CARTA PhD Fellowships 2024/2025 for African Researchers

The call for application for the CARTA PhD Fellowships 2024/2025 is now open. The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) is currently offering a collaborative doctoral training program in public and population health. 

Application Deadline: 30th April 2024

Eligible Countries:

• Makerere University, Uganda
• Moi University, Kenya
• Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
• University of Ibadan, Nigeria
• Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi and Associates (through Kamuzu)
• University of Nairobi, Kenya
• University of Rwanda, Rwanda
• University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Wits can only nominate staff members who are citizens of an African LMIC outside of South Africa)
• Somali National University, Somalia (through collaboration with Makerere University)
• African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya
• Agincourt Health and Population Unit, South Africa
• Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania

To be taken at (country): Below is a list of Universities and host countries

Participating African Universities:

• Makerere University, Uganda.
• Moi University, Kenya.
• Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.
• University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
• University of Malawi, Malawi.
• University of Nairobi, Kenya.
• University of Rwanda, Rwanda.
• University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Participating Research Institutes:

• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya.
• Agincourt Health and Population Unit, South Africa.
• Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Tanzania
• KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya.

Non-African Partners:

• Brown University, USA.
• Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR), Canada.
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Switzerland.
• Umeå University, Sweden.
• University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• University of Warwick, UK.
• University of Bergen, Norway.
• Uppsala Monitoring Centre, Sweden.
• University of Chile

Eligible Field(s) of Study: Public and Population health related fields such as public health, demography, anthropology, communication, and economics.

About the Award: The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) is an initiative of eight African universities, four African research institutes, and select northern partners. CARTA offers an innovative model for doctoral training in sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen the capacity of participating institutions to conduct and lead internationally-competitive research.

This program has been developed in response to the great challenges faced by Africa’s institutions of higher education in addressing the training and retention of the next generation of academics in the region. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.

In 2025, the CARTA program plans to offer up to 15 PhD fellowships and two additional fellowships reserved for staff members of the Somali National University (SNU), Somalia, who will be mentored by one of the CARTA partners, Makerere University, Uganda. The fellowships, which are tenable at the CARTA African universities, include the following benefits:

Successful applicants will attend CARTA’s innovative series of Joint Advanced Seminars (JAS) for cohorts of doctoral students admitted and registered in the participating African universities. Both the development and delivery of these courses are jointly-led by regional and international experts. The seminars consist of didactic sessions, discussions, demonstrations, and practice labs. These activities collectively serve to:

1. Expose students to key theories and concepts, seminal readings, and research methods of disciplines relevant to public and population health;
2. Train students in critical research skills; and
3. Build and maintain a network of researchers for scientific collaborations, professional support, and mutually beneficial exchange of scientific resources

Type: PhD, Research, Fellowship

Eligibility:

• A Masters degree in a relevant field.
• Prior admission into a PhD program is not required for application but awards are contingent on such admission being obtained at one of the participating African universities.
• Applicants for this program must be teaching or research staff at one of the participating African institutions and should be committed to contributing towards building capacity at their institutions.
• Applicants’ PhD research proposal must be related to public and population health.
• Fellowships are only open to people who have not yet registered for a PhD or are in the very early stages (first year) of the PhD program.
• Applicants must commit to participation in all four annual residential Joint Advanced Seminars (JASes), and to engage in inter-seminar activities designed to keep fellows actively engaged and in continual communication with peers and mentors.
• Male applicants must be under the age of 40 years and female applicants under the age 45 years by April 30, 2019.

Number of Awards: Up to 15 PhD fellowships and two additional fellowships

Value of Award: In 2025, the CARTA program plans to offer up to 15 PhD fellowships and two additional fellowships reserved for staff members of the Somali National University (SNU), Somalia, who will be mentored by one of the CARTA partners, Makerere University, Uganda. The fellowships, which are tenable at the CARTA African universities, include the following benefits:

• The cost of the fellow’s participation in the advanced seminars; 
• A modest monthly stipend; moderate support for research activities; 
• A laptop loaded with relevant software;
• Funds to attend one international conference; and 
• Support to participate in training programs of choice. 

Note: The CARTA fellowships run for a maximum of four years. Fellowships will only cover tuition fees, medical insurance, and travel support for fellows registered at a partner institution different from their own.

Respective African partner institutions need to commit to continue paying fellows’ salaries (or equivalent) as faculty members and to modify their workloads for the fellows, to enable them to fully participate in CARTA-organized activities pertaining to their PhD program and also to concentrate on their PhD studies. The partner institutions will also need to commit to waive the fellows’ fees if they are registered at the institution where they are employed. Fellows are encouraged to seek supplemental funding to cover additional costs of their doctoral program.

Duration of Scholarship: The fellowship runs for a maximum of four years.

How to Apply: 

1. Contact the CARTA focal person at your institution to discuss your interest and obtain application materials. Application forms may also be downloaded below.
2. At this point, applicants are expected to submit their application forms and reference letters by April 15, 2024, to the Focal Persons at partner institutions WITH A COPY TO THE SECRETARIAT (carta@aphrc.org). You can access the application here.
3. CARTA partner institutions will nominate candidates who will be invited for the full application process. The institutional selection will take place between April 15 and May 15, 2024. Institutions must submit a completed University CARTA PhD Fellowships Applications Screening Form by May 15, 2025.
4. Only those who are nominated by their institutions will be invited to submit a full application between June 1 and July 15, 2024. 

The full application includes:

• A full research proposal
• Updated CV
• Letter of support from their institution committing to modify the workloads for the fellows, to enable them to fully participate in CARTA-organized activities pertaining to their PhD program and to waive the fellows’ fees if they are registered at the institution where they are employed. 
• Three timed tasks:
  • Critical review of a scientific article
  • Numeracy task 
  • Critical thinking task 
• Two free online courses:
  • Understanding plagiarism course 
  • Basic Health Research Ethics course 

Applications will be accepted ONLY through the official portal. Nominated candidates need to make sure to receive an official ID to log in and submit within the time stipulated by the system. No late or incomplete application will be considered under any circumstance.

Final fellowship decision, which is independent of the university nomination, will be communicated by the CARTA Secretariat by November 1, 2024.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

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