AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Program for African PhD Students 2023

AfricaLics (African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems) is looking for suitable PhD student candidates from universities in African countries to participate in the Visiting Fellowship Programme focused on Innovation and Development.

The aim of the visiting fellowship programme and the scholarships is to help African PhD students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).

The VFP does this by increasing the mobility and level of exposure of the PhD students to international knowledge in the field of innovation and development. The programme forms part of the efforts by AfricaLics to contribute to the development of a vibrant research community in Africa in this emerging and highly multidisciplinary field.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be enrolled as a PhD student at a university in Africa.
• Have completed their first year of studies by December 2022
• Have a background (BSc, MSc etc.) within Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Science and Technology Policy, Business, Geography, History or Development Studies. Applicants may also work within the STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) subjects, technology management or even manufacturing but from a social science perspective.
• Possess adequate skills in English (documentation may be requested).
• Be working actively on a subject relevant to the field of innovation and development as defined above.
• Submit a brief application 1 page/500 words explaining own background, motivation for applying and expected outcomes of participation in the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme.

Benefits

• Return flight costs from your nearest international airport (economy class) and health insurance will be covered on a reimbursement basis.
• Students must take out their own health insurance for the study period, but the costs will be covered (reimbursed) by the AfricaLics secretariat.
• The visiting scholars will receive a stipend of 9500 South African rand (equivalent to approximately $600 USD per month as of the exchange rate at the end of June 2022. This amount should cover all costs while in Johannesburg related to living expenses and travel around Johannesburg including to and from UJ campus.
• A fixed amount is available to cover student participation in selected course activities (over and above the stipend).
• Funding is available for organizing trilateral meetings between the PhD student, the main supervisor from home institution and the AfricaLics mentor(s) during the study period at UJ.
• The scholarship covers only costs related to the visit of the student him/herself. They are currently looking into the possibility of a small amount of funds being made available to cover the costs of pre-school age children being able to accompany single parents who are offered the fellowship. This funding is however not guaranteed at this time. The scholarship does not cover costs of any additional travel in South Africa that the student may wish to undertake unless as part of selected and approved course activities.
• The AfricaLics secretariat will secure and pay for accommodation during the study visit to Johannesburg. The accommodation will be on or near the UJ campus where the students will have their working space.

Documents Required for Application

The application must be accompanied by the following documents:

• Brief outline of your current PhD project including training plan (max. 5 pages). Please ensure to:
  • Be clear on the theoretical and conceptual frameworks you are using in your research.
  • Carefully stipulate your research questions making sure that these research questions are clear and focused.
  • Stipulate evidence that you intend to address each of your research questions
  • Clearly specify the sources of the data/information that you will use to obtain the evidence that you require.
  • Explain how you intend to go about collecting this evidence (using e.g. interviews; data bases, surveys etc.)
• Curriculum Vitae – CV (including PhD courses attended so far)
• Letter of support from the main PhD supervisor confirming that the PhD student will have completed her/his upgrade/probation/ proposal defense by end December 2022
• Letter of support from the University Administration at the university where the PhD student is enrolled
• Copies of academic certificates (copies of Bachelor and Master Certificates as a minimum)
• One writing sample (article or chapter) from current PhD program

How to Apply