Fellowship Programme

Fellowship Types Open Calls Previous Calls

Fellowship Types

MIASA offers different types of fellowships. Central to the thematic identity of MIASA is that the research topics must match MIASA’s umbrella topic of ‘sustainable governance’, ideally covering one or more of the three main thematic corridors – environment, democracy and peace – and/or the intersectional topics addressing our cross-cutting issues – landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, and Human Rights.

Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs): MIASA runs a substantial proportion of its fellow programmes in group formats, with teams of early career fellows and senior fellows in so-called Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs). MIASA funds two IFGs per year. IFGs bring together a group of four fellows, including two convenors (one of whom must be from the University of Ghana), for a duration of four months. The IFGs centre around a research question which necessitates the input of experts from different academic fields and backgrounds. The selection is based on the excellence and the composition of group members, the fitting into MIASA’s main theme and/or sub-themes, the originality of the research theme and the feasibility of the research plan.

Tandem Fellowships: In order to strengthen the research ties between Social Sciences and Humanities scholarship in Germany and Africa, MIASA offers up to two research tandems per year (for 3-5 months), each involving one fellow based at a German institution and one fellow based at an African institution who collaborate on a joint research project. Among the top criteria for the selection process are the fit of the proposed topic with MIASA’s overall aims and intellectual programme, and its contribution to a sustainable research alliance between Africa and Germany.

Individual Fellowships: MIASA offers up to ten classical individual fellowships for the duration of 3-10 months each per year. Applications are welcome from all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences and will be judged, among other things, on the fit of the relevant research topics with MIASA’s thematic fields and overall aims. 

Artists in Residence: MIASA invites artists in residence to accompany Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups on a selective basis. Artists have the capability to express and present globally challenging topics in a way which can enrich the sciences by introducing disruptive ideas as well as vice versa, the scientific discourse can nourish the creative processes of the arts. Artist in residence stays are for 3 months each.

Self-funded Fellowships: MIASA offers fellowships for both junior and senior researchers who come with their own funding, i.e. researchers who are either on paid leave or who receive external funding. Self-funded fellowships are for 3-6 months. Applications are welcome from all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences and will be judged, among other things, on the fit of the relevant research topics with MIASA’s thematic fields and overall aims. Applications can be submitted at any time but at least 4 months prior to the envisaged fellowship start.

All fellows and groups are selected by MIASA’s highly distinguished Academic Advisory Board. Former fellows can apply for a second research stay if it is for a different fellowship type (e.g. former IFG fellows can apply for an individual fellowship etc.).

Open Calls

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in historical, social, material and cultural practices of everyday life. Our main research axes are sustainable peace, sustainable democracy and sustainability transformation, but we are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, human rights, and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for proposals for an Interdisciplinary Fellow Group (IFG) on the topic of “Sustainable Governance” for the period from 1 February to 31 May, 2027. Analysing Sustainable Governance requires thematic focus and grounding, while applying a multi-scale analysis and local perspectives as well as considering global interconnections and historical experience. At MIASA we understand the concept of “Sustainable Governance” in a very broad way, and as covering both formal and informal rules, including practices established by non-state actors. We value non-normative concepts of sustainable governance, as well as knowledge generated from local daily practice. One of the major questions we are interested in at MIASA is: Which frameworks, rooted in local values and lived experiences, offer viable alternatives (or complements) to dominant paradigms of sustainable governance?

IFGs are MIASA’s central instrument for fostering original research on ‘Sustainable Governance’ and its connected thematic areas as mentioned above, which necessitates the input of experts from different academic fields and backgrounds. An IFG brings together a group of four fellows – ideally a mix of senior and junior fellows – for the duration of four months. Two of the fellows act as co-convenors. One of the two co-convenors is expected to be from the University of Ghana. IFGs are interdisciplinary and international.

The selection of IFGs is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence and originality of the application, the composition of IFG members as well as their individual academic excellence, the interdisciplinarity of the group, its international character, and its contribution to the academic environment at MIASA and the University of Ghana. IFG members from successful applications become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the funding period (four months).

