers from African international locations. This totally on-line programme goals to equip members with the abilities wanted to develop aggressive analysis proposals for worldwide, regional, and nationwide funding alternatives.

Programme Overview:

• Duration: 8 classes (3 hours every)
• Dates:
  • March: March 17-21, 2025 (Monday to Friday)
  • May: May 5-7, 2025 (Monday to Wednesday)
  • Session Timing: 08:30 – 11:30 GMT

This intensive programme is structured in two components, with a six-week break in between, throughout which members will write a mini-proposal and interact in peer assessment actions. At the top of the programme, members can have made tangible progress towards finishing a robust analysis proposal.

Programme Aims:

The purpose of the Essential Grant-Writing Skills Programme is to help early-career researchers in Africa to:

• Develop aggressive analysis and fellowship proposals
• Build abilities to win worldwide, regional, and nationwide funding
• Gain confidence in navigating grant software processes

What the Programme Covers:

• Research Niche & Question: Learn to outline your distinctive analysis area of interest and craft a compelling analysis query.
• Funders’ Requirements: Understand learn how to align your proposal with funders’ priorities.
• Writing Proposals: Develop abilities to jot down clear, structured proposals in plain English, specializing in key sections like Project Description and Case for Support.
• Budgeting & Planning: Learn to successfully plan and funds your proposal in line with funders’ expectations.
• Collaboration & Team Management: Gain insights on managing groups and collaborations in grant proposals.
• Peer Review & Interviews: Prepare for peer assessment processes and fellowship interviews.

What It Doesn’t Cover:

• Research ethics, funder-specific software types, mental property, or analysis communication.

Programme Format:

• Delivered through Zoom, with a mixture of on-line and offline group work.
• Learning supplies supplied earlier than every session.
• Conducted in English.

Expenses:

• AREF doesn’t cowl prices for web entry, gear, or another bills.

Participant Expectations:

• Attendance: Mandatory attendance for all classes to obtain a certificates.
• Engagement: Actively take part in classes and full pre-session workout routines.
• Proposal Development: Write and refine a draft proposal throughout the six-week break.

Technical Requirements:

• Stable web and Zoom-compatible system.
• Smartphone for added flexibility.

Participants can even have interaction in AREF’s monitoring and analysis surveys.

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the Essential Grant-Writing Skills Programme, candidates should meet the next standards:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of an African nation.
• Career Stage: Be an early-career researcher who has accomplished their analysis schooling.
• Qualifications:
  • PhD (or equal, similar to MD) awarded throughout the final 6 years (on or after January 1, 2019), OR
  • Medical/medical qualification plus a research-relevant Master’s diploma, each awarded throughout the final 6 years.
• Employment: Be at present employed in Africa by a acknowledged college or analysis establishment.
• Previous Training: Have not participated in equal grant-writing coaching earlier than.
• Research Focus: Be actively creating well being analysis in areas similar to biomedicine, epidemiology, public well being, or associated fields.

Selection Criteria:

Applications will likely be assessed primarily based on the next elements:

• Research Experience: The applicant’s expertise, outputs, and achievements as an rising researcher.
• Potential to Benefit: How the applicant plans to make use of the coaching to boost their analysis profession and contribute to tackling well being challenges in Africa.
• Knowledge Transfer: The means to cascade the data gained from the programme to others within the analysis group.
• Language Proficiency: Adequate command of English, because the programme is carried out in English.

A restricted variety of members will likely be chosen primarily based on these standards, and AREF strives to take care of variety and inclusivity, notably by way of gender and geographical illustration.

How to Apply:

To apply, please visit the official website

You might want to register an account on the portal earlier than accessing the applying kind. For further steerage, consult with the 2025 AREF GWP Online Application Form Guidance and the FAQs accessible on the portal.

Key Dates:

• Call Launch: December 5, 2024
• Application Deadline: January 8, 2025
• Notification of Results: February 3, 2025

Contact:

For additional inquiries, go to the Contact Us part on the portal. For registration-related points, please electronic mail gtprogrammes@africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk with the topic title “Portal Registration.”

Take the subsequent step in your analysis profession and apply for this chance to develop your grant-writing abilities and win aggressive analysis funding! Visit the official website!

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