Obafemi Awolowo University - CODESRIA: 2013 Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing

[OAU-Nigeria]

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

[Shola Sholaz]

Writing is something that should be encouraged in a country like this. It is a habit everyone should start getting used to