Applications are now open for the DAAD – NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 for African Researchers!

DAAD – NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) is a partnership of over 70 leading African universities and research institutions with proven leadership in education, training and research on land governance. The network is established by the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), formerly Land Policy Initiative (LPI), in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The purpose of NELGA is to enhance the role of African universities and researchers in the field of land policy and land management, with due regard to marginalised groups, smallholders, pastoralists and women.

DAAD– NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to promote demand-driven research and science communication on land governance in Africa. By selecting suitable candidates with an existing connection to central institutions of land policy in Africa, the fellowship programme further strengthens institutional capacity for land governance and science-based land policy development.

DAAD – NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme Objectives

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to organize support measures for the “Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)”.

NELGA is a partnership of African universities and research institutions with proven leadership in education, training and research on land governance. Currently, NELGA has more than 70 partner institutions across Africa.
The objectives of NELGA are:
▪ Enhancing training opportunities and curricula on land governance in Africa;
▪ Promoting demand driven research on land policy;
▪ Connecting scholars and researchers across Africa;
▪ Creating data and information for monitoring and evaluation on land policy reforms;
▪ Strengthening policy-research linkages.

DAAD is offering postdoctoral research fellowships at African universities and research institutions for the NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Eligible Applicants

We invite young postdoctoral scientists with completed PhD degrees from central institutions of land policy in Africa to apply for funding for NELGA postdoctoral fellowships.

Applicants must
▪ have completed their PhD degree at a state or state- recognized institution of higher education;
▪ have a background in land governance/ land management or a related field (e.g. land administration,
land economics, urban and regional planning, geomatics);
▪ be nationals of an African country;
▪ be granted leave of absence by their home institution in case of conducting a field study or research stay abroad.
Female applicants will be given special consideration and candidates from less privileged regions or groups are especially encouraged to apply.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Eligible Fields
Special consideration will be given to proposals that address the cross-cutting issues outlined in the factsheet accompanying this call.
If you are not sure if your research field is fitting, do not hesitate to contact DAAD for consultation.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Place of Tenure

The fellowships are tenable in the field, at a state or state-recognized institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in any African country. If the selected institution is not the home institution, it should be willing to host the fellow during his/her research stay and to provide
adequate assistance. The terms of cooperation at the host institution must have been clarified and documented prior to the research stay.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Duration
The fellowships are tenable for a period of maximum 12 months. Only full months are fundable. The fellowship is not renewable.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Value
The basic fellowship consists of:
▪ a monthly rate of EUR 800;
▪ a virtual training workshop on Advocacy for Research Output

In Addition, support for the following may be granted upon request (subject to availability of funds):
▪ Reimbursement of expenses for scientific publications in relevant journals up to a maximum of EUR 1500.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Terms and Conditions

One month after the end of the fellowship the fellow must provide a detailed report on the implementation of the research and its findings (a template will be provided). The fellowship is not renewable. Funding is only eligible once per year, per topic and per educational stage.

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Procedure

Applicants will be required to:

register online via the DAAD-Portal (if not already registered): https://portal.daad.de/

apply online under the following link: Click here
For technical questions regarding the DAAD-Portal, please contact portal@daad.de.
Documents to be submitted
▪ DAAD application form, duly filled (available in the DAAD-Portal);
▪ Curriculum Vitae (please use the Europass specimen form at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu)
▪ list of publications (if applicable);
▪ letter of motivation;
▪ detailed description of the research proposal and a description of previous research work (max. 10 pages);
▪ weekly schedule of planned research work;
▪ description of the expected results and application- oriented outputs (incl. ideas for the transition of the findings into society and policy);
▪ copies of Master’s diplomas/certificates (with final grades) and transcripts of record of all annual academic examinations (incl. explanation of grading system);
▪ copies of PhD diploma/certificate (with final grade and transcripts of record, if applicable) incl. explanation of grading system;
▪ two recent reference letters from university teachers which provide information about the applicant’s qualifications;
▪ proof of teaching/work experience/internships (if applicable);
▪ letter confirming supervision by an academic adviser at the host or home institute, which refers to the applicant’s proposal and confirms that the host or home institute will provide a workplace (not applicable for studies in the field).

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Deadlines
The following deadline applies:
Deadline: 18 March 2024

Start of the fellowship: 1 July 2024

NELGA Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by an independent selection committee consisting of experts in the relevant fields.
The performance-based assessment will consider:
▪ A convincing and well-planned research project (incl. preliminary work undertaken, the relevance of the
topic for research and application-oriented outputs, choice of methods and work equipment, the fit of the
facilities and support offered by the host institution, appropriateness of the time-schedule, motivation);
▪ academic achievements (incl. scientific and other qualifications, consistency of the proposal with further
scientific qualification and long-term career planning);
▪ consistency of the proposal with the objectives of the NELGA (incl. relevance for policy linkages, transferability of expected results into policy)

Any additional documents supporting the academic relevance of the research proposal or providing information about pertinent extracurricular activities of the applicant will also be considered in the assessment.

Contacts
For questions concerning the application process please contact
▪ Ms Eva Rothenpieler (rothenpieler@daad.de)
For questions concerning the NELGA please contact
▪ Mr Jean-Eudes Fournial (jean-eudes.fournial@giz.de)

Infosession for Applicants
DAAD plans to offer a virtual information session for interested applicants on 22nd February 2024, 11:00 CET (Central European Time). If you are interested in this session, please using the following link: Click here!
The main language of the event will be in English, but information materials will be translated into French.
Questions & Answers will be in both English and French

Call for Application pdf files

• NELGA_Postdoctoral Fellowships_2024_(English) [pdf-file]
• NELGA_Postdoctoral Fellowships_2024_(French) [pdf-file]

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