AFRICAN RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM 2017

APN Individual Research Grants

Supporting independent African research and its integration into regional and global policy communities

Overview

Request for Proposals

The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) invites research grant applications from African researchers, policy analysts, and practitioners working on conflict and peacebuilding issues at universities and research institutions or regional governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Africa.

About the Individual Research Grants Program

A core component of the APN, the research grants program is a vehicle for enhancing the quality and visibility of independent African peacebuilding research both regionally and globally, while making peacebuilding knowledge accessible to key policymakers and research centers of excellence in Africa and around the world. Grant recipients will produce research-based knowledge that is relevant to, and has a significant impact on, peacebuilding policy and practice on the continent. For its part, the APN will work toward inserting the evidence-based knowledge that this group produces into regional and global debates and policies focusing on peacebuilding.

Support is available for research and analysis on issues such as the following:

Root causes of conflict, conflict prevention and transformation
State and non-state armed actors, transnational crime, extremism and emerging trajectories of conflict
Post-conflict elections, democratization, and governance
The relationship between peacebuilding and state building, including state-society relations and state reconstruction
Transitional justice, reconciliation and peace
Economic and financial dimensions of conflict, peacekeeping and peace support operations
UN-AU-REC cooperation and Peace Support Operations
Digital media, technology and peace
Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and peacebuilding
Gender and peacebuilding
Health, post-conflict development, peace and security
Prevention of mass atrocities


Grants are awarded on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis and are intended to support six months of field-based research, from June 2017 to December 2017. Up to fifteen (15) individual grants of a maximum of $15,000 will be awarded. Women are strongly encouraged to apply

During their grant period, grantees are required to participate in two workshops organized by the APN. These workshops will provide opportunities to refine research focus and methodologies, present findings, explore ways to make work accessible through publications and other means to multiple peacebuilding constituencies, and develop constructive working relationships with other grantees, senior academics, and practitioner facilitators.

Grantees are also strongly encouraged to contribute to the program’s online and social media platforms (Kujenga Amani, Facebook, and Twitter), as well as APN’s Working Papers series and Policy Briefing Notes.

Research Grant Proposals

The APN is interested in innovative field-based projects that demonstrate strong potential for high-quality research and analysis, which in turn can inform practical action on peacebuilding and/or facilitate interregional collaboration and networking among African researchers and practitioners.

Proposals should clearly describe research objectives and significance, with alignment between research design/method and research questions and goals. Proposals should also demonstrate knowledge of the research subject and relevant literature, and address the feasibility of proposed research activities, including a time frame for project completion. Applicants should also discuss the likely relevance of the proposed research to existing knowledge on peacebuilding practice and policy. We strongly encourage the inclusion of a brief, but realistic budget outline (keeping within the allotted amount for the grant), to fit appropriately within a six-month project and the page limit required.

Eligibility

All applicants must be African citizens currently residing in an African country.

Academic applicants must hold a faculty or research position at an African university or research organization and have a PhD obtained after January 2001.

Policy analysts and practitioner applicants must be based in Africa at a regional or sub regional institution, a government agency, or a nongovernmental, media, or civil society organization and have at least a Master’s degree obtained before January 2012, with at least five years of proven research and work experience in peacebuilding-related activities on the continent.

Application Process

All applications must be uploaded through our online portal.

If you encounter any difficulties accessing the online portal, please contact APN staff at apn@ssrc.org, or by telephone at (+1) 212-377-2700, ext. 3703.


Requirements

1) Completed application form
2) Completed proposal & bibliography
3) Two reference letters
4) Language evaluation(s) (if required)
5) Updated CV

Deadline: January 20th, 2017.

http://paveafrica.com/african-research-grants-program/