 

IFG composition:

  • An IFG brings together a group of 4 fellows, who become IFG members and will act as a team: 2 co-convenors and 2 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, half of the IFG members should be junior or senior each.
  • One of the two co-convenors must be affiliated with the University of Ghana.
  • One IFG member must be affiliated with a German research institution/ university at the time of application.
  • A good gender-balance is essential.
  • A mix of different linguistic backgrounds is encouraged.
  • The interdisciplinarity of the group is essential.

Steps for composing a group:

  • The main applicant (one of the two co-convenors) selects IFG members based on the above recommendations, including the second co-convener. Potential members can get in touch with the MIASA team for obtaining information about the detailed fellowship conditions.
  • The main applicant 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 the replacement of individual candidates in case their profile is considered to be weak or not appropriate. 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 after the selection, this person can be replaced following the same procedure. This does not affect the other dimensions of the IFG proposal, 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 funders. 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.
  • Fellows without employment 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 can be granted to the MIASA fellow upon application to MIASA directors (up to 1000 € per fellow for the 4-month fellowship).
  • Each co-convener receives a “convener-allowance” of 200 €/month.
  • MIASA fellowships are managed by the University of Freiburg, who is the funding recipient of the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) for MIASA’s fellowship programme.

Opportunities and expectations:

  • Successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding
  • 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 BMFTR-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 conference is covered by MIASA via the funding recipient, i.e. the University of Freiburg. All expenditures for the conference must be made according to the regulations of the University of Freiburg, Germany.
  • Each fellow is expected to submit a fellow report within 4 weeks after the end of the fellowship.
  • The two co-convenors are, in addition, expected to submit a final IFG report summarizing the activities and main research findings of the IFG. This report will be published on MIASA’s academic blog.
  • 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 must acknowledge MIASA and its sponsors, i.e. the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space as well as the University of Ghana.

 

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).

* 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).
  1. 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 time of application. It should also comment on how academic exchange and collaboration between IFG members will be organised (max. 1 page).
  1. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages for each candidate).
  1. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

Proposals for an IFG on “Sustainable Governance” for the period 1 February – 31 May 2027 have to be submitted by 31 October 2025, 24:00 UTC, via email 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).

Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) will grant funding for MIASA’s final phase from September 2026 until February 2030.

Extended Application deadline: 29 September 2025, 23:59 UTC

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in social, material and cultural practices of everyday life. Our main research axes are sustainable peace, sustainable democracy and sustainability transformation, but we are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, human rights, and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for up to 5 individual residential fellowships of minimum 3 and maximum 6 months each for the academic year 2026/2027. The call is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. Starting dates for individual fellowships are handled flexibly. The earliest possible starting date for a fellowship is 1st of September 2026. The latest possible date for the end of a fellowship is the 31st of August 2027.

Individual fellowships allow researchers to conduct a project of their own choice, connected to MIASA’s thematic research areas. Projects can be at conceptional stage, mid-term phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings). Fellowships are residential with only short absences possible for activities such as conference participation and field work. Data collection cannot be the main purpose of a MIASA fellowship.

The fellow selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, the individual fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative and high-quality research topic. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicant and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is also committed to gender balance.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Individual fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for individual fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

 

Fellowship

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. For fellows affiliated with an institution, the fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month and paid directly to his/her home institution (maximum 6925 EUR/month). In cases where this is not possible, an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution can be offered (but maximally 6925 EUR/month). Fellows may be eligible for a post adjustment to a minimum fellowship amount on a case-by-case justification. Fellows without employment receive an individual monthly grant. For fellows from outside Accra, MIASA pays an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space via the University of Freiburg.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below has to be uploaded on the application platform. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt with contact details and a copy of their submitted documents. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (1 page):
    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). Please indicate if you are affiliated with a German research institution/university at the moment of application.
    4. Research field.
    5. Title of fellowship project.
    6. Abstract of the fellowship project (max. 150 words).
    7. Preferred dates for the fellowship at MIASA (within the time frames offered by MIASA).
    8. The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.
  1. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    1. Project title (max. 50 characters).
    2. Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words).
    3. Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    4. Work and time plan (note: the fellowship requires being present at MIASA, University of Ghana).
    5. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    6. Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana.
    7. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).
  1. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
  1. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages).

Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page.

All four documents have to be submitted as pdf and uploaded separately on the application platform.

Extended Application deadline: 29 September 2025, 23:59 UTC

Application platform: https://mobility.frias.uni-freiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAone&sprache=en

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2026.

