CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | FAR LeaF II

The Future Africa collaborative platform at the University of Pretoria invites applications for Early Career Research Leadership Fellowships

Application submissions: http://callforapplications.co.za

Applications close on 13 December 2024

 

The Future Africa Research Leadership Fellowship (FAR-LeaF II) is a two-year research-oriented fellowship programme supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and hosted at Future Africa. The programme focuses on future-looking science leadership and developing the next generation of African scientists and academics. The programme seeks to build a network of emerging African scientists with the skills to apply transformative research methods and approaches in addressing complex sustainability challenges in Africa, including inter- and transdisciplinarity, systems thinking, and futures literacy. Furthermore, it will provide multiple research and learning opportunities covering different sectors of science and society, aiming to create sustainable solutions in a real-world context, establishing communities of practice, and addressing the broad scope of the politics of sustainability, resilience, and greater social cohesion.

Applicants should be receptive to applying transdisciplinary science and developing leadership skills to generate positive societal changes whilst striving for a future academic leadership position.  Successful applicants to the programme will receive a two-year fellowship, with training on transdisciplinary research approaches, through Future Africa at the University of Pretoria and its partners and inclusive co-design of fellows’ research projects with relevant role-players. The training and support provided by the FAR-LeaF II programme will create opportunities to establish research relationships at diverse African universities in collaboration with and through mentorship opportunities offered by the University of Pretoria.

The FAR-LeaF II programme follows the first FAR-LeaF programme, which supported research focused on sustainability and well-being on the African continent. The research in the FAR-LeaF II programme will extend and build upon the FAR-LeaF research, with an additional focus on the politics of sustainability.

The broad area of the politics of sustainability is focused on interrelated issues such as democracy, public participation and advocacy, governance and societal decision-making, political will, political systems, institutions, policy innovation, and science-policy-practice interfaces. This domain also seeks to understand the tensions within and between local communities, governments, environmental NGOs, etc., arising from the implementation of SDGs.

The Fellowship will support early-career researchers in conducting research projects relevant to the focus areas of the politics of sustainability, resilience, and social cohesion.  The research will be conducted in the context of relevant national and regional challenges in sustainable development.

The importance and relevance of sustainability science in Africa is exemplified by the need to:

• Advance the development and full integration of the natural sciences with the social and human sciences as a cross-cutting research approach.
• Generate actionable knowledge relevant to achieving sustainable development goals in Africa.
• Articulate African perspectives on and solutions to global political challenges and opportunities related to achieving these goals and project these into global fora.

The FAR-LeaF II programme will emphasise tangible solutions to these highly complex challenges that have profound implications for research, collaboration, institutional responsibilities, and governance.

 

The envisaged research will harness the tools of the digital revolution to fuel scientific discovery and advance societal engagement to pursue sustainability. Technology is embedded in the research programme, and training will ensure that the research projects build on cutting-edge technological advancement to deliver tangible research outputs that are inclusive and transformative by nature. The proposed research and training (in the programme) will integrate research and technology skills to strengthen scientific capacity. Applying novel methodologies of co-design and co-production and other relevant approaches is vital for high-quality integrated research.

 

 SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS

The programme is intended for candidates from across the African continent. The research will be conducted in the fellow’s home country, and fellows will retain their position at their home institutions.

Fellows should be employed by an African higher education or research institution or have a commitment from a home institution to support or consider a future position. The programme will be flexible to allow for minimal disruption of the academic responsibilities at the fellows’ home institutions.

The programme has a strong institutional capacity development dimension whereby supervisors are part of the support and design of the research through paired submission by an early career candidate with their supervisor/study leader and collaboration with mentors from the University of Pretoria.

The FAR-LeaF II fellows will be selected based on their research interests in developing solutions for addressing transformation towards sustainability, resilience, and social cohesion to advance and complement diverse science disciplines.

 

Selection criteria

The following criteria will be used for the nomination and selection of fellows.

 Applicants must have:

• A PhD degree awarded within the last 10 years
• A Faculty or a continuing research position at a research-active institution in Africa
• Active involvement in research at an African institution of higher education or research
• A strong record of excellent scientific or scholarly achievement
• Interest in translating and communicating the results of their work for impact on society
• Interest in developing leadership ability in research and beyond.

