IFG themes:

• MIASA offers fellowships in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic.
• Main thematic corridors are: *sustainable peace, *sustainable democracy and *sustainability transformation.
• Intersectional sub-topics are: *landownership and acquisition, *migration and mobility, *restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, *African cities, *human rights and other related themes.

Selection criteria:

• Excellence of individual candidates.
• Fitting to the MIASA main and sub-themes and MIASA’s research strategy.
• Originality of the proposed research theme and the feasibility of the research plan.
• Composition of the group (one convenor from University of Ghana, a minimum of one and ideally two German-based IFG members, a mix of junior and senior fellows, a good gender-balance, see details below).
• Interdisciplinarity of the group and its international character.
• Contribution to the academic environment at MIASA and the University of Ghana.

IFG composition:

• An IFG brings together a group of 4-6 fellows, who become IFG members and will act as a team: 2 co-convenors and 2-4 additional members.
• Eligible as IFG co-conveners and members are both junior and senior fellows. Junior fellows are excellent young researchers who have successfully completed their doctorate by the time the fellowship agreement is concluded (at least three months before the beginning of the fellowship). Senior fellows are excellent researchers with a record of top-class research (usually demonstrated by publications) who hold positions such as senior lecturers or professors (or equivalent). Ideally, a minimum of two IFG members (one third) should be junior or senior.
• One of the two co-convenors has to be affiliated with the University of Ghana.
• One IFG member, and ideally two, should be affiliated with a German research institution/ university at the moment of application. 
• A good gender-balance is highly encouraged.
• A mix of different linguistic backgrounds is encouraged. MIASA offers funding for advanced English lessons during the fellowship at the University of Ghana for non-anglophone African fellows.

Steps for composing a group:

• The successful applicant of the pre-proposal selects IFG members based on the above recommendations, including the second co-convener. Potential members can get in touch with the MIASA team for getting information about the detailed fellowship conditions.
• One of the two IFG co-conveners submits the full application, indicating the names of the other co-convener and all IFG members, including their CVs and publication lists.
• The Academic Advisory Board (AAB) evaluates, among other selection criteria (see below), the academic excellence of each individual candidate.
• The AAB may request that individual candidates have to be replaced in case their profile is considered to be weak or not fitting at all. In this case as well as in the case that one (or more) candidates cannot accept the fellowship, IFG co-conveners can suggest one (or more) candidates as a replacement. The AAB has to approve these nominations after evaluation.
• In case one or several IFG members (or a co-convener) step down from the IFG, either after the pre-selection or after the final selection, this person can be replaced following the same procedure. This does not affect the IFG as a whole, including the research programme submitted for the group.
• The selection of MIASA fellows (including IFG co-conveners and members) always has to be approved by the project managing office. In case of changes within the IFG (as mentioned above), this also has to be approved .

Fellowship conditions:

• MIASA covers the fellows’ salary costs or the costs for a teaching replacement and paid directly to his/her home institution according to the funders’ guidelines of minimum and maximum amounts for fellowship compensations.
• Non-affiliated junior and senior fellows receive a monthly grant. 
• For all fellows from outside Accra, MIASA provides an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. For MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra, MIASA can provide a family allowance.
• A small contribution to support research undertaken at MIASA and conference travels to present this research during the fellowship can be granted to the MIASA fellow upon application to MIASA directors (up to 1000 € per fellow for the 4-month fellowship). 
• Both co-conveners receive a “convener-allowance” of each 200 €/month.
• MIASA fellowships are managed by the University of Freiburg, who is the funding recipient of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research for MIASA’s fellowship programme. 

Opportunities and expectations:

• Successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested fundingperiod.
• MIASA fellowships are residential fellowships and require being present at MIASA, University of Ghana, Legon campus. The maximum time of absence is 1/6 of the total duration of the fellowship, including archival or field research activities and conference participation, and need prior approval by the directors.
• A contribution to the academic life at MIASA and the University of Ghana is expected (including participating actively at MIASA’s public lecture series as well as at the weekly internal seminar, which bring together all MIASA fellows).
• IFG co-conveners are responsible for developing the IFG research project based on the application and in close consultation with the MIASA team (the MIASA directors and the MIASA coordinator).
• The funding recipient, i.e. the University of Freiburg, is fully responsible for dealing with all administrative and financial matters related to the fellowships, research costs and IFG events. All financial and administrative matters have to be dealt with according to the BMBF-DLR Merian Centres Information Guidelines and the regulations for expenditure of funds of the University of Freiburg.
• One public conference is organised by the IFG in collaboration with MIASA and a department/ centre/ institute of the University of Ghana. The selection of conference guests, programme and timing need the prior approval of MIASA directors. The budget for this workshop is covered by MIASA via the funding recipient, i.e. the University of Freiburg (max. budget 23,904 € including all travel and accommodation costs). All expenditures for the conference must be made according to the regulations of the University of Freiburg, Germany.
• IFG conveners may suggest up to two visiting researchers to be invited by the MIASA directors for up to two weeks each.
• One or more, individually or jointly written working papers, is expected to be published after the end of the IFG. Intellectual output of the IFG should also be reflected in reports or academic blog contributions. All presentations during the fellowship and all publications based on research conducted and results achieved during the fellowship have to acknowledge MIASA and its sponsors, i.e. the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research as well as the University of Ghana.
• Upon application, MIASA offers funds for open access publication of research output obtained during the fellowship.

Full application dossier:

Please respect formal requirements:

• Formatting: font Arial, 11 pt, line spacing 1.5, all margins 2.5 cm.
• Page limits may not be exceeded.

Applications must include the following information:

1. Front page with general information (2 pages):

1. Title, name (last, first), e-mail address, link to webpage.*
2. Date of doctorate.*
3. Current position/affiliation, institution and business address (Name of institution/city/country).*
4. Research field.*
5. Position within the IFG (IFG convener, IFG co-convener, IFG member).*
6. Project title.
7. Abstract of the IFG research project (max. 150 words).
8. Preferred period for conducting the IFG at MIASA (indicate your first and second choice).

* This information has to be provided for each fellow, including the co-conveners.

2. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):

1. Project title (max. 50 characters)
2. Abstract of the IFG project (150 words)
3. Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
4. Work and time plan, including planned academic events.
5. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
6. Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana as well as of doing the research as a team.
7. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).

3. Concept of how the group is composed and how it should work together. This point should mention the disciplinary backgrounds of IFG members as well as the countries in which IFG members have their institutional affiliation at the moment of application. It should also comment on how academic exchange and collaboration between IFG members will be organised (max. 1 page).

4. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

5. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

Full proposals for an IFG at MIASA to be conducted in 2025 (15 August to 15 December) or 2026 (1 February to 30 May) have to be submitted by 15 December 2024, 24:00 UTC to miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de. 

For questions, please do not hesitate to contact MIASA directors, Prof. Grace Diabah (GDiabah@ug.edu.gh) and Prof. Mamadou Diawara (diawara@em.uni-frankfurt.de), and/ or the MIASA academic coordinator, Dr. Agnes Schneider-Musah (agnes.schneider-musah@act.uni-freiburg.de).