For further information, please contact: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) will grant funding for MIASA’s final phase from September 2026 until February 2030.

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

MIASA now offers self-funded residential fellowships (between 3 and 6 months) for researchers with either external funding or on paid leave from their home institutions (e.g. sabbatical). This opportunity is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. Starting dates for these types of fellowships are handled flexibly but may depend on office space availability. The earliest starting date is 1 September 2026.

The selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. Applications can be submitted at any time but at least 4 months prior to the intended start of the fellowship.

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested period. MIASA provides office space and organizational assistance for self-funded fellows during their stay. Applicants for self-funded fellowships can apply for an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and for the reimbursement of travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. Please note that funding for this is limited and not guaranteed. Accommodation allowances and travel costs are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space via the University of Freiburg.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Self-funded fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for self-funded fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. Applications must be submitted in one single pdf document via email to: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de. Applications must be submitted at least 4 months prior to the intended start of the fellowship. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (1 page):
    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. Title of fellowship project.
    6. Abstract of the fellowship project (max. 150 words).
    7. Preferred dates for the fellowship at MIASA.
    8. The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.

  1. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    1. Project title (max. 50 characters).
    2. Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words).
    3. Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    4. Work and time plan.
    5. Information on available funding during the stay at MIASA and need for financial support from MIASA for accommodation and travel at the beginning and end of fellowship.
    6. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    7. Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana.
    8. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).

  1. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).

  1. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages).

All four documents must be submitted as one single pdf and sent to: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

For further information, please contact: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) will grant funding for MIASA’s final phase from September 2026 until February 2030.

There are currently no open calls

Previous Calls

Call for Applications

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Up to ten Individual Residential Fellowships
for 3-10 months each at the University of Ghana
for the Academic Year 2025/2026

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in social, material and cultural practices of everyday life. Our main research axes are sustainable peace, sustainable democracy and sustainability transformation, but we are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, human rights, and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for up to 10 individual residential fellowships of minimum 3 and maximum 10 months each for the academic year 2025/2026. The call is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. Starting dates for individual fellowships are handled flexibly. The earliest possible starting date for a fellowship is 1st of June 2025. The latest possible date for the end of a fellowship is the 31st of August 2026.

Individual fellowships allow researchers to conduct a project of their own choice, connected to MIASA’s thematic research areas. Projects can be at conceptional stage, mid-term phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings). Fellowships are residential with only short absences possible for activities such as conference participation and field work. Data collection cannot be the main purpose of a MIASA fellowship.

The fellow selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, the individual fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative and high-quality research topic. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicant and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is also committed to gender balance.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Individual fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for individual fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

Fellowship

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. For fellows affiliated with an institution, the fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month and paid directly to his/her home institution (maximum 6925 EUR/month). In cases where this is not possible, an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution can be offered (but maximally 6925 EUR/month). Fellows may be eligible for a post adjustment to a minimum fellowship amount on a case-by-case justification. Fellows without employment receive an individual monthly grant. For fellows from outside Accra, MIASA pays an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below has to be uploaded on the application platform. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt with contact details and a copy of their submitted documents. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (1 page): (download TEMPLATE Front page MIASA Fellowship Application_Individual)
    • Title, name (last, first), e-mail address, link to webpage.
    • Date of doctorate.
    • Current position/affiliation, institution and business address (name of institution/city/country). Please indicate if you are affiliated with a German research institution/university at the moment of application.
    • Research field.
    • Title of fellowship project.
    • Abstract of the fellowship project (max. 150 words).
    • Preferred dates for the fellowship at MIASA (within the time frames offered by MIASA).
    • The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.
  1. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    • Project title (max. 50 characters).
    • Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words).
    • Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    • Work and time plan (note: the fellowship requires being present at MIASA, University of Ghana).
    • Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    • Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana.
    • Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).
  1. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
  2. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages).

Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page.

All four documents have to be submitted as pdf and uploaded separately on the application platform.

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

Application platform: https://mobility.frias.uni-freiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAone&sprache=en

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2025.

For further information, please contact: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Call for Applications

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Up to two Tandem Residential Fellowships
for 3-6 months each at the University of Ghana
for the Academic Year 2025/2026

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in social, material and cultural practices of everyday life. Our main research axes are sustainable peace, sustainable democracy and sustainability transformation, but we are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, human rights, and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding of the University of Ghana.

