AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme 2005/26 (Up to £47,000)

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Applications are open for AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme 2005/26. The Africa Research Excellence Fund is pleased to launch the call for the 2025/26 AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme. The fellowship aims to support researchers in Africa who are emerging leaders and working on important challenges for human health, to develop their skills as a researcher.

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.

AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme 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.
Training for Fellows in good mentor/mentee/mentorship practices. This includes engaging with a potential mentor, being a good mentee and becoming a great mentor to the next generation.
Support Fellows to manage your own mentoring relationships, including identifying a mentor, the first meeting – defining and agreeing the relationship, sustaining the relationship and, where appropriate exiting it.
To promote peer-mentoring across the cohort of Fellows.

Funding Information

The Seed Fund is an award of up to £50,000 over 12 months.

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
The maximum period for the whole Fellowship is 15 months broken down as follows:
Maximum 3 month preparatory period
Maximum 9 month placement
Maximum 3 month follow up period

AREF Research Development Fellowship Programme Expected Outcomes

Being a more effective researcher
Developing their own research ideas
Submitting applications and winning funding
Disseminating their findings with impact
Leading effective collaborative teams

Eligibility Criteria

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, 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 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 which confirms that the applicant is employed locally.

Employment

Applications must be working at least 30% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) in an active research role; and either
Have guaranteed employment with a legally established research organisation or a university in Africa for the duration of the Fellowship,

Academic Qualifications

Individuals with the following qualifications may apply:
Clinicians and non-clinicians with a PhD qualification or equivalent postgraduate degree (D.Ph./DPhil/MD) in a health-related subject from a recognised institution of higher education or,
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,
Clinicians with a Master’s degree. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and the Master’s must have contained a research component. They would expect a plan to gain a PhD or equivalent doctorate (although not funded as part of the AREF Fellowship).
If you are currently pursuing a PhD, you must have defended your thesis and obtained your award or a letter of attestation from the institution that you passed your viva examination.

Host Organisation (HO) eligibility

To host an AREF Research Development Fellow, the HO must:
Be in Africa or Europe, including the United Kingdom.
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).

Employing Organisation (EO) eligibility

The EO must:

Be a ‘not-for-profit’ research organisation or academic institution operating in Africa.
Be a legal entity constituted under the national law of the country where it is based.
Work with the HO to support the Fellow to achieve the specified Fellowship outputs and outcomes.