1. Fellowships for HIV/AIDS and Public Health Policy Research in Africa
The Social Science Research Council has announced a call for the 2006-07 Fellowship for HIV/AIDS and Public Health Policy Research in Africa. The programme is open to African researchers, policy analysts, programme planners and practitioners to support research on health and social policy in Eastern and Southern Africa relating to (1) political economy of caregiving and HIV/AIDS, with particular emphasis on gender analysis; or (2) sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. Two Senior Fellowships of up to US$25,000 and six Associate Fellowships of up to US$10,000 will be awarded. Generous support for this programme has been made available by the Open Society Institute's Network Public Health Program, based in New York.
Goals of the Fellowship Programme:
- Increase knowledge and understanding about the implications of HIV/AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa as it relates to caregiving and sexual violence
- Improve public health policy responses to the pandemic and increase understanding of the interaction between local and global health systems
- Foster collaboration among African institutions, researchers, policy analysts, programme planners and practitioners both in and outside the continent
Fellowships will be awarded for proposals addressing one of the two following areas:
1. HIV and Caregiving
Research proposals should address health policy challenges as they relate to any or several aspects of: (a) various public health and development interventions, and whether and how such interventions are affecting costs and burdens of caregiving for HIV/AIDS; (b) social mobilisation efforts around caregiving at various levels - local, national and/or global.
2. Research on Sexual Violence
Research proposals should address health policy challenges as they relate to any or several aspects of: (a) new ways of measuring and conceptualising the connection between sexual violence and HIV/AIDS across a range of settings, including in the context of fragile states, armed conflict and post-conflict settings, and other forms of public or domestic violence; b) policy implications at a national level of decreasing the vulnerability of individuals to sexual violence; (c) implications of HIV/AIDS and sexual violence for policy and programme interventions in public health, reproductive health, security and HIV/AIDS.
Eligibility
Fellowships will be awarded to African researchers (master's degree and above) and mid-career policymakers, programme planners and practitioners with at least eight years of field experience. Preference will be given to applicants based in Eastern and Southern Africa. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their academic quality and rigor, policy relevance, feasibility, potential contribution to the field and the applicant's professional and research background and achievements.
Proposals will only be accepted in English.
REQUIREMENTS:
Fellowships will provide support for research carried out within a nine-month period, commencing September 2006. Funds may be used to support research and related travel costs. In addition, full expenses will be provided for fellows to participate in a fellows' workshop to facilitate network building and provide guidance in developing methodologies and dissemination strategies.
Senior Fellows
The two senior fellowships, of up to $25,000, will be awarded to faculty, senior researchers, senior policy analysts, programme planners and practitioners, and recent PhD recipients based in Eastern and Southern Africa. Senior fellows will be permitted to allocate up to ten percent of their research budget to a host institution. If no such institutional support is necessary, this allocation can be used to support activities that foster collaboration, such as meetings, workshops and participation in national and regional research network activities.
Associate Fellows
The six associate fellowships, of up to $10,000, will be awarded to mid-junior level professionals, policy analysts, programme planners and practitioners, activists, scholars and graduate students. Associate fellows are requested to identify a host institution and/or mentor who will provide ongoing supervision throughout the research process. Academic researchers should identify a policy organisation or an NGO as a host, and policy analysts and practitioners should identify a research or academic institution as a host, in order to encourage policy-to-research linkages. The host institution will receive an amount equal to twenty percent of the fellowship award, which is intended to contribute to indirect and direct costs associated with mentoring and hosting (e.g. space, communications, supervision, etc.).
Applications should be submitted electronically to and should include: a completed application form, curriculum vitae, and a research proposal (maximum 5 pages/1250 words, including bibliography and appendices; for fellowships up to $20,000: maximum 10 pages/2500 words), including a problem statement, methodology, timeframe, project summary, relevant partners, and expected contributions to health, gender and HIV policy development; dissemination plan identifying potential journals, conferences, and publications and research and policy opportunities to contribute findings; one-page budget summary itemising salary (if relevant), travel, administrative and communications expenses, networking, collaboration and dissemination; budgets must also indicate additional sources of support already secured or being identified for these and any other related activities (the fellowship may be used to supplement other funding, for which a full budget is required); three academic and/or professional references.
The deadline for applications is 15 July 2006, at 12:00 noon (GMT). Awards will be announced by mid-August. Supported activities can begin on 15 September 2006, and continue until 15 June 2007.
For more information, please contact the SSRC HIV/AIDS Initiative at . www.ssrc.org
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