The present call is for up to two (2) tandem residential fellowships of minimum 3 and maximum 6 months each for the academic year 2025/2026 (the starting date is handled flexibly, earliest starting date for fellowship: 1st of June 2025; latest date for end of fellowship: 31st of August 2026). A tandem is composed of a team of two researchers – one who is based in an African country and one who is based in Germany – who apply together with a joint research topic, addressing MIASA’s overarching aims.

The call is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. Projects can be at conceptional stage, mid-term phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings).

Fellowships are residential with only short absences possible for activities such as conference participation and field work trips. Data collection cannot be the main purpose of a MIASA fellowship. The fellow selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, tandem fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative research topic of high quality. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicants and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is also committed to gender balance.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Tandem fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for tandem fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

Fellowship

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. For fellows affiliated with an institution, the fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month and paid directly to his/her home institution (maximum 6925 EUR/month). In cases where this is not possible, an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution can be offered (but maximally 6925 EUR/month). Fellows may be eligible for a post adjustment to a minimum fellowship amount on a case-by-case justification. Fellows without employment receive an individual monthly grant. For  fellows from outside Accra, MIASA pays an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below have to be uploaded on the application platform. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt with contact details and a copy of their submitted documents. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (max. 2 pages): (download Template_Front_Page_MIASA_Fellowship_Application_Tandem)
    • Title, name (last, first), e-mail address, link to webpage.*
    • Date of doctorate.*
    • Current position/affiliation, institution and business address (name of institution/ city/ country).*
    • Research field.*
    • Title of joint tandem fellowship project.
    • Abstract of the joint tandem fellowship project (max. 150 words).
    • Preferred dates for the joint tandem fellowship at MIASA (within the time frames offered by MIASA).
    • The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.

* This information has to be provided for both fellows.

  1. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    • Project title (max. 50 characters)
    • Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words)
    • Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    • Work and time plan (note: the fellowship only offers a max. of 250€/month research costs for each of the two tandem fellows and requires being present at MIASA, University of Ghana).
    • Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    • Added value of spending time at MIASA and the University of Ghana as well as of conducting a research project as a tandem team.
    • Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).
  2. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages for each candidate).
  3. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page.

All four documents have to be submitted as pdf and uploaded on the application platform separately.

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

Application platform: https://mobility.frias.uni-freiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAtwo&sprache=en

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2025.

For further information, please contact: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Call for Applications

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) invites applications for
Up to two Artists in Residence
for 3 months each at the University of Ghana (in the Academic Year 2025/2026)

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) invites applications for up to two artists in residence to interact with and accompany Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups and/ or individual or tandem fellows in their ongoing research at MIASA, University of Ghana, Legon campus, Accra. Artists have the capability to express and present globally challenging topics in a way which can enrich the sciences by introducing disruptive ideas. Similarly, scientific discourse can nourish the creative processes of the arts.

MIASA is an institute under the College of Humanities at the University of Ghana. It is based on a collaboration with four German partners (Univ. of Freiburg, Goethe Univ. Frankfurt, GIGA and GHIP) and sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic projects of top international quality in the social sciences and humanities under the overarching theme of Sustainable Governance.

MIASA is particularly interested in artistic projects which address one of the following fields: *Meanings of Sustainability; *Environment; *Conflict and Peace; *Democracy; *African Cities; *Restitution; *Migration. MIASA is committed to promote critical debates, to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, and to increase the role of African thinking in academic contexts. Creative ways of addressing our research topics can help us to reflect on them in new ways and to reach out to larger societal debates also beyond the university sphere.

We are interested in applications from artists of all creative forms (visual, plastic, textual, digital or performing arts). Artists in residence are invited to MIASA for a three-month stay within the period from August 2025 to August 2026. During their stay they are expected to interact with MIASA fellows and the MIASA networks as well as with the wider University of Ghana community. Artists receive a monthly stipend (1500 €/month), an accommodation allowance, and additional project funding for material (up to 500€/month based on receipts). MIASA provides a working space as part of the residency.

