Through the Individual Research Fellowship, recipients can expect the following:
Thought Leadership
- Fellows commit to six (6) months of field-based research, and three (3) months of analysis, and writing for a total of nine (9) months, from July 2026 to March 2027. Fellows produce research-based knowledge that is relevant to, and has a significant impact on, peacebuilding scholarship, policy, and practice on the continent while inserting evidence-based knowledge into regional and global debates and policies focusing on peacebuilding.
Workshops
- Fellows will participate in two mandatory APDD workshops occurring in July and January across different regions of Africa. These workshops will provide opportunities to refine recipients’ research designs, focus and methods; present findings; explore ways to make their work more accessible through publications and other means to multiple peacebuilding constituencies; network, and develop constructive working relationships with other fellows, senior academics, practitioners, and facilitators.
African Scholarship and Knowledge Production
- Fellows will contribute to the APDD’s Working Paper series and African Peacebuilding Policy Review and Analysis, as well as to the program’s digital forums and social media platforms (Kujenga Amani, Facebook, and X).
- Fellows may contribute to international peer-reviewed journals, books, articles/essays, blogs, features and op-ed articles, and/or podcasts.
- Fellows will gain new knowledge and skills to advance their careers as academics or practitioners in their chosen fields.
Fostering Community, Professional Development and Networking
- Fellows are part of a network of highly visible and active African scholars and practitioners capable of voicing African perspectives on global discourses, as well as knowledge and practices of peacebuilding.
- Fellows will receive mentorship from highly experienced senior scholars in the field, with opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.
Eligibility
- All applicants must be African citizens currently residing in an African country. This competition is open to African academics, as well as policy analysts and practitioners.
- Applicants who are academics must hold a full-time faculty or research position at an African university or research organization, and have a PhD obtained no earlier than January 2016. Applicants who have not been awarded their PhDs by June 2026 will not have their cases prioritized to be eligible as academics.
- Applicants who are policy analysts or practitioners must be based in Africa at a regional or sub-regional institution; a government agency; or a nongovernmental, media, or civil society organization, and have at least a master’s degree obtained before January 2021 with at least five years of proven research and work experience in peacebuilding-related activities on the continent.
