Call for Applications: MIASA Writing Workshop on “Democracy, Conflict Resolution and Climate Change”

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) seeks to provide Africa-based early career researchers working on the themes of democracy, conflict resolution and green energy on the continent with the space and intellectual community to transform a draft paper into a publishable journal piece. The 5-day writing workshop is designed to provide early career scholars with the opportunity to contribute to knowledge production in one of the three fields of research focus for this workshop: democracy, conflict resolution and green energy.  

Objectives

• To strengthen the academic writing skills of African early career scholars, with particular attention to female scholars,

• To enhance the success rate of early career African scholars’ submissions to high quality journals,

• To build a network of Africa-based scholars working on the themes of democracy, conflict resolution and green energy. 

Programme 

The 5-day programme will be organised as a writing retreat, with daily seminars and writing sessions. The seminars will include practical guidance on academic writing and publishing in high quality journals. The daily writing sessions will be supported by academic mentors and editors with research interests in democracy, conflict resolution and green energy.

Funding 

Successful applicants will be provided with funding to cover travel expenses to Ghana from Sub-Saharan Africa along with accommodation and subsistence costs for the duration of the workshop. 

Eligibility

Applications are welcomed from early career researchers who meet the following eligibility criteria: 

• a doctorate which was awarded within 5 years of the application deadline, i.e. doctoral certificate awarded after January 2020 to date,

• employed at a recognised university or research institute in Sub-Saharan Africa,

• fluency in written and spoken English (there will be no translation services provided).

Application

The application should include the following: 

• a motivation letter (1-page maximum) outlining reasons for wishing to attend the writing workshop and the benefits to be gained,

• a draft research paper (5,000-8,000 words in English) that contains original data and preliminary data analysis in the areas of democracy, conflict resolution and green energy, and which is aimed at journal submission,

• an abstract of the paper (max. 500 words),

• a full CV,

• a PhD award certificate.

Applications should be filled using the following link: https://forms.gle/KkRxpUunsSqALNNs9

• Submission deadline: 16^th December 2024

• Any enquiries should be directed to miasawritingschool@ug.edu.gh

Selection 

Applications will be assessed and selected through a strictly merit-based procedure. The main selection criteria are:

• A PhD certificate granted between January 2020 and December 2024,

• Employment at a university or research institute on the African continent,

• Excellence, relevance and originality of the draft research paper,

• Fit of the research with the themes of democracy, conflict resolution and green energy.  

The workshop is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) based at the University of Ghana, Legon. The organisers of the workshop are MIASA at the University of Ghana in cooperation with ZIAF/University of Frankfurt, Germany.