Applications should include:

  1. Cover form (including your preferred starting date of the residence in 2025 or 2026; draft to be downloaded here: Draft Cover page MIASA Artist in Residence Application:
  2. CV (max. 2 pages)
  3. Project summary (max. 5 pages):
  4. Project name
  5. Artistic disciplines involved in the project
  6. What do you propose to do during the stay (500 words)
  7. What is the nature of artistic output which you wish to achieve during the stay?
  8. How is the project related to one of the above-mentioned thematic fields of MIASA?
  9. How do you propose to interact with MIASA fellows and the wider University of Ghana community?
  10. If any, you may provide up to 5 links to previous artistic works or interviews or reviews about your work which are published online.
  11. Pictures or textual excerpts (max 1 page each) of 5 artistic examples from your previous works.

All documents have to be merged into one (1) PDF file named following this model: NAME of the artist_application 2025.2026. The PDF file should not exceed 5 MB.

Extended application deadline: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC: via email to: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2025.

Call for Pre-Proposals

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFG)
for 4 months each at the University of Ghana
for the Academic Year 2025-2026

Extended submission deadline for pre-proposals: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in social, material and cultural practices of everyday life. Our main research axes are sustainable peace, sustainable democracy and sustainability transformation, but we are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership and acquisition, migration and mobility, restitution of colonially acquired cultural objects, African cities, human rights, and other related themes. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for pre-proposals for Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs) for the periods from August 15 to December 15, 2025, and from February 1 to May 31, 2026. MIASA hosts two IFGs per year. They are MIASA’s central instrument for fostering original research on ‘Sustainable Governance’ and its connected thematic areas as mentioned above, which necessitates the input of experts from different academic fields and backgrounds. An IFG brings together a group of four to six fellows for the duration four months. Two of the fellows act as co-convenors. One of the two co-convenors is expected to be from the University of Ghana. IFGs are interdisciplinary and international.

The selection of IFG pre-proposals is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board who will invite promising candidates to submit a full application with a set team. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the application and the fit of the proposed topic with MIASA’s thematic research profile. Once a pre-proposal has been invited for submission of a full proposal, the MIASA team offers advice for the full application, including the composition of IFG members. IFG members from successful applications become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the funding period (four months).

For the Guidelines to IFG full proposals see here.

Application: Pre-proposals

The application for an IFG consists of two phases: (i) a pre-proposal (competition of ideas) and (ii) a full application. In the first phase, one of the two co-convenors of an IFG submits a preliminary application (pre-proposal) which offers insights into the topic to be studied, the concept of how the group is planned to be composed and the possible contribution to MIASA and UG. At this stage, it is possible, but not mandatory to indicate the names of the other IFG co-convenor and/or the IFG fellows.

Applications are accepted in English or French. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Please respect formal requirements:

  • Formatting: font Arial, 11pt, line spacing 1.5, all margins 2.5 cm.
  • Page limits may not be exceeded.
  • All required documents have to be comprised in one pdf-file and sent via email.

Applications must include the following information:

  1. Front page with general information on the applicant (1 page):
    • Title, name (last, first), e-mail address, link to webpage.
    • Date of doctorate.
    • Current position/affiliation, institution and business address (Name of institution/city/country).
    • Research field.
    • Project title.
    • Abstract of the IFG research project (max. 150 words).
    • Preferred period for conducting the IFG at MIASA (first and second choice).
  2. Project pre-proposal (max. 2 pages):
    • Aims, research question, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    • Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    • Added value of conducting research within an IFG at MIASA and UG.
    • Concept of how the group is planned to be composed (max. 1 page).
    • Bibliographical references (max. 1 page).
  3. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
  4. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages).

Extended submission deadline for pre-proposals: 13 September 2024, 23:59 UTC via email to: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

For further information, please check: the Guidelines for IFG full proposals or contact miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de

Call for Pre-Proposals

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFG)
for 4 months each at the University of Ghana
(for the period 2024-2025)

Application deadline for pre-proposals: August 14, 2023, 23:59 UTC

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic. Our main thematic corridors are conflict and sustainable peace, democracy and environmental transformation. We are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership, migration and mobility, restitution of cultural objects, African cities, and human rights. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for pre-proposals for Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs) for the period from August 15 to December 15, 2024, and from February 1 to May 31, 2025. MIASA hosts two IFGs per year. They are MIASA’s central instrument for fostering original research on ‘Sustainable Governance’ and its connected thematic areas as mentioned above. An IFG brings together a group of four to six fellows, including two co-convenors. One of the two co-convenors is expected to be from the University of Ghana. IFGs are interdisciplinary and international.

