Empowering Africa’s Emerging Scholars to Conduct World-Class Research
Are you an early-career African researcher with a passion for globally competitive academic work and a commitment to Africa’s development? The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) invites qualified candidates to apply for its prestigious Early-Career Research Fellowship Programme 2025.
Supported by the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, this programme aims to build the next generation of research leaders on the continent by placing outstanding young researchers at one of ARUA’s thirteen (13) Centres of Excellence (CoEs). This is a powerful platform for high-impact research, mentorship, and pan-African collaboration.
Fellowship Summary
Host Institutions: ARUA Centres of Excellence across leading African universities
Duration: 6 months (between July 2025 and June 2026)
Fellowship Type: Research Fellowship
Number of Fellows: Up to 42
Application Deadline: Varies, but all positions must be filled by December 2025
Target Group: Early-career African researchers (priority given to female applicants)
Key Features
Thirteen (13) Centres of Excellence host the programme in areas such as climate, food security, water, urbanization, energy, inequalities, and education.
Up to four fellows per Centre will be selected.
At least 70% of fellowship slots are reserved for female candidates.
Fellows must be 35 years or younger at the time of application.
Benefits
Opportunity to conduct globally competitive research at ARUA’s leading Centres of Excellence.
Be mentored by senior academics and experts across ARUA’s network.
Join a continental cohort of early-career scholars.
Gain access to cutting-edge resources and cross-university collaboration.
Strengthen your contribution to Africa’s socio-economic transformation through research.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, applicants must:
Be early-career researchers affiliated with African universities or research institutions.
Be aged 35 or younger at the time of application.
Demonstrate a strong research background aligned with one of the ARUA Centres of Excellence.
Female researchers are highly encouraged to apply (70% of fellowships reserved).
How to Apply
1. Visit the official ARUA fellowship page for full details and requirements:
🔗 https://arua.org/early-career-research-fellowships-2025
2. Identify your area of interest and the matching Centre of Excellence.
3. Prepare and submit all required documents as specified on the application portal.
4. Submit before each Centre’s individual deadline (all selections to be concluded by December 2025).
Participating Universities
ARUA member universities include:
University of Lagos
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
Addis Ababa University
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Makerere University
University of Cape Town
Rhodes University
…and other leading research institutions across the continent.
About ARUA
The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) is a pan-African network of top research universities committed to building research capacity, promoting knowledge production, and enhancing Africa’s global research competitiveness.
If you are an ambitious, research-driven young scholar ready to make a difference, this fellowship is your chance to shine on the continental stage.
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