AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy 2025 Innovation and Competence Building Systems

Applications are now open for the 11th AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy! Apply below.

Application Deadline:  20th April 2025.

About the AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy: The AfricaLics network is an academic research and capacity building network that focuses on how innovation occurs, this is the process through which new or improved products, processes, organizational forms, ways of working and acting are introduced into new environments, and the relationship this has with economic and social development in African countries.  As it sits at the intersection of innovation studies and development studies, such research is becoming known in the network as ‘innovation and development studies.’

In collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and EthiopiaLics, the 11^th AfricaLics PhD Academy is set to take place as a virtual event. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with experts and peers in the field of innovation and development studies, through an online format.

This is a call for students enrolled in a PhD at an African university who work in the field of innovation and development studies to apply to participate in this one-week event. The Call is also relevant for master students and/or those who already hold a master’s degree and are considering enrolling as a PhD student in the field of Innovation and Development studies. Preference will be given to PhD students applicants.

Innovation and development studies

The AfricaLics network was established in 2012 in response to a growing recognition of the need for more support for academic ’research on innovation’ that was relevant to African countries’ contextual environments. This expanding body of work by African scholars is critical to ensuring that ‘research in innovation’ (i.e., the research and development of specific inventions that can help solve practical problems), on which most innovation policy and funding attention is focused, can be effectively supported. The concept of ‘research on innovation’ focuses on innovation processes, what fosters innovation, and what may aid in the acceptance and adoption of new solutions. It is particularly interested in determining the impact of innovation on African countries’ social and economic development. It addresses these issues at the firm, network, and collaboration levels, as well as the national, continental, and global levels. As a result, the work of scholars in the AfricaLics network is multidisciplinary, straddling the established academic fields of innovation studies and development studies.

This multidisciplinary field includes researchers from various disciplines who frequently study innovation studies, the economics of innovation, innovation management, technology management, science and technology studies, and so on. However, members of the network come from a variety of disciplines, including economics, political science and engineering.

Type: Fellowship

Who can apply for AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy:

This online academy is primarily aimed at PhD students, in their second and third years, working in innovation and development studies and who are principally interested in how innovation relates to economic and social development in Africa.

The Academy will host around 20-25 students from Africa and a handful of students from the rest of the world who study innovation and development issues facing the African countries.

PhD students

PhD students who wish to participate will need to fulfill the following requirements:

• be at least in the beginning of his/her second year at the time of the academy
• work explicitly on issues related to policy-oriented analysis of science, technology and innovation
• be able to present an original paper reflecting his/her research and/or thesis work that fits within the thematic areas of the AfricaLics network. The thematic areas of AfricaLics are available here – https://africalics.org/thematic-areas/

Master’s students

Master’s degree students who wish to participate will need to fulfil the following requirements:

• be a registered student in an African university on a Master’s degree programme in the area of innovation and development studies, economics, business or management studies, sociology or development studies or similar
• have a Masters project that focuses on an aspect of innovation studies (i.e. innovation management, innovation systems, science, technology and innovation policy)

Those with master’s degrees considering a PhD

For students with a Master’s degree in a relevant field and in the process of developing a PhD related to innovation and development studies, you will need:

• A letter of support from the university you have been discussing with on the possibility of a PhD related to innovation and development studies or a confirmed letter of acceptance or pre-registration on a relevant PhD programme.
• An outline of your PhD ideas

To improve diversity in the emerging academic community on innovation and development studies research in Africa, we encourage female scholars and those from low-income countries to apply.

This online academy will be held with simultaneous interpretation (should funding allow) and we strongly encourage French speaking students to apply.

If you are in doubt as to whether you can apply, please contact us through the email address at the bottom of the call.

Design of the Academy

The Academy will take place online using Zoom every day from Monday 2^nd to Friday 6^th June inclusive. The Academy format takes the form of three sessions split across each day with breaks in between. Participants are expected to be active throughout and to keep their cameras on if bandwidth allows.

During the Academy frontier researchers in the field of innovation and development from around the world provide lectures and mentor students.  The Academy also provides opportunities for PhD students to share their work and learn new skills. As such, the Academy is made up of the following activities:

• Lectures by senior researchers on areas ranging from research methodologies to the latest theories and empirical research in the fields of innovation, innovation management and science policy.
• Presentations by doctoral students of their work with feedback from the senior scholars facilitating at the event and peer feedback from one participating PhD student.
• Sessions focused on enabling interaction between students, practitioners and policy makers on innovation and development issues and consideration of how to make research more policy relevant.
• Sessions that focus on key skills that students need to complete their PhD and become successful academic researchers such as publishing or project management skills.
• A focus on research methods core to the field of innovation and development studies. For example, the last academy had a mini-workshop focused on systematic literature review while earlier academies focused on the latest data extraction and analysis techniques.

Eligible Countries: African countries

To be Taken at (Country): Online

Number of Awards: 20-25.

Value of AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy:

• The 11^th AfricaLics PhD Academy offers a unique chance for PhD students (and a small number of Masters students) currently pursuing their studies at African universities and focusing on innovation and development studies. This opportunity allows them to enhance their understanding of this growing field, engage with prominent academics in the discipline, and obtain valuable feedback on their continuing research journey.
• The Academy will host around 20-25 students from Africa and a handful of students from the rest of the world who study innovation and development issues facing the African countries.

How to Apply: Please send the following documents to the AfricaLics Secretariat (phd-academy@africalics.org) on or before 23:00 hours East Africa time on Sunday 20^th April 2025. For those who are studying in French, the application documents can be submitted in French.

For those who are studying in French, the application documents can be submitted in French.

Format of abstracts and project descriptions

Abstracts and project descriptions should be typed double-spaced in French or in English with font size 12. The abstract must include the following sections:

1. Background and literature review
2. The research objectives or research questions
3. Methodology including the data collection and analysis techniques to be used
4. Expected contribution to academia and policy discussions
5. References.

Please also make it clear in your application if you are preparing a thesis by publication or manuscript/ monograph thesis.

Please note that if you submit an abstract longer than the indicated page length, the reviewers are under no obligation to review more than the first 5 pages (of a PhD abstract) and 2 pages (of a Masters abstract).

• It is important to go through all application requirements in the Award Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
• GOODLUCK

Visit Award Webpage for Details