The selection of IFG pre-proposals is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board who will invite promising candidates to submit a full application with a set team. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the application and the fit of the proposed topic with MIASA’s thematic research profile. Once a pre-proposal has been invited for submission of a full proposal, the MIASA team offers advice for the full application, including the composition of IFG members. IFG members from successful applications become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the funding period (four months).

Application: Pre-proposals

The application for an IFG consists of two phases: (i) a pre-proposal (competition of ideas) and (ii) a full application. In the first phase, one of the two co-convenors of an IFG submits a preliminary application (pre-proposal) which offers insights into the topic to be studied, the concept of how the group is planned to be composed and the possible contribution to MIASA and UG. At this stage, it is possible, but not mandatory to indicate the names of the other IFG co-convenor and/or the IFG fellows.

Applications are accepted in English or French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below must be sent via email. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt providing contact details and including a copy of their submission. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Please respect formal requirements:

  • Formatting: font Arial, 11pt, line spacing 1.5, all margins 2.5 cm.
  • Page limits may not be exceeded.
  • All required documents have to be comprised in one pdf-file and uploaded on the application
    webpage.

Applications must include the following information:

  1. Front page with general information on the applicant (1 page):
    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. Project title.
    6. Abstract of the IFG research project (max. 150 words).
    7. Preferred period for conducting the IFG at MIASA (first and second choice).
  2. Project pre-proposal (max. 2 pages):
    1. Aims, research question, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    2. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    3. Added value of conducting research within an IFG at MIASA and UG.
  3. Concept of how the group is planned to be composed (max. 1 page).
  4. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page).
  5. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
  6. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages).

Application deadline for pre-proposals: August 14, 2023, 23:59 UTC via email to: miasa@frias.unifreiburg.de

For further information, please check contact: miasa@frias.unifreiburg.de

Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research (BMBF) will grant funding for the second part of MIASA’s main phase from July 2024 until June 2026.

Call for Applications

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Up to ten Individual Residential Fellowships
for 3-10 months each at the University of Ghana
(for the academic year 2024/2025)

Application deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:59 UTC

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic. Our main thematic corridors are conflict and sustainable peace, democracy and environmental transformation. We are also interested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership, migration and mobility, restitution of cultural objects, African cities, and human rights. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All MIASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In addition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana.

The present call is for up to 10 individual residential fellowships of minimum 3 and maximum 10 months each for the academic year 2024/2025. The call is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. The earliest starting date of a fellowship is 1st of June 2024 (especially for short stays of up to 3 months). Longer fellowships usually start on 1st of August, 1st of September, 1st of January, or 1st of February. The latest possible date for the end of a fellowship is the 31st of July 2025.

Individual fellowships allow researchers to conduct a project of their own choice, connected to MIASA’s thematic research areas. Projects can be at conceptional stage, mid-term phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings). Fellowships are residential with only short absences possible for activities such as conference participation and field work trips. Data collection cannot be the main purpose of a MIASA fellowship.

The fellow selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, the individual fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative and high-quality research topic. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicant and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is committed to gender balance.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Individual fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for individual fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

Fellowship

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. For fellows affiliated with a home institution, the fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month and paid directly to his/her home institution. In cases where this is not possible, an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution can be offered. Fellows may be eligible for a post adjustment to a minimum fellowship amount on a case-by-case justification. Fellows without employment receive an individual monthly grant. For fellows from outside Accra, MIASA pays an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below has to be uploaded on the application platform. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt with contact details and a copy of their submitted documents. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (1 page):
    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). Please indicate if you are affiliated with a German research institution/university at the moment of application.
    4. Research field.
    5. Title of fellowship project.
    6. Abstract of the fellowship project (max. 150 words)
    7. Preferred dates for the fellowship at MIASA (within the time frames offered by MIASA).
    8. The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.
  2. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    1. Project title (max. 50 characters).
    2. Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words)
    3. Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    4. Work and time plan (note: the fellowship requires being present at MIASA, University of Ghana).
    5. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    6. Added value of conducting research at MIASA and the University of Ghana
    7. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal).
  3. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
  4. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages)

Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page.

