The Africa Platform of Ghent University Association (GAP) welcomes applications for visiting fellows. As one of the six regional platforms at Ghent University, GAP facilitates and fosters academic collaboration between Ghent University Association and academic institutions in Africa. The Africa Platform hosts five visiting research fellows every year. Awardees will spend a minimum period of two weeks at Ghent University or one of the associated University Colleges.
The Africa Platform fellowships are aimed at postdoctoral researchers (junior or senior lecturers and professors) who are affiliated with an African higher education or research institution. A bilateral agreement or memorandum of understanding needs to be in place between Ghent University and the African institution.
Two clusters of countries will be taken into account. In 2023, only candidates affiliated to universities in Cluster 1 countries can apply.
- Cluster 1: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauretania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Western-Sahara;
- Cluster 2: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Benefits
The fellowships consist of a grant of € 1000 + one return flight ticket, for a minimum stay of two weeks, which is meant to cover (or contribute towards) travel and accommodation costs and living expenses. This means that additional funding will need to be found in many cases – note that we will only consider additional research funding, not personal resources. The visiting scholars will be given an office space and access to facilities (such as the library) as a Ghent University visiting scholar.
Requirements
- Open to African researchers
Selection criteria and procedures
The following criteria will be taken into account in the selection procedure:
- The candidate’s profile, such as CV and scientific achievements: 25%
- The motivation, feasibility and academic quality of the research plan: 25%
- Added value/sustainability (impact of the research stay on future departmental and institutional collaboration) – decisive criterion: 50%
- New types of collaboration will get priority, referring to new initiatives with a new scope – priority will therefore be given to candidates who have not had a chance to visit UGent over the last 12 months.
- Interdisciplinary forms of research will get priority.
Timeline
- Application deadline: 1 October 2023
- Selection results: end of October 2023
- Mobility period: January – December 2024
Documents Required for Application
- Personal information;
- A cover letter in which you indicate: the period of your visit, the research group you will be affiliated with, a motivation as to how your current and future research at your home university will benefit from a research stay at Ghent, and whether this visit concerns a new type of collaboration;
- A research plan (research objectives, methods and tools, a work plan for the intended visit, possible long-term cooperation plans, interdisciplinarity of the research, etc.);
- A budget;
- A list of your three most important publications;
- Your signature and the signature of the Ghent University promotor. This means that you should already have a Ghent University promotor at the application stage. If you do not at present have links with Ghent University, the online research directory can help you in your search for a promotor. You also need to submit a short motivation statement by the Ghent University promotor;
- A short CV (max 2 pages) and a proof of your PhD degree in annex to the application form.
Method of Application
Your application should be in English or French, the application form includes the following sections:
- Personal information;
- A cover letter in which you indicate: the period of your visit, the research group you will be affiliated with, a motivation as to how your current and future research at your home university will benefit from a research stay at Ghent, and whether this visit concerns a new type of collaboration;
- A research plan (research objectives, methods and tools, a work plan for the intended visit, possible long-term cooperation plans, interdisciplinarity of the research, etc.);
- A budget;
- A list of your three most important publications;
- Your signature and the signature of the Ghent University promotor. This means that you should already have a Ghent University promotor at the application stage. If you do not at present have links with Ghent University, the online research directory can help you in your search for a promotor. You also need to submit a short motivation statement by the Ghent University promotor;
- A short CV (max 2 pages) and a proof of your PhD degree in annex to the application form.
The application should be submitted by email to Annelies.Verdoolaege@UGent.be in one PDF file, no later than 1 October 2023. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. Each individual can only obtain one grant.
For more information, visit Ghent University website
Application Deadline: October 1, 2023
