A new sub-Saharan Africa grant scheme, Future Leaders – African Independent Research (FLAIR) Fellowships, is now seeking applications. The scheme offers talented African early career researchers who have the potential to become leaders in their field, the opportunity to develop an independent research career in a sub-Saharan African institution.

The programme is being run in partnership with the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the Royal Society, with support from the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund.

The applicant must be:

• a national of a sub-Saharan African country and wish to work in a sub-Saharan African country in a research position; or
• a national of a sub-Saharan African country in the diaspora and wish to return to a sub-Saharan African research position

• The applicant must have been awarded a PhD by the time of application.
• The applicant must be an early career researcher with no more than 10 years of research experience since their PhD by the closing date of the round and must hold the fellowship in a research institution in a sub-Saharan African country.
• Applicants are not permitted to submit more than one application per round.
• Applicants who are not currently employed are eligible to apply.
• Applications should be within the remit of natural sciences. This includes physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, agricultural, biological and medical research (excluding clinical and patient-orientated research), and the scientific aspects of archaeology, geography and experimental psychology but excluding economics, social science and humanities research.
• Applicants must have a clearly defined scientific research proposal focusing on one or more of the Global Challenge areas outlined in the https://www.aasciences.ac.ke/aesa/en/programmes/flair/
• Eligible countries include: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

More information: https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/flair/

Deadline: June 20, 2018