CODESRIA research grants on university ecosystems open for African scholars

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa has opened its Research Grants on University Ecosystems programme for twenty twenty seven. The call targets scholars affiliated with recognised African higher education institutions and research organisations. It offers funding between five thousand US dollars and fifteen thousand US dollars for projects that examine higher education challenges, gender equality, academic freedom and the quality of associational life on the continent.

Supported by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, the grant aims to strengthen research capacity, promote gender sensitive scholarship and generate evidence that can inform policy and institutional reform. Successful applicants will join a fifteen month research programme that encourages collaboration, knowledge exchange, scholarly publication and engagement with policy makers. The programme is especially relevant to social scientists, education researchers, gender studies scholars, early career academics and interdisciplinary teams investigating how universities interact with broader social, political, economic and cultural environments.

Proposals may focus on gender inequalities, academic and intellectual freedom, university governance, institutional autonomy, research ecosystems, student and faculty associations, or the evolving role of African universities in inclusive development. Applicants must submit a research proposal, curriculum vitae, draft budget and an institutional affiliation or endorsement letter through the official CODESRIA portal. The deadline for all submissions is the sixteenth of January twenty twenty seven.

CODESRIA is a pan African social science and humanities research organisation based in Dakar, Senegal. It was established in nineteen seventy three and has a long standing commitment to advancing African scholarship. The Research Grants on University Ecosystems programme builds on this mission by focusing on the institutional, intellectual, social and political conditions that shape higher education across Africa. The grant encourages interdisciplinary, inter institutional and multi country research that can produce findings relevant to universities continent wide.

Expected outputs include high quality publications and policy oriented briefs that help university administrators, student organisations, civil society actors and policymakers understand existing challenges and identify potential responses. Key thematic areas identified by CODESRIA are gender and social transformation, and academic and intellectual freedom. Projects may investigate women representation in university leadership, gender sensitive governance policies, barriers to promotion, gender based violence on campus, the impact of political interference on academic independence, or the role of student and faculty associations in promoting inclusive participation. Successful scholars will receive financial support for their research activities and will be part of a network that facilitates knowledge sharing and policy engagement throughout the fifteen month period. Researchers should visit the CODESRIA application portal before the sixteenth of January twenty twenty seven deadline.