The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF), in partnership with the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC), has opened applications for the AREF Towards Leadership Programme 2026/2027. This initiative is designed to empower early-career African scientists, building their capacity to secure major global health research funding and lead impactful research careers.
Curriculum & Core Themes
The curriculum combines residential workshops, online resources, supplementary webinars, tutorials, and peer-to-peer collaboration across five core themes:
- The Researcher as a Leader: Raising self-awareness, mindfulness, coaching, and leadership capabilities.
- The Effective Researcher: Time management, mentorship, and personal development planning.
- The Researcher as a Communicator: Presentation skills, storytelling, and messaging to engage research users effectively.
- The Compelling Applicant: Proposal writing, formulating research questions, understanding funders, peer review, and fellowship interviews.
- The Researcher as a Manager: Team building, managing budgets, intellectual property, and collaborating with research support departments.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must satisfy the following requirements:
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- Be a citizen of an African country.
- Be currently employed in Africa by a recognized university or specialist research institution.
- Hold a PhD/DPhil/MD OR a clinical/medical qualification paired with a research-relevant Master’s degree (typically obtained within the last 10 years).
- Be an early-career researcher responsible for supervising research staff or students.
- Demonstrate experience in obtaining prior research funding (typically over £50,000, but under £500,000 total).
- Play a primary role in developing and conducting health research in Global Health fields.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can review full details and submit their applications through the official AREF Towards Leadership Programme Application Portal.
Disclaimer
Edfrica shares opportunities for informational purposes only. Results and funding outcomes are not guaranteed.