All four documents have to be submitted as pdf and uploaded separately on the application platform.

Application deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:59 UTC:
Application platform: https://mobility.frias.unifreiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAone&sprache=en

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2024.

Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research (BMBF) will grant funding for the second part of MIASA’s main phase from July 2024 until June 2026.

For further information, please contact: miasa@frias.uni-freiburg.de

Call for Applications

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers
Up to two Tandem Residential Fellowships
for 3-6 months each at the University of Ghana
(for the academic year 2024/2025)

Application deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:59 UTC

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with ‘Sustainable Governance’ as its central topic. Our main thematic corridors are conflict and sustainable peace, democracy and environmental transformation. We are also nterested in a wide range of intersectional sub-topics, such as landownership, migration and mobility, restitution of cultural objects, African cities, and human rights. MIASA is committed to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, to promote female scholarship and to bridge cultural divides. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic research of top international quality. All IASA fellowships are residential and mainly focus on onsite reflection, discussion and writing. In ddition, MIASA facilitates networking and collaboration amongst leading researchers from Germany, Ghana, other parts of Africa and Europe and elsewhere in the world. The institute is located on the beautiful campus of the University of Ghana (UG) at Legon (Accra), and has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris (GHIP). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with co-funding of the University of Ghana.

The present call is for up to two (2) tandem residential fellowships of minimum 3 and maximum 6 months each for the academic year 2024/2025 (the starting date is handled flexibly, earliest starting date for
fellowship: 1st of June 2024; latest date for end of fellowship: 31st of July 2025). A tandem is composed of a team of two researchers – one who is based in an African country and one who is based in Germany – who apply together with a joint research topic, addressing MIASA’s overarching aims.

The call is open to scholars (both on junior and senior levels) who have been awarded their doctoral degree at least three months before the start of the fellowship. Projects can be at conceptional stage, midterm phase or final stage (analyzing data, writing up findings).

Fellowships are residential with only short absences possible for activities such as conference participation and field work trips. Data collection cannot be the main purpose of a MIASA fellowship. The ellow selection is made by MIASA’s distinguished international Academic Advisory Board. In a strictly merit-based selection process, tandem fellowships are awarded to researchers of top academic quality with an innovative research topic of high quality. The all-important selection criteria are the academic excellence of the applicants and the fellowship proposal. MIASA is committed to gender balance.

MIASA supports academic exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different cultures and countries, between established and early-career researchers. Furthermore, MIASA engages in activities opening the research community to society, politics, and the arts. Tandem fellows are part of this community, and benefit from the lively research environment of the University of Ghana. Applications for tandem fellowships should indicate how the research project contributes to the activities at MIASA and, more broadly, to the academic life on Legon campus.

Fellowship

The successful applicants become MIASA fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period. For fellows affiliated with a home institution, the fellows’ salary or teaching substitution costs are met by MIASA for every full fellowship month and paid directly to his/her home institution. In cases where this is not possible, an individual grant based on the candidate’s salary at his/her home institution can be offered. Fellows may be eligible for a post adjustment to a minimum fellowship amount on a case-by-case justification. Fellows without employment receive an individual monthly grant. For fellows from outside Accra, MIASA pays an accommodation allowance of up to 1500€/month and reimburses travel costs at the beginning and the end of the fellowship. MIASA fellows who come with family members to Accra can receive a family allowance. Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the University of Freiburg.

The Institute provides its fellows with office space on the University of Ghana – Legon campus. A full-time presence of fellows at MIASA for the entire fellowship period is required. Periods of leave need to be approved by the MIASA directors in advance and must not exceed 1/6 of the fellowship duration.