Other criteria which will guide selection include:

• An interest in the role of transdisciplinary research in addressing issues related to the focus areas of the programme, namely, (sustainability and the politics of sustainability, resilience and social cohesion).
• An interest in collaborations across disciplines and sectors (e.g., industry, civil society, government) and with diverse stakeholders.
• A commitment to participate in all the activities of the fellowship.
• The intent to share what is learned in the programme with their broader networks.
• Age below 45 for men, or 50 for women.

Application requirements

1. Applications must be submitted using the online application form. The application form will be live from 11-30 November 2024: http://callforapplications.co.za/ 

2. The application will include a research proposal as outlined in the template included in the online application form.

3. All applicants must provide two support letters from academic referees. One letter should be from the applicant’s line manager or current supervisor and should include confirmation that the applicant will be released from responsibilities – where applicable – to allow them to fulfil the requirements of the fellowship.

4. All applicants must have a supervisor in their home institution who is prepared to work with the applicant in developing the application jointly, between fellow and supervisor, with a research proposal, budget and publication plan.

5. The supervisor will be a co-applicant with the fellow in the application and the proposal for the research project. The supervisor is requested to complete the relevant section on the Online Application Form.

 

Agreements

Agreements will be signed with the host institutions, and declarations will be required for successful applicants in due course. The funding will be provided up to a maximum funding level (see below), taking into consideration any sources of other income.

 

Fellowship financial support

The fellowship will provide research funds of USD 13 500 per year for two years, covering expenses for research-related expenditures, travel to local and regional communities and meetings, and fellowship visits to Future Africa.

 

Application schedule

The programme will run over two years. Fellows will be selected through a rigorous evaluation process based on their research proposals and be provided with a two-year fellowship. All applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by representatives of Future Africa at the University of Pretoria in collaboration with expert reviewers.

 

Key dates
6 November 2024	Call for proposals released
11-30 November 2024	Online system application period open
13 December 2024	New closing date for applications
27 January 2025	Selection of suitable candidates from the Open Call for participation
February 2025	Programme orientation for suitable candidates, supervisors, and mentors (single-day virtual session).
24 February 2025	Announcement of successful Fellows
March 2025	Contractual agreements to be signed for the programme to commence
April 2025	Visa applications for South Africa to be completed
May 2025	Annual workshop training on TDS (in person)

 

Applicants are strongly advised to view research examples from the first FAR-LeaF cohort before submitting their application: https://www.scienceblog.africa/blog

 

Queries can be addressed to the Programme Leader, Professor Stephanie Burton

farleaf@futureafrica.science

 

INFORMATION ON THE FAR-LEAF PROGRAMME

The Future Africa Research Leadership Fellowship programme focuses on future-looking science leadership and human capital development that aligns with the Carnegie Corporation’s interest in skills development, research, and retention for early-career researchers. Furthermore, it fosters the development of the next generation of African scientists and academics. In particular, the programme seeks to build a network of emerging African scientists with the skills to apply transformative research methods and approaches in addressing complex sustainability challenges in Africa.

Future Africa defines transformative research as involving inter- and transdisciplinarity, systems thinking, and futures literacy. It is also research that is digitally enabled, harnessing the tools of the digital revolution to fuel scientific discovery and advance societal engagement. FAR-LeaF supports future-focused research relevant to national and regional challenges and recognises the value of creating a long-term network of future-focussed science leaders with transdisciplinary research skills who can address African challenges.

 

PROGRAMME VALUES

Future Africa’s focus on sustainability science, transdisciplinary research approaches, systems thinking skills development, and inter-sectoral collaboration is reflected in the values of the FAR-LeaF programme:

1.  Transdisciplinarity

Future Africa’s interpretation of transdisciplinary research is that it is demand-driven and problem-oriented form of research that combines inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches with the participation of a range of stakeholders, including community stakeholders and policymakers, in co-creating the research programmes. The purpose is to create multiple learning opportunities (such as exchanges, knowledge generation, and integration of existing or newly developing knowledge).  The proposed research and training in the FAR-LeaF programmes will integrate research skills that strengthen the scientific capacity to apply novel methodologies on co-design and co-production and other relevant approaches vital for high-quality integrated research.

2. Leadership training in this context

Research leadership encompasses issues specific to the research ecosystem, such as building linkages with policymakers, being an effective ambassador for science, and engaging with other role-players and science communities to influence research and its resourcing. As such, the programme will require a strong focus on research development and management, career development, establishing interdisciplinary relationships, building networks, and acquiring leadership competencies.

