Fully-Funded Fellowships for African Researchers in Medical Sciences in the UK

The Francis Crick Institute, UK, is announcing an open call for the African Career Accelerator Awards fellowship program for African researchers. The awards program provides fellowships for outstanding post-doctoral African researchers to help them make the transition to becoming an independent researcher and launching their own research group.

 The fellowship program

The research areas supported by the fellowship program include infectious diseases of poverty, with an emphasis on Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV/AIDS, and extending to neglected tropical diseases or non-communicable diseases with an infection component. In addition to conducting the proposed research program, Fellows will participate in advanced training which will provide the skills and competencies to make the transition to becoming an independent research leader on the African continent.

Applicants should be

Applicants must be citizens of the African Union countries and have a PhD with no more than 6 years post-doctoral research experience. They should also be early-career researchers who have demonstrated strong scientific and leadership potential. Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the research proposal, which will take into account the project, the individual, the research environments, timeliness, relevance and feasibility of the project. Those whose applications demonstrate a strong research and leadership potential will be invited to an interview.

6 fellowships will be awarded to the most convincing and convenient proposals. Fellowships are of a duration of up to 2 years during which, fellows will spend at least 6 months in two locations; the Francis Crick institute, UK, and one of five African partner institutions:
[1] The University of Ghana, Ghana
[2] Stellenbosch University, South Africa
[3] University of Cape Town, South Africa
[4] MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, The Gambia
[5] MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit

Funding

Each fellowship is valued at approximately 130,000 euros and may include personal salary, visa costs, research expenses and an additional provision to cover costs of travel for both relocation and conferences.

About the Francis Crick Institute:

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. With staff from over 70 countries, the Crick Institute is considered to be diverse, open and international institute with a multinational outlook.