The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) 2023-2024 Open Funding: Research Development Fellowship

The Africa Research Excellence Fund, AREF, is pleased to launch the call for the AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme for 2023/24.

The aim of the Research Development Fellowship Programme is to provide opportunities for talented health researchers based in Africa, so that they can lead research that is responsive to its African settings and can contribute to reducing the burden of disease. It aims to develop emerging African scientists through developing their skills, experience, confidence and research outputs.

Fellowships offer awardees the opportunity to develop their own research ideas, research skills and capabilities, to grow their research relationships through collaboration and mentorship, and to work towards a substantial research funding proposal.

We receive many updates from AREF Fellows who report how their Fellowship has progressed their career. Many have gone on to win fellowships and grants: this includes funding from institutions including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wellcome Trust, African Academy of Sciences (AESA, FLAIR), the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and others.

• Table of Content
• About Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF)
• AREF Research Development Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of AREF Research Development Fellowship
• Requirements for AREF Research Development Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for AREF Research Development Fellowship
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF)

The Africa Research Excellence Fund aims to improve the quality and impact of health research in Africa by nurturing talented, emerging researchers to do the best health research in Africa, for Africa. We want to grow the community of African researchers who lead and partner excellent, collaborative health research that benefits patients, populations, policy makers and practitioners throughout the region and globally. You can be part of our vision and help us achieve it. Please read more about our programmes and how you can get involved:... continue reading

AREF Research Development Fellowship

Aim and Benefits of AREF Research Development Fellowship

Aim: To support researchers in Africa who are emerging leaders and working on important challenges for human health, to develop their skills as a researcher. 

Benefits: A three to nine-month placement at a leading research institution in the UK, Europe or Africa, with additional support at your home institution before and after the placement. Up to £47,000 available in funding

Applicants can ask for a maximum of:

• £25,000 for a Fellowship with a 3-month placement
• £37,000 for a Fellowship with a 6-month placement
• £47,000 for a Fellowship with a 9-month placement

This includes costs for the Preparatory and Follow-up Periods.

We expect to make around 10 RDF awards depending on the funding available.

Requirements for AREF Research Development Fellowship Qualification

Early career researchers. These are research active post-doctoral scientists and clinicians with higher qualifications who are nationals of and employed in Africa (see detailed eligibility criteria). 

Eligibility

The RDF scheme focuses on Early-Career health Researchers (ECR) from Africa who plan to develop their research career in Africa and have the potential to become research leaders. Applicants must demonstrate that they have chosen to focus their career on human health research and are progressing on the pathway to become, but are not fully established as, AREF Research Development Fellowships 2023/24: Scheme Information Page 8 of 13 independent researchers, with the potential to lead research that is original and innovative. This can be demonstrated through their employment, training, research experience and outputs.

Nationality and residency

• Applicants must be a national of a country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applicants need not be resident in Africa at the time of applying, provided that the application is officially supported by an African institution that meets the eligibility criteria for an Employing Organisation and confirms that it intends to employ you locally.

Employment

Applications must be working at least 20% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) in an active research role; and EITHER a) have guaranteed employment with a legally established research organisation or a university in Sub-Saharan Africa for the duration of the Fellowship, or, b) have guarantee of employment at a centre of research excellence outside Africa and an honorary contract with a legally established research organisation or university in Sub-Saharan Africa for the duration of the Fellowship, with at least 70% of the time based in Africa.

Academic qualifications

Individuals with the following qualifications may apply:

1. Clinicians and non-clinicians with a PhD qualification or equivalent postgraduate degree (DPh/DPhil/MD) in a health-related subject from a recognised institution of higher education or,
2. Clinicians with a specialist clinical qualification. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and a specialist clinical qualification. Examples of specialist clinical qualifications are FRCP, FWACP or equivalent or,
3. Clinicians with a Masters degree. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and the Masters must have contained a research component. We would expect a plan to gain a PhD or equivalent doctorate (although not funded as part of the AREF Fellowship).

Research experience

While there is no clear definition of an ECR, we expect most ECRs will be within six years of their research (normally PhD) qualification. However, we recognise that career pathways differ and your research career may have been interrupted, for example, you may have taken time off for caring responsibilities.

Applicants should:

• Have been research active for the majority of their post-doctoral career (post-Masters for clinicians), as evidenced by their employment history and research outputs.
• Have at least three years’ research experience, but normally not more than ten, with significant research outputs (most successful applicants have at least three first author publications).
• Not have won a substantial research grant equivalent to GBP £300,000 and above.
• AREF Research Development Fellowships 2023/24:
• Scheme Information Page 9 of 13
• Not have other significant research funding/fellowship commitments for the duration of the AREF fellowship. This is to ensure there is sufficient time to devote to the Fellowship (in the region of 80% FTE for the duration of the placement).

