African Research Leaders Funding Program

Researchers should be supported by an enthusiastic local research environment and by a UK-based partner as part of a partnership between the African and UK institutions.

They aim to attract and retain exceptionally talented ‘rising star’ individuals who will lead high quality research on key global health issues pertinent to SSA.

Aim

• Lack of grant funding and research infrastructure in many SSA countries can make it difficult to attract and retain talented African scientists. As a result, African nationals are currently under-represented as leaders in medical research in the region.
• This funding opportunity seeks to support talented early-to-mid career African researchers who are either already based in a SSA country, or currently working overseas who wish to return to a SSA country.

Scope

• Your application will be required to meet the four key elements of the funding opportunity, namely a:
  • talented ‘rising star’ African research leader candidate
  • high quality research proposal
  • research conducive academic African environment or institution
  • firm partnership with a UK partner institution
• Each should be described in the Vision and Approach sections as indicated in the ‘How to apply’ section. Further details on each of these elements are provided below. Please read each section carefully.

Funding Information

• Awards will provide support for up to five years and the requested amount should not exceed £750,000 in total.

‘Rising star’ Candidate

• They’re looking for ‘rising star’ African research leaders. You will be a high-calibre, early-to-mid career researchers, who show a clear ability to cultivate a dynamic and innovative research group, likely to attract increasing international recognition and external funding by the end of the award.
• You will hold (or make arrangements for obtaining) a tenured academic position at an eligible African research institution.
• As a ‘rising star’, you will:
  • be developing a research team and undertaking original research
  • be building a track record of independence in your selected field and demonstrating promise as a future research leader
  • be well-qualified for academic research having spent at least the last three years in active research. This may be evidenced:
    • through a growing track record of staff and student supervision
    • through an expanding portfolio of lead author publications
    • by securing local or national funding
    • by attracting recognition through prizes and awards.
• In addition to supporting scientific collaboration with the partner UK institution, the funding opportunity offers you an opportunity to spend time (up to three months) for further career development activities, training or skills development in either country.

What they will fund?

• You can request funding for:
  • 100% salary costs for project leads and project co-leads (international), based within an LMIC
  • support for other posts such as research and technical
  • research consumables
  • equipment
  • travel costs
  • data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
  • estates and indirect costs

What they will not fund?

• masters and PhD studentships
• UK publication costs (publication costs where all the authors are from LMICs can be included)

Eligibility Criteria

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.
• Your eligibility to work on a project as an individual will depend on whether you’re applying for:
  • a funding opportunity for an individual person (for example, a fellowship)
  • a role in a project team (for example, principal investigator or project lead)
• You can apply for this funding opportunity if you are a researcher based at an eligible African research organisation with sufficient research capacity to manage and deliver research. This includes:
  • universities or higher education institutions based in SSA with degree-awarding powers recognised by the government in which the organisation is based. This includes Medical Research Council (MRC) units at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Uganda and the Gambia
  • research focused institutes based in SSA either funded by the government of the country in which the organisation is based or by a not-for-profit organisation
  • research focused not-for-profit organisations based in SSA with dedicated research capacity
• If an applicant is returning to work in SSA, they are expected to make their own arrangements for relocating and obtaining a tenured academic position at an eligible African research institution if one is not already held (and should be in post by the start of any award).
• The successful applicant would be expected to continue their appointment at the African research institution beyond the term of this award.
• The African candidate will:
  • have, at a minimum, a PhD and three years’ post-doctoral research experience, or an MD plus an MSc with three years research experience
  • have some evidence of independent funding as a project lead or co-lead
  • be building a track record of independence in their selected field and demonstrating promise as a future research leader (at a minimum to be demonstrated by at least four publications as first or last author)
• Applications from women are encouraged. Applicants wishing to combine their research with domestic responsibilities may seek the award on a part-time basis. The terms and conditions of the award make allowances for maternity or paternity leave. Allowance will also be made to those researchers whose career has been affected, either by a late start or by interruption, for personal or family reasons.
• The African research leadership application should be submitted in partnership with a UK co-lead (partner) with complementary scientific expertise, offering relevant opportunities, such as:
  • skill strengthening
  • discipline widening
  • technology sharing
  • mentoring
• The UK partner institution may be any eligible UK research organisation, including MRC institutes and units based in the UK.

Ineligible

• African researchers who already have a well-established record of securing significant international research grant funding or have reached a level of seniority (for example, professor or head of department) should not apply to this funding opportunity.
• These individuals may apply at any time as a co-lead together with a UK-based project lead to any of the responsive mode funding opportunities, and as project lead to the MRC Applied Global Health Research Board, depending on the focus of your research.

For more information, visit UK Research and Innovation.