AfricaLics 2021 PhD Visiting Fellowship for African PhD Students - Denmark

AfricaLics – the African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems is looking for suitable PhD student candidates from universities in African countries to participate in the AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Programme focused on Innovation and Development. 

• Table of Content
• About AfricaLics
• AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship
• Requirements for AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Qualification
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About AfricaLics

AfricaLics is the acronym for the African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems. AfricaLics brings together scholars, researchers and policy analysts who study development, innovation, learning and competence building in an African context. Africalics was founded during an Innovation and development workshop that took place in March 2012 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The workshop was co-organized by the Globelics Secretariat and the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research organization (STIPRO), a Tanzanian independent think tank. The format... continue reading

AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship

Aim and Benefits of AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship

The visiting scholarship provides successful PhD students with the opportunity to study at Aalborg University, Denmark, for a maximum of approximately five months. The study stay is scheduled to take place from 1st February 2021 to 30th June 2021, but the exact timing will depend on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. If all goes well, students should arrive on the 1st February 2021 to be able to participate in introductory activities, including registration with the Danish authorities and an introductory seminar for the group of PhD students.

The visiting scholarship will provide students with time off from duties in their home country to focus on analyzing data collected from fieldwork and writing up articles or chapters for their PhD thesis. Students will also do presentations of their project work to and benefit from interaction with faculty members and fellow PhD students working on innovation and development issues at the Faculty of Social Science at Aalborg University and other relevant scholars engaged in the AfricaLics VFP.

The study stay will also include possibilities for participating in a limited number of PhD courses either in Denmark or in countries in Europe that offer courses deemed of particular relevance for the student. In exceptional cases, the programme will also fund costs related to participation of the PhD student in conferences taking place during the time of the fellowship to help foster the PhD students’ academic career. Paper or poster presentation by the PhD student is a pre-condition.

During the fellowship period, each student will be “matched” with at least one senior scholar and possibly also with a junior scholar with competences in the field in which the student is active. The scholars will act as mentors for the PhD visiting fellows. Mentors attached to the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme have so far come mainly from IKE, but scholars from other research groups at AAU and other collaborating universities such as Lund University are increasingly being involved. In this way, the AfricaLics Visiting Fellowship Programme help build research capabilities in the field of Innovation and Development drawing on internationally renowned scholars in the field. Final selection of mentors depend on the topic and background of successful applicants.

Mentors from AAU and other universities are not formal supervisors and hence full responsibility for the PhD study process remains with the PhD student and his/her supervisors from the home university in Africa. Close interaction between the PhD student, home supervisor and the mentors is required to make sure the study stay contributes in a constructive manner to the studies of the PhD student. Hence, the PhD candidate should organize trilateral meetings and e-mail exchanges between the PhD student, the main supervisor from the home institution and the AAU mentors. Meetings will mostly take place through Skype, but at least one meeting will be a face-to-face meeting as home supervisors visit their students in Denmark for in-depth discussions on progress made by the PhD student and discussions on research and research capacity building in the field of Innovation and Development in Africa more generally.

Participation in the AfricaLics PhD Visiting Programme should form part of the wider PhD study plan for each applicant, which may include various elements such as:

1. Initial theoretical studies/taught courses and fieldwork in home country/country where the student is already enrolled as a PhD student (first year must have been concluded by December 2020).
2. Maximum of five months visit to Aalborg University to focus on writing up thesis or articles that are part of the PhD thesis.
3. Participation in AfricaLics VFP seminars organised as part of the study visit (introduction seminar, paper presentation seminars and wrap-up seminar)
4. Participation in relevant PhD academies and training events in DK or neighbouring countries (e.g. DRUID Academies) and one or two carefully selected PhD training courses in Denmark taking place during the study period (e.g. DRUID PhD Academy and other options – see https://phdcourse.dk and https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/ for courses at AAU). PhD candidates are responsible for applying to such courses and academies themselves following agreement with their home-supervisors, mentors and the AfricaLics PhD VFP academic coordinator).
5. AfricaLics PhD visiting fellows are encouraged to work on and submit papers to up-coming relevant conferences such as e.g. the AfricaLics Conference 2021 and the 17th Globelics conference 2021 (in Costa Rica). Participation in such activities implies exposure to the wider Globelics/AfricaLics community. It is the responsibility of the PhD candidates themselves to apply for participation in such events.
6. Return to home country and continue work on PhD dissertation in order to finalize and submit.

The visiting fellowship is for a period of 5 months but we actively encourage students to remain engaged with the AfricaLics network post visit and have established an informal group of PhD VFP alumni that meet online from time to time

Requirements for AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Qualification

Applicants for the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme should:

• Be enrolled as a PhD 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. Language tests that are accepted are listed on the AAU web-page:http://www.en.aau.dk/education/apply/master/admission-requirements/#ar3

• 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 own background, motivation for applying and expected outcomes of participation in the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme

Documents Required for Application

The application must be accompanied by the following documents:

• 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 end 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 current PhD program

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Download Application Form

Applications with all relevant attachments should be forwarded to [email protected] by 31st July 2020 (COB).

Applications not fulfilling the requirements above will not be considered, so please forward any questions you may have to [email protected] and you will be assisted.

For more details, visit AfricaLics website