Call for proposals for RUFORUM Graduate Research Grants – 2024

Over the years, African universities have sought opportunities to send their staff abroad for post-graduate training in order to strengthen research and training, albeit at exorbitant costs. The loss of faculty for four to five years has negatively affected universities. In order to meet the growing demand for Doctoral level scientists in Africa, the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) programme was initiated by RUFORUM (a consortium of 163 universities operating in 40 African countries) Vice Chancellors to improve the quality of Higher Education at African Universities by increasing the proportion of academic staff with PhD qualifications, contributing to locally relevant research and reducing the time away from the home institution. The initiative was officially launched by the African Union Commissioner for Human Resource, Science and Technology, H.E. Dr Martial De Paul Ikounga on 25th July 2014 in Maputo, Mozambique during the RUFORUM Fourth Biennial Conference with support from Carnegie Corporation.

The specific objectives of the GTA are to:

• • Improve the quality of higher education and increase the pool of PhD-level trained academic staff in African universities;
  • Provide opportunities for the doctoral research to contribute more directly to African Development

• Strengthen inter- university collaboration in the field of higher education in Africa; and
• Promote staff mobility among RUFORUM member universities, and across Africa.

The RUFORUM Secretariat announces the availability of 40 PhD research grants under the GTA programme to support their doctoral research over two years. The research supported through these grants should as much as possible have a participatory, action research approach, working closely with a range of stakeholders and thus contributing to the RUFORUM mission of linking universities more closely with rural communities and with research, extension, development and policy-making agencies. However, basic research may also be considered depending on the research area of the GTA Fellow. 

Eligibility

Eligibility and Compliance

1. Applicants must be registered at a PhD Programme in one of the RUFORUM Member universities as Graduate Teaching Assistant and must have completed and passed their coursework before the grant can be awarded. If applicants have not yet completed their coursework by the deadline then proof of successful completion of course work should be included and a recommendation letter from the supervisor(s) must be given that indicates progress on coursework.

• All the PhD Programmes in the RUFORUM Network universities are Eligible. Female Graduate Teaching Assistantship candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Only proposals that comply with the budget limit ($12,000) and duration of the project and are achievable within the time limit will be considered.
• All applications must be channelled through respective University offices (usually the Deans or Principals). The Dean/ Principal is required to provide a signed covering letter (scanned copy) indicating that the proposals have undergone internal review and received approval within their respective institutions.
• The proposal should be no more than 10 pages (A4, 12-point Times New Roman, single-spaced with 1-inch (2.54cm) margins on either side) and follow the proposal writing guidelines contained within the CGS Manual.

Submission of applications

1. Applications should be done via the RUFORUM Information Management System (RIMS) http://rims2.ruforum.org/

• Prior to submission, prepare the following items:
• Register in RIMS as outlined in the below section.

(a) Proposal document in a pdf file
(b)  CVs of the candidate in a single pdf file
(c)  Capability statement of candidate in terms of research experiences
(d) Cover letter supporting the application from the authorized administrative office.

Time Frame

The foreseen time frame for the award process is as follows:

1. The deadline for receiving applications at RUFORUM Secretariat is 15th November 2023
2. Administrative check/Compliance, Review, and feedback to applicants by 30^th November 2023.
3. Review of Proposals completed by 2^nd January 2024.
4. Communication to Successful applicants by 10^th January 2024.
5. RUFORUM Secretariat sends out Grant Award letters by 30th January 2024
6. Grant advances disbursed by 9^th February 2024
7. Official commencement of project implementation 15^th February 2024

Please complete the application online.

1.   Open this website link: http://rims2.ruforum.org/
2.   If you do not have an account you will be asked to register here:http://rims2.ruforum.org/contacts/register/
3.   After registering successfully, you will be taken to your dashboard. What you see on your dashboard depends on the permissions that you have been assigned by the RIMS Administrator.
4.   For most members of the RUFORUM network we have captured your emails in RIMS.

So, the system might tell you that your account already exists. If this is the case, then follow the steps related to resetting your password or forgotten password

What to do if you have forgotten your password or need to reset your password

1. Open this website link: http://rims2.ruforum.org/
2. Instead of logging on, Click “Forgot Password”
3. You will be asked to enter your email address and then click reset password
4. The link to enable you to reset your password will be sent to your email address. Please also check for this link in your spam folder in case it is delivered to your spam. Follow the instructions to reset your password
5. Use your email and the new password to log into RIMS
6. After successfully logging on you will be taken to your dashboard. What you see on your dashboard depends on the permissions that you have been assigned by the RIMS Administrator

How to log on if you have an existing account

1. Open this website link: http://rims2.ruforum.org/
2. Click to log into RIMS by entering your email as the username and your password

After successfully logging on you will be taken to your dashboard. What you see on your dashboard depends on the permissions that you have been assigned by the RIMS Administrator.

How to submit a fellowship grant application via RIMS

1. After successfully logging on click ‘Apply for a Grant’
2. Choose the correct call ID which is: Call ID: RU/2023/RUFORUM GTA 2024/0005
3. Complete the online application form.

For information

For any quick inquiries, please write to m.majaliwa@ruforum.org or f.artur@ruforum.org with a copy to cgs@ruforum.org

Potential applicants are invited to use this Application template, Budget template and  Budget Instructions for the Call. For further information on the GRG and the application process for the second funding round please refer to the Competitive Grants System Manual1 and to the Graduate Environmental and Agricultural Research Guide (GEAR).

Download documents 

Pilot Project Announcement – Call for full Proposals

Seed Grant Announcement – Call for full Proposals

Cliquez ici pour plus de bourses

Notre chaine youtube: Infosconcourseducation