The emergence of Covid-19 late 2019, and its subsequent spread all over the globe, have challenged both stable and fragile States, have endangered, even the strongest economies and transformed all societies. In Nigeria, the virus has, very early on, been considered as a serious threat, and the governments, State administrations and civil society actors warned citizens and put in place measures to avoid its spread.
This unprecedented situation will demand a fine analysis based on human and social sciences, backed by first-hand data collected both during and after the crisis. In this context, the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria) is offering small grants to support researchers based in Nigerian institutions who are willing to participate in this effort while the crisis is ongoing.
The first stage, that IFRA is implementing now, is the collection of data that will then help these research topics to be studied. Students and researchers who are interested should send a DATA COLLECTION PROJECT (not a research project) to IFRA. The most relevant and original projects will receive a grant of 300 euros maximum, depending on the number of projects (approximately 80 000 naira). The data collection has to be conducted within a period of 3 months maximum. The dates have to be indicated in the project.
It is ESSENTIAL that the researchers who will receive IFRA funding respect the rules and regulations set by the federal government and the government of their State of residence. In their application for funding, researchers MUST explain how they intend to conduct their data collection without putting themselves or other people in danger and the safety measure they will adopt. Priority will be given to data collection conducted online or in localized communities.
Once universities will be reopened, IFRA will then establish small groups of researchers to conduct in-depth studies that will lead to both academic and policy-orientated presentations and publications. Researchers who have conducted early-on data collection will be encouraged to participate in these groups.
IFRA has singled out different topics on which data could be collected:
-  Public policies against Covid-19 and reconfigurations of the State in Nigeria
- Political economy and the transformation of Nigerian capitalism
- Religious practices and the response of religious leaders to Covid-19
- Transformation of urban spaces
- Arts and artists facing coronavirus
However, researchers are welcome to suggest any topic of relevance (within social sciences and humanities) and on which they could easily and safely collect data.
Applications MUST respect the following guidelines:
Eligibility: Researchers, PhD students and Master Students based in Nigerian universities who have already conducted extensive fieldwork and are familiar with research methodology in humanities and social sciences.
Conditions: IFRA grant will be paid in two instalments: the first one after the signature of the agreement between IFRA and the researcher; and the second one after the data has been collected and transferred to IFRA. Both IFRA and the researcher will be the proprietary and users of the data collected.
Application format: Applications will take place electronically. Applicants should send their CV, a 3-page data-collection project explaining:
- what kind of data they intend to collect;
- why this data will be relevant to be used in further research, aiming at understanding the impact of Covid-19 on Nigeria;
- how this data will be collected and stored;
- the potential ethical challenges of the data collection.
THE PROJECT MUST BE ON DATA COLLECTION, IT SHOULD NOT BE A RESEARCH PROJECT (YET)
The documents must be sent to info@ifra-nigeria.org by 17 May 2020 with tittle “Applications for IFRA Funding for DATA COLLECTION on Covid-19 in Nigeria“. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Deadline: May 17, 2020
