OBJECTIVES: The Council for the Development of Social Science Research
in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce its twenty-fifth session
Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing for the year 2013. The grants
serve as part of the Council's contribution to the development of the
social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening
of research capacities in African universities, through the funding of
primary research conducted by postgraduate students and professionals.
Hence, candidates whose applications are successful are encouraged to
use the resources provided under the grants to cover the cost of their
fieldwork, the acquisition of books and documents, the processing of
data which they have collected and the printing of their
thesis/dissertations. As the Council is strongly committed to
encouraging African researchers to engage one another on a sustained
basis, recipients of the small grants will also be supported to order
books and journals produced by African scholarly publishers, including
CODESRIA itself. They will also be encouraged to apply for participation
in CODESRIA research methodology workshops.
ELIGIBILITY: The CODESRIA Small Grants Programme is open to graduate
students and professionals currently registered in African universities,
and preparing their thesis and dissertation in all social science fields
and other disciplines involving social or economic analysis. Preference
is given to those registered for doctoral studies (PhD or equivalent),
though few grants are available for Masters thesis.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES: Grants are awarded solely on merit, that is, on
the strength of each individual application received by CODESRIA. All
applicants are required to use the application forms designed by
CODESRIA which is made available along with this announcement. The
application forms can also be downloaded from the CODESRIA website (
www.codesria.org). In filling out the forms, applicants are requested to
bear the following guidelines in mind:
RESEARCH PROPOSAL: Candidates' research proposals should each contain a
clear statement of the research hypotheses, a critical review of the
existing literature, the methodology to be used, the expected results of
the work, and a detailed work plan and timetable. The research proposal
should be based on an innovative problematic which sets out the
originality of the theme in relation to on-going research in the same
area.
BUDGET: Applicants should present a detailed budget with expenses
clearly linked to specific phases of their research. The budget should
not exceed USD 5,000 for PhD (or its equivalents) and USD 3000 for
Masters. Only trips for fieldwork in the country in which the research
is actually conducted is funded under this grant.
STATEMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: A statement is required from each
applicant's institution of affiliation, giving approval to the proposed
research and an assurance of continued institutional support throughout
the preparation of the thesis/dissertation. This should be done on the
institution's letterhead and must carry the official stamp. Contact
details of the officer issuing the statement must also be included.
LETTERS OF REFERENCE: Two letters of reference must accompany each
application, one from the thesis/dissertation supervisor, assessing the
applicant's research proposal and abilities; and the other from a
faculty member, assessing the applicant in relation to other graduate
students, and commenting on the scientific merit and validity of the
proposed research. Contact details of the thesis or dissertation
supervisor must be included in the letter of reference.
CURRICULUM VITAE: Applicants must include their current curriculum vitae
which, among other things, indicates their discipline and nationality,
and provides a list of their recent publications and on-going research
activities.
Please note that any application which is submitted without duly
completed application forms will be automatically disqualified.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: The deadline for the receipt of applications is
Friday 14th June, 2013. An independent selection committee will meet in
Dakar from 19 to 23 August 2013 to review the applications received. The
results of their deliberations will be announced shortly after.
Incomplete and late applications found to will not be considered.
All applications should be submitted to:
The Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing
CODESRIA
BP 3304, CP 18524
Dakar, Senegal
Tel.: +221-33 825 98.22/23
Fax: +221-33 824 12.89
Via: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
Writing is something that should be encouraged in a country like this. It is a habit everyone should start getting used to