UK-Africa Academic Partnerships

The Academy's UK-Africa Academic Partnerships scheme enables scholars from the UK, working in any branch of the humanities or social sciences, to apply through their institution to undertake collaborative research with scholars from Africa on a specific theme of mutual interest. The partnerships are intended to build capacity on both sides and it is envisaged that this capacity building should take place through the research collaboration. This might be carried forward through a range of related activities such as visits in both directions; workshops; seminars and lecture programmes. In addition participants from Africa might offer short intensive postdoctoral courses related to the research theme in the UK institution and vice versa; there might be an exchange of publications and/or the creation of shared websites where relevant research materials could be loaded; or there might be a series of small, interlinked workshops. Assessors will be looking for proposals that have a well-defined and clearly envisaged outcome, and the British Academy is keen for the partnerships to publish and disseminate joint research outcomes.

The scheme is intended to initiate the development of long-term, vigorous links between UK and African scholars, whilst also encouraging an intra-African, south-south exchange of expertise and knowledge sharing. Ideally, more than one African institution will be involved in the programme, and the British Academy is favourably disposed to consider applications that outline a clear strategy of how the partnership intends to facilitate intra-African university collaboration and exchange of expertise. Funds are provided to cover a three-year period, after which time it is hoped that alternative sources of funding might be sought in order to continue the collaboration. Early-career UK scholars no longer benefit from the formative experience of living and working for extended periods in African universities and it is hoped that the scheme might serve to redress this by allowing early-career UK scholars both to collaborate with African colleagues on a medium-term project and to teach short courses in an African university (applicants will be encouraged to think flexibly in this regard due to restraints on study leave, for example in terms of devising intensive short programmes rather than whole semesters.)

Scope of awards

• Priority will be given to projects with a training element, such as the support and development of staff or postgraduate students (in the UK and in Africa).
• Visits might be undertaken for staff exchange, supplying teaching elements to courses and developing joint curricula.
• Workshops and seminars should form an integral part of the programme, and involve both staff and postgraduate students.
• The main purpose of the funding is to cover travel and maintenance costs, although costs related to other eligible activities will be considered.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be of postdoctoral or equivalent status (i.e. academic staff with at least one or two years of teaching/ research experience). Normally postgraduate students will not be eligible for funds to support travel between the UK and Africa.
• The principal applicant must be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands (that is, classed as ‘ordinarily resident’ by the Inland Revenue).
• Whilst African scholars cannot apply directly they are encouraged to initiate links with UK partner institutions and to play a significant role in developing the proposals. Both partners need to have input into the application. The British Academy will give a higher priority to applications that give a clear indication that UK-African universities’ collaboration is based on consultation, partnership and with a view to sustainability.
• Applicants will need institutional support because running workshops, offering components of taught courses etc, involves institutional resources including office space, meeting rooms, accommodation and access to facilities amongst other things. More importantly, the aim of the scheme is to build lasting inter-institutional links. For this reason the applicant’s institution will need to endorse the proposal and outline briefly what resources will be made available.

Level of award

Grants are offered up to a maximum of £10,000 per year for up to 3 years. Funding for years 2 and 3 will be conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory annual progress report.

Closing date

4th February 2008 . Decisions will be announced in mid July. Funding will be available from August, and it is expected that grants will taken up by March 2009.

Referees

All applications for Academy grants are considered in the light of referees' comments. No application will be considered without the required number of references, which must be received by the closing date for applications. One reference is required for this scheme. The applicant is responsible for sending the referee form to the referee to complete. Your referee should be familiar with your project and able to comment on its significance and feasibility, and on your abilities. Please note that your referee should be drawn from outside your own employing institution and from outside the employing institution of your co-investigators. Failure to observe this rule will result in the application being ruled ineligible. (Scholars who have only very recently obtained postdoctoral status may, where necessary, be permitted to use an internal referee.) Applicants are requested to explain the relevance of their choice of referee to their application.

Application procedure

• The UK Partner should download and fill in Part A of the form, including the two appendix forms (Subject Area and Monitoring), giving the information required in the space available and not adding additional sheets of paper unless invited to do so. An appropriate representative (e.g. Head of Department or School; Dean; Finance Officer) from the UK institution should complete question 14 confirming the institution’s involvement in the project and sign and date their statement.
• The African Partner is asked to download Part B of the form and fill it in in typescript, or on a word-processor, or, if necessary, in clear handwriting, preferably printed. An appropriate representative (e.g. Head of Department or School; Dean; Finance Officer) from their institution should complete question 5 confirming the institution’s involvement in the project and sign and date their statement. The Africa Partner should then send a copy of Part B to the UK Partner, either scanned and sent by email, or sent by post or fax if necessary. The copy must have a signature.
• The UK partner is asked to send the entire application, both Parts A and B, the Subject Area form and the Monitoring form, to the Academy by post to arrive no later than 4 February 2008. Faxed applications are not acceptable and will not be processed. Applications may be e-mailed, but a signed hard copy must also be posted.
• One referee should be identified for the entire project. They should be from outside the applicants' institutions and should not be involved in the project. The referee should download and complete the reference form and return it direct to the Academy (e-mail attachments are acceptable and should be sent to africa@britac.ac.uk). Faxed references are not accepted. Please ensure that your referee is aware of the closing date for applications.
• Candidates should be aware that although applications may be made to both the British Academy UK-Latin America and the Caribbean Link Programme, and to the British Academy UK-Africa Academic Partnerships Scheme, only one award may be held.
• The Academy will only process complete applications, consisting of both Part A and Part B. Any Part A or Part B received separately will not be processed.

Assessment criteria

Disciplinary assessors will evaluate the partners involved in the application, taking into account the partners engaged in the proposal and the match between their interests, the appropriateness of the planned activities for developing the partnership, the degree to which collaboration within the partner area is encouraged, the ways in which knowledge development on both sides is encouraged, the evidence of support from institutional authorities in both the UK and abroad, and the outcomes of the partnership, both academic (publication, website, training, etc) and in terms of plans for continued links.

Assessors will evaluate the research proposal around which the partnership is developed on the basis of its academic merit, taking into account its originality, its relationship to, and the volume of, research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the research proposed, the suitability of the methodology and the feasibility and specificity of the research programme.

Assessors will evaluate the ability of the principal investigator(s) to manage the proposed partnership, taking into account their track record in terms of previous research and collaborative experience, their publication record, their academic age and stage of career.

Applications will also be evaluated by Area Panels which will take into account the views of disciplinary assessors, but also regional aspects which affect the application, including the Academy’s strategic or other aims relevant to the area, capacity development issues both in the UK and the area abroad and the potential for the establishment and maintenance of long-term links.

Assessors may take into account evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.

Comparative judgements about value for money may be taken into account at the final stage of assessment.

Please note that while applicants may apply to both the British Academy UK-Latin America and the Caribbean Link Programme and the British Academy UK-Africa Academic Partnership scheme, only one award may be held.

Code of Practice

The Academy has adopted a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. Feedback is not a feature of this programme, and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter into correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice. Submission of the signed application form constitutes the applicant's agreement to all terms, conditions and notices contained in the Notes for Applicants.

Contact the International Relations Department for further advice.