Closing soonFellowship2026/27
ARUA Pilot Mid-Career Research Fellowships 2026-2027
Six-month research-intensive sabbatical fellowship
African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) with Andrew Carnegie Foundation
Six-month research-intensive fellowships for Associate Professor-level academics employed full-time at ARUA universities, with stipend, accommodation, travel and research support.
What it funds
- A six-month research residency at a research-intensive institution, ARUA Centre of Excellence or Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence
- Return economy-class airfare
- US$2,500 per month stipend
- US$750 per month accommodation allowance
- A one-time US$3,500 research grant
- Access to host institutional facilities and research resources
Eligibility
- Level
- Associate Professor level with a proven post-PhD or equivalent track record
- Employment
- Full-time employment at an ARUA university
- Host alignment
- Research aligned with the proposed host institution, CoE or CoRE
- Institutional support
- Support for leave or sabbatical and a commitment to return after the fellowship
- Encouraged applicants
- Women and applicants from historically under-represented regions within the ARUA network
Is this a fit?
Apply if
- You are an Associate Professor-level academic employed full-time by an ARUA university
- You have a proven post-PhD or equivalent scholarly track record
- Your research aligns with the proposed host institution, Centre of Excellence or Cluster of Research Excellence
- You can demonstrate prior or ongoing collaborative research
- You have a feasible six-month research plan with defined outputs
- Your institution will support leave or sabbatical and your return afterwards
Skip it if
- You are not employed full-time at an ARUA member university
- You are below or well beyond Associate Professor level
- Your institution cannot release you for six months
- You have not identified a suitable host institution, Centre of Excellence or Cluster of Research Excellence
What you need to prepare
Needed at application
- Concept note of about 2,500 words covering the research problem, methodological approach, expected outputs, host alignment, feasibility and continuation plan
- Institutional support letter for leave or sabbatical
- Passport biodata page
- Contact information for two academic referees who are not based at the proposed host institution
Key dates
- Application deadline
- 31 August 2026
- Fellowship placements
- September 2026 to August 2028
The Methods Bench take
- Best suited for
- Productive mid-career academics who already have a body of research and need protected time, collaboration and a strong host environment to turn it into major outputs.
- The main hurdle
- This is not simply a fellowship application. The applicant needs institutional release, a credible host relationship and a six-month plan that can produce visible scholarly or policy outputs.
- Start early on
- Host identification, institutional endorsement and the 2,500-word concept note.
- Watch out for
- The programme targets Associate Professor-level academics in full-time employment at ARUA universities. It is not a general fellowship for all African researchers.
Before you start, check
- Are you at Associate Professor level?
- Are you employed full-time by an ARUA university?
- Can your institution release you for six months?
- Have you identified a suitable host CoE, CoRE or institution?
- Do you already have research or materials that can support substantial outputs during the fellowship?
- Can you secure the required institutional letter?