Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program Selects New Fellows and Calls for Applications and Innovations

New York, November 16, 2018 – Universities in Africa and African-born academics in the United States and Canada were selected to take part in joint projects as part of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP). This is an innovative collaboration between the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Institute of International Education (IIE), an Advisory Council of prominent African academics, and the United States International University-Africa. The projects of the newly selected 51 hosts and fellows build on the success of the first five years of the program. From 2014 to 2018, the program has funded 385 fellowships for scholars to collaborate with over 100 institutions of higher learning in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa in the areas of collaborative research, curriculum co-development and graduate student teaching and mentoring.

In the most recent selections, a fellow from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York, will travel between universities in Uganda and Ghana to conduct integrated, landscape-based assessments and strengthen capacity in geospatial science and technology to address issues around perennial flooding in both countries. The project will also build collaboration between hosts in both countries.

In another innovative project, a host and CADFP fellow from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, will collaborate at the University of Pretoria to develop undergraduate curriculum around creating a more sustainable textile industry. The manufacturing of textiles and apparel is one of the world’s greatest polluters. Through these and similar initiatives, CADFP aims to find solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing Africa, and the world today.

How to Apply

The CADFP is now calling for African host institutions to submit project requests and African-born scholars in the U.S. and Canada to submit scholar applications. Application materials are due by December 9, 2018 and projects can begin in spring 2019. Interested applicants can find eligibility requirements and instructions on the “How to Apply” section of the program’s website.

As in previous cycles, projects will continue to be awarded across disciplines. The CADFP Advisory Council also identified areas of critical need in Africa and in this cycle seeks projects in the areas of climate change, resilience and adaptation as well as health sciences and wellbeing. Projects that foster innovation and collaboration among multiple institutions or from groups of faculty addressing related topics are also encouraged.

How the Projects and Fellowships Work
Fellowships match host universities with African-born scholars from Canada or the United States, individually or in groups, and cover the expenses for project visits up to three months. All scholar and project proposals are evaluated by a review committee and must be approved by the Advisory Council. Public and private higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are invited to submit a project request to host a scholar for 21 to 90 days. Prospective hosts are eligible but not required to name a proposed scholar in their request. Many African institutions and prospective Fellows collaborate on ideas for a project that is then submitted by the institution. IIE maintains a scholar roster to facilitate matches, according to the discipline specializations, expertise, activities and objectives described in a project request. Candidates are required to have a terminal degree in their field and can hold any academic rank. When a scholar is successfully matched with a selected project, he or she is awarded a Fellowship to conduct a project visit to the host institution.
See a full list of projects, hosts, and scholars and their universities.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York funds the program, and IIE provides fellowship management as well as administrative and logistical support for the fellows and the host universities. An Advisory Council of prominent African academics led by Paul Tiyambe Zeleza provides strategic direction, and the United States International University-Africa serves as the program’s Secretariat.

Please direct all questions related to the application process to AfricanDiaspora@iie.org.

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