Equality and diversity

• Equality and diversity are core values of AREF and we encourage applications by scientists irrespective of gender, marital status, colour, race, creed or ethnicity.
• We strongly welcome eligible applicants from Francophone and Lusophone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as from Anglophone countries of the region.

Language competency

• If you have less than one academic year of scientific training conducted in English, you will need to provide evidence with your application that you meet the standards of language competency required by the Host Organisation.

Previous AREF applicants and awardees

• Previous AREF Research Development Fellows and AREF-EDCTP Preparatory Fellows are not eligible for the current Programme.
• Participants at AREF workshops and researcher/leadership development programmes can apply if they meet the eligibility criteria.
• If you have previously applied for an AREF Research Development Fellowships or an AREFEDCTP Preparatory Fellowship and it was unsuccessful, please contact AREF at [email protected] before submitting an application.

If your situation changes while your application is under consideration and this may impact your eligibility or ability to take up a Fellowship, please let AREF know at the earliest opportunity.

Host Organisation (HO) eligibility

To host an AREF Research Development Fellow, the HO must:

• Be in Africa or Europe, including the United Kingdom.
• Be an academic institution or a research-oriented industry or a policy-making organisation. You may propose a placement or part of a placement in non-academic institutions, such as international health policy organisations and research-intensive commercial organisations (e.g. a pharmaceutical company). If you are considering applying for a placement in a nonacademic organisation, please contact AREF at an early stage to discuss your application: [email protected]
• Be a legal entity constituted under the national law of the country where it is based.
• Not be the institution which awarded the applicant’s Ph.D. or where the applicant has or has had an affiliation (e.g. honorary position).
• Have a track record of being engaged in world-class research and/or its translation into products, policies or practices to the benefit of the public.
• Be in receipt of substantial, international, competitive (peer-reviewed) research funding.
• Make available all reasonable pastoral care to the Fellow. AREF Research Development Fellowships 2023/24: Scheme Information Page 10 of 13
• Ensure that the Fellow is able to participate fully in the intellectual life of the Host Organisation and is enabled to make effective use of the opportunities funded by the Fellowship or by the organisation itself.
• Make all reasonable efforts to realise opportunities for continuing mutually beneficial collaboration with the Fellow.
• Possess capacity, including financial capacity, to support and implement the proposed programme of activities.
• Be able to accept the terms and conditions of the award and manage the Fellowship funds in accordance with the terms and conditions, including ensuring appropriate processes are put in place to administer funds to the Fellow and, if applicable, to the Employing Organisation.

Employing Organisation (EO) eligibility

The EO must:

• Be a ‘not-for-profit’ research organisation or academic institution operating in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Be a legal entity constituted under the national law of the country where it is based.
• Have the financial capacity to support the programme as set out in the proposal.
• Possess capacity to support and implement the proposed programme of activities.
• Work with the HO to support the Fellow to achieve the specified Fellowship outputs and outcomes.
• Provide a guarantee to continue to pay the Fellow’s salary and agreed benefits under the AREF Fellow’s current contract until the end of their AREF Fellowship, including while on placement. This includes also a guarantee to provide scientific and administrative support to allow them to undertake the Fellowship successfully.
• Be able to accept the terms and conditions of the award and manage any Fellowship funds awarded to the institution in accordance with the terms and conditions, including having appropriate processes to administer funds to the Fellow and, where applicable, to the HO.
• Failure to support a Fellow may result in the early termination of the Fellowship award and further payments to the institution being cancelled.

AREF will complete due diligence checks on the grant and financial management capacity of awardee institutions. A Fellow will not become an employee of AREF or of the Host Organisation by virtue of the AREF Research Development Fellowship.

Interview date, Process and Venue for AREF Research Development Fellowship

Assessment Process

Eligibility Checks:

AREF will check all applications against the eligibility criteria. We will reject ineligible applications at this stage and inform unsuccessful applicants of the reason why their application was not successful.

Peer review and selection:

AREF will assess applications on the basis of independent peer review.

AREF will first review the suitability of applications focusing on the person and place (including choice of host organisation). Applications that best meet the first review criteria will be assessed against following criteria.

We aim to notify all applicants of the outcomes of their applications by end of March 2024.  

Successful Fellowships are expected to start between July 2024 and no later than December 2024.  

Deadline for submission of all application documents: 13:00 GMT, 14 September 2023 

Application Deadline

How to Apply

What you need before starting your application: 

1. Read the Application Scheme Information.
2. Thoroughly review the Guidance on Completing the Application Forms.
3. AREF Terms and Conditions.

Application documents:

1. Online Application Form PART A 
2. Download the Application Form Parts B-F, to fill and upload on to the online application form.
3. Download and complete the Application Form Part G - Signature Page, then submit on to the online application. 

You can read more about our fellowship, and what kind of topics our Fellows who come from all over Africa have been researching. 

For more details visit: AREF website.