University of Ghana MIASA Tandem Residential Fellowships for African Researchers 2021

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers up to two Tandem Residential Fellowships for 3-5 months each at the University of Ghana (for the academic year 2022/2023).

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic. Our main thematic corridors are conflict and sustainable peace, democracy and environmental transformation. We are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of cultural objects, African cities, human rights and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides.

The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic projects of top international quality. MIASA serves as a hub for exchange, networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, Africa, Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is largely funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 

The present call is for up to two (2) tandem residential fellowships for 3-5 months each for the academic year 2022/2023: 1st of August 2022 to 30th of July 2023. A tandem residential fellowship at MIASA is comprised of two researchers – one from Africa and one from Germany. They apply as a team for working together on a particular research topic, addressing MIASA’s overarching aims. The call is open to both junior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) and senior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) researchers.

About University of Ghana

The University of Ghana, the premier university and the largest university in Ghana was founded as the University College of the Gold Coast by Ordinance on August 11, 1948 for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research. As a University poised to distinguish itself in the area of research to make an impact at the national and international level, the University has launched a new Strategic Plan. http://www.ug.edu.gh/pad/publication/ug-strategic-plan This new strategic plan (2014-2024) is intended to consolidate the gains made from the review of the ... read more

MIASA Tandem Residential Fellowships

Aim and Benefits of MIASA Tandem Residential Fellowships

• The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. Fellows affiliated with a home institution may choose between two fellowship options: (1) The fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month on the principle of “no loss, no gain,” and paid directly to his/her home institution. (2) A fellow may choose the option of an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution. Additionally, fellows from outside Accra may receive a monthly living allowance of up to 675€. 
• Non-affiliated fellows receive an individual monthly grant. 
• For all fellows from outside Accra, MIASA provides accommodation (or an equivalent accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month) and reimburses travel costs. In addition, a small contribution to support research undertaken at MIASA can be granted to the MIASA fellow upon application to MIASA directors (max. 250€/ fellow month). MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg/FRIAS.
• The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana campus. Fellows have full access to all library services at the University of Ghana and, electronically, at the University of Freiburg, Germany. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be negotiated with the MIASA directors prior to the signing of the fellowship agreement, and must not exceed a total of more than 1/6 of the fellowship duration. 

Requirements for MIASA Tandem Residential Fellowships Qualification

A tandem residential fellowship at MIASA is comprised of two researchers – one from Africa and one from Germany. They apply as a team for working together on a particular research topic, addressing MIASA’s overarching aims. The call is open to both junior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) and senior (> 6 years after completion of PhD) researchers.

Projects can be at conceptional stage, mid-term phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings). The selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, the tandem fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative and high-quality research topic. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicant and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is committed to inclusion, gender equality, and family friendliness. The MIASA fellowship program thus aims for gender parity and is promoting affirmative action policies.

Interview date, Process and Venue for MIASA Tandem Residential Fellowships

The Program will last for 3-5 months each for the academic year 2022/2023: 1st of August 2022 to 30th of July 2023. 

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below have to be uploaded on the application webpage (https://mobility.frias.uni-freiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAtwo&sprache=en). After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt providing contact details and including a copy of their submission. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

  Please respect formal requirements:

• Formatting: font Arial, 11 pt, line spacing 1.5, all margins 2.5 cm.
• Page limits may not be exceeded.
• All required documents have to be comprised in one pdf-file and uploaded on the application webpage.

• Applications must include the following information:

  1. Front page with general information on the applicant (max. 2 pages):

  a.     Title, name (last, first), e-mail address, link to webpage.*

  b.     Date of doctorate.*

  c.     Current position/affiliation, institution and business address (name of institution/city/country).*

  d.     Research field.*

  e.     Title of joint tandem fellowship project.

  f.      Abstract of the joint tandem fellowship project (max. 150 words).

  g.     Dates for the joint tandem fellowship at MIASA for which you apply.

  h.     The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.

  * This information has to be provided for both fellows.

  2. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):

  a.     Project title (max. 50 characters)

  b.     Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words)

  c.     Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.

  d.     Work and time plan (note: the fellowship only offers a max. of 500€/month research costs for both fellows together and requires being present at MIASA).

  e.     Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.

  f.      Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana as well as of doing the research as a tandem team.

  g.     Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).

  5. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

  6. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

  Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page

For more details, visit University of Ghana website.