ARUA Early-Career Research Fellowship 2025: Advancing African Research Excellence

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, is proud to announce the launch of the ARUA Early-Career Research Fellowship program. This vital initiative is designed to help as much as 42 rising African students to pursue high-impact analysis throughout the continent’s main Centres of Excellence (CoEs) between July 2025 and June 2026.

This residential fellowship presents a novel alternative for younger African researchers to collaborate with outstanding students, contribute to groundbreaking initiatives, and strengthen their analysis credentials in globally aggressive environments. The program emphasizes cross-border collaboration and gender inclusion, with not less than 70% of the fellowships reserved for feminine candidates.

Fellowship begin: 1 July 2025

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About ARUA and Its Vision

Established as a community of Africa’s main analysis universities, ARUA seeks to rework the panorama of upper training and analysis in Africa. With a imaginative and prescient to make African analysis globally aggressive and related, ARUA promotes collaborative information era and goals to provide a crucial mass of researchers outfitted to handle the continent’s growth challenges.

ARUA’s 13 Centres of Excellence span numerous thematic areas that align with Africa’s urgent social, financial, and environmental points. These embody vitality, local weather change, urbanization, inequality, meals techniques, governance, id, and extra.

Fellowship Objectives

The ARUA Early-Career Research Fellowship program is tailor-made to:

• Strengthen the analysis capability of early-career teachers at African universities.

• Provide students with devoted time and area to concentrate on analysis, away from their common educating and administrative obligations.

• Foster interdisciplinary and worldwide collaborations between students throughout ARUA member establishments.

• Encourage the event of latest analysis traces and high-impact publications that contribute to coverage and apply.

Fellowship Benefits and Structure

Each fellowship will final six months and contains:

• A month-to-month stipend of USD 2,000.

• Travel help together with a return ticket to the host establishment.

• Accommodation help.

• Office area on the host CoE.

• Additional monetary help for eligible girls (e.g., childcare help).

Fellows might be hosted at one of many 13 ARUA Centres of Excellence exterior of their home nation. During the fellowship interval, fellows are anticipated to:

• Conduct related and authentic analysis beneath the mentorship of senior researchers.

• Publish not less than one peer-reviewed tutorial article in a high-impact journal.

• Produce a coverage temporary or weblog submit to disseminate analysis findings.

• Deliver a minimal of two tutorial displays.

• Assist in strengthening partnerships and public engagement initiatives of the host CoE.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants should be African nationals who’ve a PhD in a self-discipline/sub-discipline associated to the thematic space of the Centre of Excellence.
• Applicants should be inside 5 years of finishing their PhD,
• Applicants must be younger college (or analysis) members at an ARUA college. Female postdoctoral fellows might be thought-about in restricted instances.
• The applicant shouldn’t be greater than 35 years previous on the time of making use of.
• Applicants ought to have a extremely aggressive monitor file related to the chance and be prepared to develop a powerful worldwide standing and analysis fame.
• Applicants should be obtainable to spend 6 months away from their home college and be capable of return to their home establishment.
• Applicant should be engaged on an ongoing challenge associated to the CoE and have available knowledge to perform the primary roles and obligations (see part 3)
• Eligible girls are strongly inspired to apply. At least 70% of the fellowships might be awarded to feminine candidates.

Strong desire is given to feminine researchers and those that can reveal a transparent analysis trajectory aligned with the CoE’s thematic focus.

Required Application Materials

Prospective fellows should submit the next:

• A canopy letter outlining motivation, alignment with the CoE’s analysis agenda, and logistical necessities (e.g., visa wants).

• A full tutorial CV with particulars of training, publications, and referees.

• A letter of help from the applicant’s home establishment confirming their return after the fellowship.

• A PhD certificates.

• A 1,500-word idea word detailing the proposed analysis and its relevance to the host CoE.

• Two tutorial writing samples (not from a PhD thesis), with rationalization of the applicant’s contribution if co-authored.

Application Process

To apply for this analysis fellowship, please submit the next paperwork:

• Cover letter outlining your causes for making use of for the place and particulars of how you’ll obtain the roles and obligations of the place (see part 3). This ought to embody an summary of your expertise within the related subject and the way you meet the eligibility standards. The candidate should specify the actual ARUA Centre of Excellence to which they’re making use of. If an applicant has beforehand frolicked on the proposed CoE (e.g., as a pupil, postdoc, and so on.), the quilt letter ought to embody a motivation for a way this go to will construct on the pre-existing relationship. Applicants also needs to define in the event that they require a visa to go to the host or an affiliated establishment of an ARUA CoE and, in that case, what’s required and the estimated processing time.
• Full CV, together with applicant particulars (e.g., date of delivery, passport quantity, nation of origin, citizenship, and so on.), particulars of doctoral diploma, {qualifications} obtained, analysis output, an outline of the applicant’s contribution in collectively authored publications, and particulars of two referees. In the case of shortlisted candidates, candidates might be required to ask the referees to submit a quick report assessing the applicant’s suitability for the fellowship. Referees shouldn’t be primarily based on the proposed host CoE.
• A Letter of Support from the applicant’s everlasting/home establishment, together with a sign of suitability for the place and that the candidate will return to the home establishment.
• Evidence of Award of PhD.
• A Brief Concept Note (max. 1,500 phrases, together with references) outlining your proposed analysis challenge/plan and its alignment with the ambitions of the host CoE. Candidates who can reveal that they possess the mandatory knowledge or analysis supplies to help their position could have a big benefit.
• Two (2) tutorial writing This shouldn’t be a chapter from a doctoral thesis. In the case of a collectively authored piece, you need to describe your contribution.

Submissions should be made by way of the ARUA online portal.

Thematic Focus Areas

Fellows might select to be hosted at one of many following CoEs:

1. Energy

2. Unemployment and Skills Development

3. Non-Communicable Diseases

4. Inequality Research

5. Identity in Africa

6. Migration and Mobility

7. Sustainable Food Systems

8. Urbanization and Habitable Cities

9. Climate and Development

10. Good Governance

11. Post-Conflict Societies

12. Water

13. Materials, Energy & Nanotechnology (MEN)

Visit the ARUA web site to discover every CoE’s particular analysis focus and ongoing initiatives.

A Transformative Opportunity for African Scholars

This fellowship represents an vital funding within the subsequent era of African analysis leaders. By selling regional collaboration, deepening analysis excellence, and increasing the visibility of African scholarship, the ARUA Early-Career Research Fellowship helps form a future the place African universities play a pivotal position in fixing world challenges.

For extra data and to apply, go to

If you’re a passionate early-career researcher searching for to raise your work and contribute to Africa’s growth by means of modern, high-impact analysis, that is your alternative to shine.

For extra alternatives, please go to the web site of Opportunities For Youth.