The Africa Initiative Graduate Research Grant

The Africa Initiative’s Graduate Research Grant program supports short-term academic placements for students enrolled in a master’s and PhD program at a university in Canada.  The program offers grants of up to CAD$10,000 each to fifteen students per year to conduct field-based research for up to three months in Africa.

The Africa Initiative Graduate Research Grant program is currently accepting applications for research to be conducted between May and December, 2011.

The application deadline is January 31, 2011.

To be Eligible

  • must have completed a bachelor’s degree in good academic standing
  • must be enrolled in a master’s or PhD program at a Canadian university on a full-time basis
  • must be in good academic standing (with at least an overall B+, or equivalent, standing)
  • research must focus on one of the Africa Initiative’s thematic areas of conflict resolution, energy, food security, health, and migration, with special attention to the cross-cutting issue of climate change.
  • applicant must obtain ethics clearance for proposed research from his/her home institution

Application Requirements

  • completed application form (Click here to obtain the application form)
  • comprehensive proposal outlining the applicant’s current research, a preliminary timeline of field-based research in Africa, the specific destination country for conducting his/her research , preliminary contacts at local universities and/or research organizations located in the applicant’s proposed destination country
  • current CV
  • current university transcript
  • two letters of recommendation (one letter from the applicant’s academic advisor and an additional letter from other academic or professional sources; all references must be emailed by the referee to aiexchange@cigionline.org)
  • one letter of support from an organization the applicant plans to work with in the proposed destination country; the supporting letter must be in electronic format on the organization's letterhead and should outline the name, title and contact information of the person signing it; it should also detail preliminary interaction and action plan for the proposed research.
  • passport scan
  • writing sample

Click here to download the Africa Initiative Graduate Research Grant Program Guidelines.

NOTE: The grant is available for research in the countries listed below. Proposals will not be approved in regions with travel advisories by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) recommending to avoid non-essential or all travel. The grant may be withheld if a travel advisory arises after concession of the grant and before travel. For up-to-date information and travel advisories, visit: www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/menu-eng.asp

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia

Program expectations: participants are expected to provide content for the Africa Initiative’s Africa Portal (www.africaportal.org) on a regular basis during their placement, write one major academic piece for the Portal at the end of their placement, and present their work at a seminar at CIGI based on their research.

Short Research Articles: Participants will submit short research articles once per month (three in total). Participants will be provided with select topics to choose from each month and will be expected to produce backgrounders and policy briefs for publication on the Africa Portal.

Major Research Paper:Participants will produce one major research paper based on their field-based research at the conclusion of their participation. Topic selection will be the responsibility of the participant, with the expectation that the topic aligns with one of the Africa Initiative’s thematic areas.

Presentation of Major Research Paper: Selected participants will be expected to present their research on a panel at the Africa Initiative’s conference planned for 2013, outlining the major findings, research, and publications resulting from the overall project.

For more information, contact aiexchange@cigionline.org