Application

Applications will be accepted in English and French. The completed application form together with the information indicated below have to be uploaded on the application platform. After submission of the documents, applicants receive an acknowledgement of receipt with contact details and a copy of their submitted documents. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

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 on the applicant (max. 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. Title of joint tandem fellowship project.
    6. Abstract of the joint tandem fellowship project (max. 150 words).
    7. Preferred dates for the joint tandem fellowship at MIASA (within the time frames offered by
      MIASA).
    8. The two most important reasons why you apply for a residential fellowship at MIASA.
  2. Project proposal (max. 5 pages):
    1. Project title (max. 50 characters)
    2. Abstract of the fellowship project (150 words)
    3. Aims, theoretical framework and methodology of the project.
    4. Work and time plan (note: the fellowship only offers a max. of 250€/month research costs for each of the two tandem fellows and requires being present at MIASA, University of Ghana).
    5. Innovative potential, originality and relevance of the project.
    6. Added value of spending time at MIASA and the University of Ghana as well as of conducting a research project as a tandem team.
    7. Bibliographical references (max. 1 page in addition to the 5 pages of the proposal)
  3. CV in tabular form (max. 2 pages for each candidate).
  4. Publication list highlighting the most important publications (max. 2 pages for each candidate).

* This information has to be provided for both fellows.

Please note: no cover letter is required, but a front page.
All four documents have to be submitted as pdf and uploaded on the application platform separately.

Application deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:59 UTC:
Application platform : https://mobility.frias.unifreiburg.de/mobility/BewerbungServlet?identifier=FRIAS&kz_bew_pers=L&kz_bew_art=IN&aust_prog=MIASAtwo&sprache=en

Successful candidates will be informed in February 2024.
Proviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of Research (BMBF)
will grant funding for the second part of MIASA’s main phase from July 2024 until June 2026.
For further information, please contact: miasa@frias.uni-freiburg.de

Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), University of Ghana, Legon
Call for applications for up to two Artists in residence
2024-25
Application deadline: 15 September 2023

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) invites applications for an artist in residence to interact with and accompany Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups and/ or individual or tandem fellows in their ongoing research at MIASA, University of Ghana, Legon campus, Accra. Artists have the capability to express and present globally challenging topics in a way which can enrich the sciences by introducing disruptive ideas. Similarly, scientific discourse can nourish the creative processes of the arts.

MIASA is an institute under the College of Humanities at the University of Ghana. It is based on a collaboration with four German partners (Univ. of Freiburg, Goethe Univ. Frankfurt, GIGA and GHIP) and sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research with co-funding from the University of Ghana. The institute offers time and space for supporting innovative academic projects of top international quality in the social sciences and humanities under the overarching theme of Sustainable Governance.

MIASA is particularly interested in artistic projects which address one of the following fields: *Meanings of Sustainability; *Environment; *Conflict and Peace; *Democracy; *African Cities; *Restitution; *Migration. MIASA is committed to promote critical debates, to reduce global asymmetries in knowledge production, and to increase the role of African hinking in academic contexts. Creative ways of addressing our research topics can help us to reflect on them in new ways and to reach out to larger societal debates also beyond the university sphere.

We are interested in applications from artists of all creative forms (visual, plastic, textual, digital or performing arts). Artists in residence are invited to MIASA for a three-month stay within the period from March 2024 to June 2025. During their stay they are expected to interact with MIASA fellows and the MIASA networks as well as with the wider University of Ghana community. Artists receive a monthly stipend (1500 €/month), an accommodation allowance, and additional project funding for material (up to 500€/month based on receipts). MIASA provides a working space as part of the residency.
Applications should include:

    1. Cover form (including your preferred starting date of the residence in 2024 or 2025; draft to be downloaded from the MIASA website:
      https://www.ug.edu.gh/mias-africa/artist-2024-25)
    2. CV (max. 2 pages)
    3. Project summary (max. 5 pages):
    4. a. Project name
      b. Artistic disciplines involved in the project
      c. What do you propose to do during the stay (500 words)
      d. What is the nature of artistic output which you wish to achieve during the stay?
      e. How is the project related to one of the above-mentioned thematic fields of MIASA?
      f. How do you propose to interact with MIASA fellows and the wider University of Ghana community?
    5. If any, you may provide up to 5 links to previous artistic works or interviews or reviews about your work which are published online.
    6. Pictures or textual excerpts (max 1 page each) of 5 artistic examples from you previous works.

All documents have to be merged into one (1) PDF file named following this model: NAME of the artist_application 2024.2025. The PDF file should not exceed 5 MB.

Submission deadline: 15th of September 2023 via email to: miasa@act.uni-freiburg.de roviso: Fellowships are offered with the proviso that the Federal German Ministry of

Research (BMBF) will grant funding for the second part of MIASA’s main phase from July 2024 until June 2026

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