Deadline: June 27, 2025

The Research Development Fellowship Programme aims to provide opportunities for talented health researchers based in Africa, so that they can lead research that is responsive to its African settings and can contribute to reducing the burden of disease. It aims to develop emerging African scientists through developing their skills, experience, confidence and research outputs.

Fellowships offer awardees the opportunity to develop their own research ideas, research skills and capabilities, to grow their research relationships through collaboration and mentorship, and to work towards a substantial research funding proposal.

Funding

Applicants can ask for a maximum of:
• £25,000 for a Fellowship with a 3-month placement
• £37,000 for a Fellowship with a 6-month placement
• £47,000 for a Fellowship with a 9-month placement

Seed Funds

• Towards the end of the Research Development Fellowship programme, AREF will hold a Seed Fund competition. The Seed Fund is an award of up to £50,000 over 12 months to give Fellows the opportunity
  to develop pilot data for a larger grant proposal, refine their research questions, and develop, adapt, or validate innovative methods and data collection.

Eligibility

• The RDF scheme focuses on Early-Career health Researchers (ECR) from Africa who plan to develop their research career in Africa and have the potential to become research leaders.
• Applicants must be a national of a country in Africa.
• Applicants need not be resident in Africa at the time of applying, provided that the application is officially supported by an African institution that meets the eligibility criteria for an Employing Organisation, which confirms that the applicant is employed locally.
• Applicants must demonstrate that they have chosen to focus their career on human health research and are progressing on the pathway to becoming, but are not fully established as, independent researchers, with the potential to lead research that is original and innovative. This can be demonstrated through their employment, training, research experience, and outputs.

Academic qualifications

Individuals with the following qualifications may apply:

• Clinicians and non-clinicians with a PhD qualification or equivalent postgraduate degree (DPh/DPhil/MD) in a health-related subject from a recognised institution of higher education or,
• Clinicians with a specialist clinical qualification. Must have an MBBS or equivalent and a specialist clinical qualification. Examples of specialist clinical qualifications are FRCP, FWACP or equivalent or,
• Clinicians with a Master’s degree. Must have an MBBS or equivalent, and the Master’s must have contained a research component. We would expect a plan to gain a PhD or equivalent doctorate (although not funded as part of the AREF Fellowship).

For more information, visit

To apply, click here