Application Deadline: 15 January 2025, 11:59 p.m. CET.
Applications are now open for the 2025 Megatrends Afrika Fellowships. The Megatrends Afrika project is awarding three post-doctoral fellowships to African researchers. Megatrends Afrika is a cooperation between the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW).
Requirements
- Preferably completed PhD in political science, economics, social sciences, geography, international relations, or relevant area studies;Originating from an African country
- Strong research and publication track record in areas of relevance to the Megatrends Afrika project
- Experience in scientific policy advice is an advantage
Research Topics 2025
We are interested in proposals for a Megatrends Policy Brief that tackles an issue of relevance to our three research themes:
- Violent Actors and Transformation of Conflict: how violent conflict transforms political order; how megatrends such as technological innovation, digitalisation or shifts in global power relations affect armed conflict in Africa
- Megatrends and Democratization vs. Autocratization: under which conditions megatrends such as demographic change, digitalisation, urbanisation or climate change promote democratization or autocratization.
- Global Power Shifts and Multipolarity: how the role of external actors such as China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the United States and others is changing Africa’s international relations and how African foreign policies are evolving in a more fragmented world.
The Fellowship
- Fellowships will be granted for a period of three months between March and October 2025, full-time. Fellows will conduct a research project independently or, if suitable, in collaboration with project team members or other IDOS, IfW and SWP colleagues – and contribute one paper to the project’s publication series. All fellows are expected to participate in project meetings, events and other relevant activities of their host institution during their stay.
- For the duration of the fellowship, fellows will reside in the city of their host institution, i.e., in Berlin (SWP), Bonn (IDOS) or Kiel (IfW). Fellows will receive a monthly grant of € 2,800, an economy-class return trip between their place of residence and Germany as well as some financial support for public transport, mobile phone credit and other ancillary costs in Germany. At IDOS, the honorarium will be calculated based on the IDOS fee schedule applicable for external researchers. IDOS will remunerate on par with a stipend. Fellows who require a visa to enter Germany will be provided with a letter of support.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted as a single PDF document and must contain a one-page letter of motivation, an academic CV including a list of academic publications, a sample of 2 recent publications, copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or diplomas (no translations needed), a written concept note containing the description of the applicant’s project. The concept note should not exceed 2,000 words and include a discussion of the project/research topic, its academic and policy relevance, feasibility and theoretical and methodological grounding. The scope and ambition of the project should be appropriate for a Megatrends Policy Brief of 4-8 pages that will be finalized by the end of the fellowship.
The deadline for fellowship applications is 15 January 2025, 11:59 p.m. CET.
Please send your application by email to Megatrends-Afrika@swp-berlin.org. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Megatrends Afrika Fellowships
