Deadline: 14 September 2016
The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has launched a Call for Proposals: African Research Leader Awards with an aim to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will lead high quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to SSA.
The African Research Leader (ARL) should be supported by an enthusiastic local research environment and by a strong linkage with a UK partner.
Key Elements
- A talented ‘rising star’ African Research Leader candidate,
- A high quality research programme proposal,
- A research-conducive academic African environment / institution,
- A firm partnership with a UK partner institution (where the principal investigator is based).
Funding Information
Awards will provide support for up to 5 years and should not exceed £750k in total.
Eligibility Criteria
- The ARL scheme seeks to support African researchers already based in sub-Saharan African countries and those individuals currently working overseas who wish to return to SSA.
- The focus of the scheme is on ‘rising star’ African Research Leaders. Candidates will be high-calibre, early-mid career researchers, who show clear ability to cultivate a dynamic and innovative research group, likely to attract increasing international recognition and external funding by the end of the award.
- ARL candidates from the MRC Units in The Gambia and Uganda are eligible to apply. Candidates based in South African institutions are eligible to apply in the current round.
- Applications from women are particularly encouraged. Candidates wishing to combine their research with domestic responsibilities may seek the award on a part-time basis. The terms and conditions of award make allowances for maternity/paternity leave. Allowance will also be made to those researchers whose career has been affected, either by a late start or by interruption, for personal or family reasons.
- The African candidate will have completed a PhD, will be well-qualified for academic research having spent at least the last 3 years in active research, will be expected to be a proven independent researcher (track record/publications) and demonstrate promise as a future research leader.
- There are no UK residence eligibility restrictions for this scheme as the ARL candidate will be based in sub-Saharan Africa.
How to Apply
Full applications should be submitted online via the given website.
Eligible Countries
Angola, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, the Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan or Zimbabwe.
For more information, please visit African Research Leader Scheme 2016/17.