RFAs: Thematic Research Grant Program (Africa and UK)

 Deadline Date: April 11, 2025 

 Donor Name: British Institute in Eastern Africa

 Grant Size: $1000 to $10,000

 Category: Grant

 Reference URL:https://biea.ac.uk/call-for-

The Thematic Research Grant Program supports original research projects in or about Eastern Africa from any discipline in the humanities and social sciences.

They welcome applications from postgraduate students; researchers who have not followed conventional academic careers but whose local knowledge or contacts enable them to conduct high quality research; and/or collaborative projects involving established scholars, where resources are ring-fenced for early career or Africa-based project partners. 

Themes
  • Research projects must engage with one or more of the following BIEA research themes:
    • Africa in the World; 
    • Retelling the Past; 
    • Changing Environments; 
    • Urban Lives; 
    • Technologies of Knowledge; 
    • Next Generations.
Funding Information
  • Grants are normally between £500 and £1,000, but up to £1,500 may be awarded. Successful applicants will be expected to complete the research by 31 January 2026. 
Eligibility Criteria
  • Awards can only be made to individuals who have a formal affiliation with a recognized higher educational institution, or a national research/heritage organization. 
  • Research can be focused in or on any locality in any of the eighteen countries stretching from Sudan to Mozambique that are part of Eastern Africa. 
  • You must be able to provide one academic/institutional reference by the submission deadline. 
  • You must be able to secure your own institutional risk assessment and evidence of ethics clearance, a data management plan, and insurance (where necessary).
  • You must be able to demonstrate that you can complete the activity by 31 January 2026. 
  • Grants can be used to cover the cost of economy travel and accommodation or for other costs that directly enable the research.
  • Grants cannot be spent on the applicant’s or supervisor’s time, honorariums, institutional overheads, or (in most cases) the cost of equipment or books. 
  • You must have a plan for publication, and they encourage successful applicants to consider publishing the results of their research in one of their society journals: Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, or the Journal of Eastern African Studies. 
  • You must be able to demonstrate that you can complete the activity by 31 January 2026.
Share this job:
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print