CODESRIA

The Advanced Research Fellowship Programme

2006

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa
(CODESRIA) is pleased to announce its 2006 Advanced Research Fellowship
Programme and to invite interested scholars to submit applications for
consideration for an award.

Objectives

The CODESRIA Advanced Research Fellowship Programme is designed to
contribute to the reinforcement and promotion of a culture of
concentrated
and extended reflection among African scholars. It is particularly
targeted
at a younger generation of post-doctoral African scholars interested in
carrying out advanced research on any aspect of the African social
reality,
historical or contemporary. The programme is open to candidates from all
disciplines of the Social Sciences and Humanities. Through the programme,
support is offered to scholars interested in charting new research
directions or extending on-going research to new heights, the expectation
being that this will contribute immensely to enriching the state of
knowledge about different aspects of the historical and contemporary
experiences of Africa. Candidates are free to determine the theme on
which
they wish to work and to specify their preferred methodology for doing
so.
In identifying candidates whose applications should be supported,
emphasis
will be placed on the potential for their proposals to lead to the
production of new/original insights. The fellowships will be awarded to
cover a period of one year, at the end of which a report of publishable
quality shall be submitted for evaluation. Each report is expected to be
between 35,000 and 50,000 words and if accepted for publication, will be
included in the CODESRIA Monograph Series. For the year 2006, the Council
will be awarding ten fellowships of a maximum value of USD10,000 each.

Eligibility

To be eligible, candidates are expected to be holders of a doctoral
degree
in any of the social sciences and humanities. The doctoral degree should
have been obtained within five years of the date of submission of the
application. Exceptionally, candidates who do not yet have doctoral
degrees
but who have accumulated considerable research experience will be
considered
for the award of a fellowship. All applicants are required to be
affiliated
to an African research institution.

Requirements for Application

Candidates wishing to be considered for the award of a fellowship are
requested to submit the following documents:

a) Research Proposal

A research proposal of between 10 and 15 pages which should be a clear
statement of the work to be undertaken, the problematic that underpins
it,
the significance of the study vis-à-vis the existing literature, the
methodology to be employed, implications of the methodological approach
adopted for the empirical research to be undertaken and the expected
output.
Candidates are strongly encouraged to indicate the innovative or original
dimensions which they hope their study will yield; a detailed
presentation
of the epistemological foundations of the research will also be
considered
as a distinct advantage.

b) Work Programme

The duration of each fellowship is one year, effective from the date of
award. Each application should be accompanied by a detailed work
programme
spread over a period of 12 months beginning from the date of award of the
fellowship.

c) Budget

Applicants are required to provide a detailed budget up to a maximum of
USD10,000 which includes the research and dissemination costs they expect
to
incur throughout the duration of their fellowship. The budget should be
structured to reflect the disbursement formula the Council intends to
apply,
which will consist in paying 50% of the fellowship amount upon signature
of
the award contract, 25% of the grant upon receipt of a satisfactory
scientific progress report and the remaining 25% per cent upon receipt of
the final revised version of the research results. In addition to the
costs
of fieldwork and book acquisition, candidates are encouraged to consider
integrating participation in one international conference relevant to
their
research preoccupation in the budgetary framework of their study. (The
final
choice of the conference to be attended will be made in close
consultation
with the CODESRIA Department of Training, Grants and Fellowships, it
being
understood that requests for support to participate in such an
international
conference will only be entertained by CODESRIA after the receipt of a
first
complete draft of the final report of the fellow for which feedback from
the
international scientific community might be elicited for the revision of
the
report).

d) Reference Letters

Applications should be accompanied by three reference letters from
scholars
who are familiar with the applicants' work and are in a position to
attest
to their institutional affiliation. Where possible, candidates are
requested
to include at least one reference from a scholar based outside their
countries of residence.

e) Curriculum Vitae

Each candidate should submit a detailed curriculum vitae showing clearly
the
candidate's research publications and participation in research
network/activities. Copies of certificates obtained by candidates should
be
included with the applications.

f) Copy of Doctoral Certificate

Applicants should include a copy of their doctoral degree certificate
with
their application documents. CODESRIA reserves the right to cross-check
the
actual date by which candidates completed their studies in order to
determine their eligibility for the fellowship programme.

Selection Process

All applications received will be reviewed by an independent Selection
Committee comprising eminent scholars. All candidates will be notified of
the results of the selection process.

Deadline for the Receipt of Applications

All applications should be received not later than 30 September, 2006.
Applications should be addressed to:

The Advanced Research Fellowship Programme,

CODESRIA,

BP 3304, CP 18524,

Dakar, Senegal.

Tel: +221- 825 9822/23

Fax: +221-824 1289

E-Mail: [email protected]

Website: www.codesria.org