A core component of the APN, the Individual Research Fellowship (IRF) program is a vehicle for enhancing the quality and visibility of independent African peacebuilding research both regionally and globally, while making peacebuilding knowledge accessible to key policymakers, practitioners, and research centers of excellence in Africa and around the world. Fellowship recipients produce research-based knowledge that is relevant to, and has a significant impact on peacebuilding scholarship, policy, and practice on the continent. For its part, the APN works toward inserting the evidence-based knowledge that fellowship award recipients produce into regional and global debates, practices, and policies focusing on peacebuilding. The program also strives to build a highly visible and active network of African scholars and practitioners capable of projecting African perspectives and voices onto global peacebuilding discourses, knowledge, and practices.

Eligibility

  • All applicants must be African citizens currently residing in an African country. This competition is open to African academics, as well as policy analysts and practitioners.
  • Applicants who are academics must hold a faculty or research position at an African university or research organization, and have a PhD obtained no earlier than January 2013. Applicants who have not been awarded their PhDs by February 11, 2024 will not have their cases prioritized to be eligible as academics.
  • Applicants who are policy analysts or practitioners must be based in Africa at a regional or sub-regional institution; a government agency; or a nongovernmental, media, or civil society organization, and have at least a master’s degree obtained before January 2019, with at least five years of proven research and work experience in peacebuilding-related activities on the continent.

Benefits

Fellowships are awarded on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis and are intended to support six months of field-based research, from June 2024 to December 2024. Up to seventeen (17) individual fellowships of a maximum of $15,000 each will be awarded. 

Application Process

All applications must be uploaded through our Online Open Water portal. 

Requirements

  • Completed Application Form
  • Research Proposal & Bibliography
  • Expected publication(s)
  • Current CV
  • Proposed Research Timeline
  • Proposed Research Budget
  • Two Reference Letters
  • Language Evaluation(s) (if required)

Method of Application

If you encounter any difficulties accessing the online portal, please contact APN staff at apn@ssrc.org.

For More Information,

Visit the Official Webpage

Application Deadline: February 11, 2024 at 11:59 EST