Applications call for AfricaLics Visiting PhD Fellowship Program.

The visiting fellowship program does this by increasing the international mobility and level of exposure of the PhD students to international knowledge in the field of innovation and development. The program forms part of the efforts by AfricaLics to contribute to the development of a vibrant research community in Africa in this emerging and highly multidisciplinary field. The Swedish Development Agency, Sida (Stockholm) provides funding for the visiting scholarships as part of the project Enhancing research capacity on Innovation and Development in Africa through the African Network on Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) – Phase II (2017-2021).

Aim

The aim of the AfricaLics Visiting Fellowship program and the scholarships is to help African Ph.D. students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).

Eligibilities 

• Be enrolled as a Ph.D. student at a university in Africa.
• Have completed their first year of studies by December 2020 (upgrade/probation)
• Have a background (BSc, MSc etc.) within Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Science, and Technology Policy, Geography, History or Development Studies. Applicants may also work within the STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) subjects or even manufacturing but from a social science perspective.
• Possess adequate skills in English (documentation may be requested.
• Be working actively on a subject relevant to the field of innovation and development as defined above.
• Submit a brief application 1 page/500 words explaining your own background, motivation for applying, and expected outcomes of participation in the AfricaLics Ph.D. visiting fellowship program.

Funding 

• Travel costs (economy class) and health insurance will be covered, but students have to be registered with the Danish authorities before the health insurance becomes active. This may take some time. Students must, therefore, take out their own health insurance for the first two weeks of the stay.
• The visiting scholars will receive a stipend of 16,000 DKK per month (equivalent to app. 2330 USD as per 25th May 2020). This includes funds for accommodation.
• A fixed amount is available to cover student participation in selected course activities and for supervision (over and above the stipend).
• Funding is available for organizing trilateral meetings between the PhD student, the main supervisor from the home institution, and the AAU mentor during the study period at AAU.
• The scholarship covers only costs related to the visit of the student him/herself. Costs related to accompanying spouses, children or others are not covered.
• Unfortunately, this fellowship cannot support accompanying family members and we strongly encourage fellows to not bring family members for the study visit as this will reduce the time available for focussing on the PhD work.

Application Materials 

The application for AfricaLics Visiting Fellowship must have the following documents:

• A brief outline of your current PhD project including training plan (max. 5 pages).
• Curriculum Vitae – CV (including PhD courses attended so far).
• Letter of support from the main PhD supervisor confirming that the PhD student will have completed her/his upgrade/probation by the end of January 2021.
• Letter of support from the University Administration at the university where the PhD student is enrolled.
• Copies of academic certificates (copies of Bachelor and Master Certificates as a minimum).
• One writing sample (article or chapter) from the current PhD program.

download the form through this link