CFAs: Women Grant Writing Programme

Eligible Activities

• Developing and expressing your unique research niche
• Formulating your compelling research question
• Understanding funders’ requirements
• Writing in plain English
• Writing the different sections of a proposal
• Key parts of a typical Case for Support/Project Description
• Planning your proposal project plan and budget
• Principles of managing your collaboration and team
• Understanding and practicing peer review
• Preparing for a Fellowship interview

Ineligible Activities

• The programme will not cover the following:
  • How to get research ethics approval;
  • How to complete individual funders’ application forms;
  • The details of intellectual property management;
  • Practice in research communication.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible, you need to provide evidence that:
  • You are a citizen of a country in Africa.
  • You are in the early stages of your research career.
  • You have been awarded a research doctorate (PhD/DPhil/MD) from a recognised academic institution normally within the previous 6 years, (i.e. awarded on or after 1 January 2019);
  • You have a medical/clinical qualification PLUS a research-relevant Master’s degree, both awarded normally within the previous 6 years (i.e. awarded on or after 1 January 2019).
  • You are currently employed in Africa by a recognised university and/or specialist research institution.
  • You have not participated already in equivalent proposal development / grant-writing training with AREF.
  • A significant part of your current employee role is to develop and conduct health research.
  • You do not already have a significant portfolio of international research grants (Combined value of £250,000 or more).

Selection Criteria

• Through your application, you will need to demonstrate that you are at a stage of your research career where this intensive training will support your future success as a researcher and you are highly likely to apply your learning to winning research funding.
• Capacity to benefit
  • Your application will be assessed in terms of your capacity to benefit from the training, using the following kinds of evidence:
    • Your research experience, outputs and other achievements as an emerging researcher up to now.
    • How you will use the training to achieve your personal vision for your development as a scientist who can address key health challenges important to Africa.
    • How you will “cascade”, i.e. to pass on, the knowledge and skills you have gained from the programme
    • Adequate command of English.
  • Programme participants will be shortlisted from the eligible applicants using these criteria.  Only applicants who meet the capacity to benefit criteria will be on the shortlist, from which the final selection will be made.
• Diversity and inclusivity
  • To ensure equity across research organisations, no more than two shortlisted participants will be finally selected from any one employing institution and AREF aims to maintain a gender and language-balanced selection of participants across its programmes.

For more information, visit AREF.