Postdoctoral Fellowships in Social Sciences in Sub-Saharan and North Africa, 2014

Call for Pre-Proposals for Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Social Sciences in Sub-Saharan and North Africa, jointly funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Volkswagen Foundation. Postdoctoral fellowships are available in the fields of social sciences, including disciplines such as sociology, political science, economics, social anthropology and contemporary social or political history. The call provides funding opportunities for both junior and senior postdoctoral scholars. To be eligible for a junior postdoctoral fellowship, applicants must have less than three years of postdoctoral experience. The fellowship covers salary, research, travel costs, and administrative costs of up to 90,000 EUR for junior fellows and of up to 120,000 EUR for senior fellows.
Study Subject (s): The call is open to applications from the Social Sciences, including disciplines such as sociology, political science, economics, social anthropology and contemporary social or political history.
Course Level: These Fellowships are available for pursuing postdoctoral researchers at both junior and senior level.
Scholarship Provider: The Gulbenkian Foundation and Volkswagen Foundation
Scholarship can be taken at: Sub-Saharan and North Africa

Eligibility: As indicated, this postdoctoral fellowship program aims at supporting young postdoctoral researchers based in Sub-Saharan or North Africa by:
-providing an opportunity to enhance both skills and academic qualifications,
-strengthening partnerships between African and European scholars, and
-developing and extending academic networks within Africa and beyond.
The call provides funding opportunities for both junior and senior postdoctoral scholars. To be eligible for a junior postdoctoral fellowship, applicants must have less than three years of postdoctoral experience (the PhD must be completed by March 2015, at the latest). Postdoctoral researchers with more than three, but less than six years of postdoctoral experience are eligible to apply for a senior fellowship. Both senior and junior researchers are then offered a fellowship of up to three years to conduct postdoctoral research while based on the African continent.

Scholarship Open for International Students: The applicants of sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) or North African applicants of can apply for these fellowships.
Scholarship Description: This Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, jointly funded by the Gulbenkian
Foundation and Volkswagen Foundation, aims at providing sustainable support for research in the Social Sciences in Sub-Saharan as well as North Africa. It offers opportunities for postdoctoral researchers at both junior and senior level (i.e. 3 to 6 years post-PhD) to develop and conduct their own research projects. While open for any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria, the current call builds on a previous call for proposals in this area from 2011, and especially invites those junior fellows currently funded as part of the initiative to submit applications for senior fellowships. In the selection process, they will then compete with the other experienced applicants from the region. Similarly, senior fellows currently funded as part of this initiative can apply for some final funding for up to two years (a maximum of 50,000 EUR).

Number of award(s): Not known
Duration of award(s): Fellowships are offered for 3 to 6 years post-PhD.
What does it cover? The fellowship covers salary, research, travel costs, and administrative costs of up to 90,000 EUR for junior fellows and of up to 120,000 EUR for senior fellows. In addition, the program also offers opportunities and financial means to incorporate a European postdoctoral fellow in the project and work with international mentors.
Selection criteria: Not known
Notification: Decisions on these pre-proposals will be communicated in the fall of 2014 and successful applicants will then be encouraged to submit a full application. 
How to Apply: The mode of applying is by email. It is include:
-CV of the applicant – up to 2 pages
-PhD certificate or a letter from the main supervisor, stating that the PhD will be completed by March 2015
-Statement of support from the African research institution (including the relevant financial administration) agreeing to the terms and conditions of the postdoctoral fellowships.
-Letter of support of the European partner institution stating that it will provide the basic infrastructure during the visits.
-Statement of the European postdoctoral fellow confirming an interest to actively participate in the research project proposed by the African applicant, if applicable.
-Letter of support by the mentors confirming their support for the applicant if applicable.
Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is June 27, 2014.
Further Official Scholarship Information and Application