The purpose of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to encourage research, training and engagement activities between Cambridge and sub- Saharan Africa. Applicants from Cambridge apply jointly with applicants from universities/ institutes in sub- Saharan Africa and co-create the projects.
It is important that the funding is not simply used to provide services that will be carried out at one institution on behalf of the other, and that true collaboration is demonstrated in the application.
University of Cambridge Information
Established in 1209, University of Cambridge is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large town of Cambridge (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), East of England. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Privy Council, University of Cambridge is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Cambridge offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 810 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. The admission rate range is 10-20% making this UK higher education organization a most selective institution. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.
Eligibility Criteria
An important function of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to act as a seed fund/catalyst to enable the development of new research activity and further joint funding applications. Priority will be given to applications that build new partnerships (or expand existing ones) with the potential for long term collaboration.
Projects should also ideally strengthen the research capacity of the African researcher and/or the African research institution/university. Both applicants must be at post-doctoral level or above, and by completing an application it is understood that they are both doing so with support from their Head of Department or equivalent. Both applicants should have a formal link to a research group/department/faculty in their home institution.
The awards are not intended to support postgraduate students, however, limited support for students (e.g. as part of a research project or training visit) will be considered when there is a clear demonstration that this will enhance the relationship between the Cambridge and African Principal Investigators (PIs).
The Cambridge applicant must be either working at the University of Cambridge, or at a Research Institute affiliated with the University. Previous successful Cambridge applicants have included those from: Wellcome-Trust Sanger Institute, National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) and British Antarctic Survey.
The Cambridge applicants will act as the lead applicants, for administrative purposes, as the awards have to be paid to their Cambridge Departments/Faculties/Institutes. The African applicant must be based in a sub-Saharan African Research Institution or University.
Offered Benefits
Applications should generally fall into one of these five research-related categories and within the standard limits of funding indicated. Exceptional requests above the standard limits will only be considered where strong justification is given.
You may wish to discuss exceptional requests before submission by contacting alboradafund@cambridgeafrica.cam.ac.uk . It is not possible to submit applications for the same project in multiple categories, e.g. a science research project should include necessary travel and equipment with the £20,000 limit.
Please note that the fund cannot cover overheads or administration costs.
As the awards are small, we do not cover salaries of either PI. Furthermore, the fund will not support conference registration and attendance. For queries on eligible costs please contact alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk
Application Process
Both applicants must register and complete a saveable online application form, available on the CambridgeAfrica website. Final submissions should include the following documents: •
- Case for support and a lay summary
- An itemised budget (template provided)
- A letter of support from the department/faculty of the CambridgePI
- A letter of support from the department/institution of the AfricanPI
- CVs (maximum 2 pages) for both the Cambridge and Africa PI The details of two suggested referees are also required; these should be individuals who have no conflicts of interest with the project or investigators (e.g. they should not be from the same Department).
The deadline for submission is 3rd September 2021 but applications can be submitted at any time before this. Any queries should be sent to alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk
The online application form has been designed to allow both applicants (Cambridge- and Africa-based) to log in, update, save and eventually submit electronically.
To access the form, the Cambridge based applicant must Register Here. Only applicants with @cam.ac.uk, @sanger.ac.uk, @babraham.ac.uk, @bas.ac.uk and @niab.ac.uk email addresses can register.
The Cambridge-based applicant must then log in to the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund application form, where they will see the words “Invite a 2nd applicant to view/edit this submission”. Click on this link in order to invite the Africa-based applicant to register and edit the forms.
If you are eligible to apply, but are unable to register on the page above, then please contact alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk.
Established in 1209, University of Cambridge is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large town of Cambridge (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), East of England. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Privy Council, University of Cambridge is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Cambridge offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 810 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. The admission rate range is 10-20% making this UK higher education organization a most selective institution. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.