3. Open Science principles and use of technology

Support for continuous online research collaboration will be provided through a virtual research environment (VRE) to facilitate intensive and extensive interaction between the Fellows and their individual research projects. Research and data management processes will be hosted on the FAR-LeaF online platform, including communicating with their research teams, establishing and archiving research materials such as data sets, conducting training, and accessing research tools.

 

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Fellows will engage in three inter-related types of research and skills development experiences:

1. Supporting institutional capacity building through engagement with the host institution’s regional areas of interest. The research should be on a research topic of interest to the fellow and will be integrated into a broader strategy for leadership development through practical experience, exposure to leadership opportunities and mentoring, in conjunction with a balanced career development plan.
2. Individual skills development that simultaneously builds on what is learned at the host institution and meets a home institution’s research need in addressing sustainable development in a local context.
3. Transdisciplinary teamwork supported by a strong engagement with communities. This activity will include as far as possible, joint fieldwork in communities to test planning and transdisciplinary research tools.

 

Skills development and training

The core leadership training will be provided by Future Africa so that after completion of the programme, fellows will have mastered skills related to foresight, critical thinking, innovation, communication, analysis, policy-making and international negotiations. The programme will include initiatives supporting fellows through a structured skills development programme to achieve these goals. The programme will provide opportunities for partner organisations to contribute to the science dialogue and opportunities for fellows to meet scholars outside of their home and host institutions.

Supervision and Mentorship

Academic supervision and mentorship are foundational values of the programme and are expected to be demonstrated by the active involvement of the supervisors and/or mentors from the application phase until the final completion of the fellowship.  Mentorship is crucial in supporting research that expands beyond the traditional disciplinary boundaries of rigid academic discipline structures.

Each fellow will need to have a supervisor (in their home institution) and a mentor (assigned from the University of Pretoria). Academics at the University of Pretoria working in relevant (transdisciplinary) research fields will be invited to collaborate and provide mentorship where appropriate, so that each research team includes the fellow, home supervisor, and a University of Pretoria researcher acting as a mentor.

Workshops and seminars

Research visits to Future Africa will be to gain valuable research experience in a new environment, broaden their views by building on their existing knowledge, and enrich their research skills. The FAR-LeaF virtual knowledge platform will be critical to facilitate intensive and extensive interaction. The Virtual Research Environment (VRE) will allow access to diverse virtual tools to support individual online research spaces, online collaboration platforms, data sharing, etc.

 

The fellowship is intended to allow for scientific mobility between the university of the fellow, Africa universities and Future Africa at the University of Pretoria, if and when possible. In the FAR-LeaF programme, Future Africa will seek to support other institutions in sharing the programme with Future Africa. Future Africa will also host any selected candidates who need to spend time with mentors based at the University of Pretoria. Future Africa will also host the leadership and skills development training and the final conference of the fellows.

 

PROPOSED SCHEDULE

The following provisional schedule is planned for the first year (February-November 2025):

• Regular collaboration workshops – May-December (2025) and February-November (2026) (virtual)
• Ongoing | Online lectures for diverse skills development to ensure fellows have access to adequate transdisciplinary research resources. This is core to the programme and will be developed in line with the identified programme needs.
• Compulsory annual workshop training on transdisciplinary science – 2025 and 2026 (in person at Future Africa).
• Quarterly virtual regional or cluster workshops/seminars.
• Quarterly reporting.

 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA AND FUTURE AFRICA

The University of Pretoria is one of South Africa’s leading research universities and is emerging as a leading academic institution on the African continent.  The implementation of the 2025 vision of the University of Pretoria strongly focuses on initiatives that have helped to establish the university as a leading research‐intensive university in Africa, recognised internationally for its quality, relevance, and impact. The University has nine faculties and a business school, and numerous Research Centres and Institutes, including a number which are engaged in transdisciplinary research. Read more: https://www.up.ac.za/

Future Africa is the University of Pretoria’s collaborative platform for research that works across the sciences and with society to address Africa’s biggest and most urgent contemporary challenges. Its fundamental purpose is to develop and unleash the transformative potential of African sciences to inform and inspire a future of thriving African societies. Future Africa was established in March 2019 to promote transformative research excellence, capacity development, fostering the development of research networks, training at an advanced level, and thereby, contributing to Africa’s sustainable and equitable development. Future Africa seeks to develop novel research ideas and build scientific capacity around them. It also aims to shape a new generation of researchers and academics through mentorship and science leadership development programmes. Future Africa’s vision is to advance transformative research for thriving African futures. Read more: https://www.futureafrica.science/