AfricaLics Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme 2020/2021

Deadline Date: December 12, 2019

Applications are open for the AfricaLics Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme 2020/2021. 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 visiting fellowship programme does this by increasing the international 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.

The Swedish Development Agency, Sida (Stockholm) provides funding for the visiting scholarships as part of the project Enhancing research capacity on Innovation and Development in Africa through the African Network on Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) – Phase II (2017-2021).

Cost

• Travel costs (economy class) and health insurance will be covered, but students have to be registered with the Danish authorities before the health insurance becomes active. This may take some time. Students must therefore take out their own health insurance for the first two weeks of the stay.
• The visiting scholars will receive a stipend of 16,000 DKK per month (equivalent to app. 2140 USD as per September 2020). This includes funds for accommodation. Tax exemption has to be applied for after the candidates arrive and cannot be guaranteed, so it is advisable to bring extra funds for the first two months of the visiting fellowship period. If an agreement is made that Danida Fellowship Centre in Copenhagen houses the visiting fellow, the stipend amount may change.
• A fixed amount is available to cover student participation in selected course activities and for supervision (over and above the stipend).
• Funding is available for organizing trilateral meetings between the PhD student, the main supervisor from home institution and the AAU mentor during the study period at AAU.
• The scholarship covers only costs related to the visit of the student him/herself. Costs related to accompanying spouses, children or others are not covered. Unfortunately, this fellowship cannot support accompanying family members and they strongly encourage fellows to not bring family members for the study visit as this will reduce time available for focusing on the PhD work.

Eligibility

• Be enrolled as a PhD student at a university in Africa.
• Have completed their first year of studies by July 2020 (upgrade/probation)
• Have a background (BSc, MSc etc.) within Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Science and Technology Policy, Geography, History or Development Studies. Applicants may also work within the STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) subjects or even manufacturing but from a social science perspective. .
• Possess adequate skills in English (documentation may be requested. Language tests that are accepted are listed on the AAU web page)
• 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

Application

The application must be accompanied by the following documents:

• Brief outline of your current PhD project including training plan (max. 5 pages)
• 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 by end August 2020
• 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

You are not expected to submit a copy of your passport when applying for the PhD visiting fellowship programme. If you are offered the scholarship, they will ask you to confirm that you have a passport that is valid for the duration of the scholarship and at least six months after (or whatever is required at the time of application for residence and work permit in Denmark).

Download the application form

For more information, visit AfricaLics.