University of Ghana 2022-2023 MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior) for African Scholars

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic. Our main thematic corridors are conflict and sustainable peace, democracy and environmental transformation. We are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of cultural objects, African cities, human rights and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic projects of top international quality. MIASA serves as a hub for exchange, networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, Africa, Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is largely funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 

The present MIASA Fellowships call is for up to ten (10) individual residential fellowships for 3-12 months each for the academic year 2022/2023. The starting date of a fellowship is generally handled flexibly, however, for fellowships between three and six months we strongly encourage the following:

o   Twelve-months fellowships usually start in August.

o   Four- and six-months fellowships are usually offered during the period between August and January and between January and June.

o   Three-months fellowships are usually offered from 1st of June to 31st of August.

The call is open to both junior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) and senior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) researchers.

The Institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences of top international quality. MIASA supports these projects via different kinds of fellowships: individual fellowships, tandem fellowships with one tandem partner from Germany and the other from Africa, and fellowships as members of Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups. From 2021 until 2026, MIASA will grant some 20 fellowships per year in total. 

• Table of Content
• About University of Ghana
• MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior)
• Aim and Benefits of MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior)
• Requirements for MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior) Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University of Ghana

The University of Ghana, the premier university and the largest university in Ghana was founded as the University College of the Gold Coast by Ordinance on August 11, 1948 for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research. As a University poised to distinguish itself in the area of research to make an impact at the national and international level, the University has launched a new Strategic Plan. http://www.ug.edu.gh/pad/publication/ug-strategic-plan This new strategic plan (2014-2024) is intended to consolidate the gains made from the review of the ... continue reading

MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior)

Aim and Benefits of MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior)

• The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. Fellows affiliated with a home institution may choose between two fellowship options: (1) The fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month on the principle of “no loss, no gain,” and paid directly to his/her home institution. (2) A fellow may choose the option of an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution. 
• Additionally, fellows from outside Accra may receive a monthly living allowance of up to 675€. 
• Non-affiliated fellows receive an individual monthly grant. 
• For all fellows from outside Accra, MIASA provides accommodation (or an equivalent accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month) and reimburses travel costs. In addition, a small contribution to support research undertaken at MIASA can be granted to the MIASA fellow upon application to MIASA directors (max. 250€/ fellow month). MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg/FRIAS.
• The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana campus. Fellows have full access to all library services at the University of Ghana and, electronically, at the University of Freiburg, Germany. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be negotiated with the MIASA directors prior to the signing of the fellowship agreement, and must not exceed a total of more than 1/6 of the fellowship duration. 

Requirements for MIASA Fellowships (Junior/Senior) Qualification

Eligible for application are junior and senior researchers from around the globe after completion of their PhD in a relevant discipline of the Humanities or the Social Sciences. Applicants must propose a research project that matches the research focus of the IFG on“The Governance of Energy Transitions in the Global South”.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below have to be uploaded on the application webpage (here). After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt providing contact details and including a copy of their submission. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

• Information on the application and selection process (required documents, eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, timeline and stages of the selection process) is provided in the Application Guidelines for Individual Fellowships.

For more details, visit University of Ghana website.