Exciting fully online programme: Apply Now for the AREF Grant Writing Programme 2026

Ednah Carrick March 7, 2026

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Closing Date: 3 April 2026

Exciting fully online programme: Apply Now for the AREF Grant Writing Programme 2026

AREF is calling for applications from scientists who are active, emerging biomedical/health researchers in African countries to participate in its Essential Grant Writing Skills Programme.

Overview

The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) works to strengthen the health research capacity of scientists in Africa who are engaged in tackling the sub-region’s significant health challenges. AREF is calling for applications from scientists who are active, emerging biomedical/health researchers in African countries to participate in its Essential Grant Writing Skills Programme.

This fully online programme will be held during the weeks of June and July 2026. There will be an eight-week break in between the two-part programme, where you will be expected to write a mini proposal and participate in an activity to review the proposals of your colleagues. This is an intensive programme that is designed to produce tangible progress towards a grant proposal by the end of the programme series. Your commitment to the entire series and to the additional work outside of sessions will be necessary to achieve these outcomes.

To fully benefit from this AREF Grant Writing programme series, you will be at a stage in your research career where you are actively seeking independent funding, and perhaps have won smaller grants, but have yet to secure that big grant necessary to support your research independence.

The Programme series

AREF Grant Writing Programme Aim

The Programme aim is to enable talented early-career health- and health-related researchers from countries in Africa to build skills to develop their own research and fellowship proposals of the quality required to win competitive international, regional and national funding.

What the Programme will cover

Developing and expressing your unique research niche
Formulating your compelling research question
Understanding funders’ requirements
Writing in plain English
Writing the different sections of a proposal
Key parts of a typical Case for Support / Project Description
Planning your proposal project plan and budget
Principles of managing your collaboration and team
Understanding and practicing peer review
Preparing for a Fellowship interview.

What the Programme will not cover

The programme will not cover the following: how to get research ethics approval; how to complete individual funders’ application forms; the details of intellectual property management; practice in research communication.

The facilitators will use examples of real funding applications. However, they will not be assisting participants directly with the participants’ own specific proposals.

Format of the Programme series

The Programme series will be held as

Monday 1^stJune to Friday 5^th June 2026: daily 3-hour on-line sessions, 08:30 – 11:30 GMT
Wednesday 29^th to Friday 31^st July 2026: daily sessions 3-hour on-line sessions, 08:30 – 11:30 GMT
See the table below for the corresponding time in other zones

WAT	CAT	EAT	Cape Verde
09:30 – 12:30	10:30 – 13:30	11:30 – 15:30	09:30 – 10:30

Participants will be provided with appropriate learning materials including preparatory exercises before the first session and between sessions. Each session will be delivered through Zoom. Participants will work in on-line groups and offline subgroups. All sessions will be conducted in English.

AREF expectations of participants

Inputs

You MUST

Commit to all on-line sessions for the full duration of each session. Attendance to all sessions is mandatory. Participants will not receive a certificate of completion otherwise.
Participate in all sessions. These sessions are interactive and will require your active participation. You gain the best when you fully participate in all activities and exercises.
Commit approximately an additional hour each day to prepare for each session through reading and pre-work assignments/reflections.
Dedicate significant time during the six-week period in between programme sessions to write a draft of your own research proposal, which will then be utilised in the final three sessions.

You SHOULD

have access to good bandwidth and a computer or laptop that is set up to use the Zoom platform (IT department may control your ability to use online platforms)
be able to use a smart phone simultaneously with the Zoom platform.

Outputs

You will also be expected to participate in AREF monitoring and evaluation surveys to track outcomes.

Scope

AREF welcomes applications for this Programme from researchers who are actively working on challenges to human health and are trained and experienced in one or more of the following disciplines: biomedicine; physiology and pharmacology; clinical sciences; epidemiology; mathematics and statistics; environmental health; “one health” (veterinary science); behavioural, mental health, public health, data science for health, social and economic sciences; and health policy and systems research.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you need to provide evidence that:

You are a citizen of a country in Africa
You are in the early stages of your research career

EITHER

you have been awarded a research doctorate (PhD/DPhil/MD) from a recognised academic institution normally within the previous 6 years, (i.e. awarded on or after 1 January 2020);
- OR you have a medical/clinical qualification PLUS a research-relevant Master’s degree, both awarded normally within the previous 6 years (i.e. awarded on or after 1 January 2020).
You are currently employed in Africa by a recognised university and/or specialist research institution.
You have not participated already in equivalent proposal development / grant-writing training.
A significant part of your current employee role is to develop and conduct health research.
You do not already have a significant portfolio of international research grants (Combined value of £250,000 or more).

Criteria for selection

Through your application, you will need to demonstrate that you are at a stage of your research career where this intensive training will support your future success as a researcher and you are highly likely to apply your learning to winning research funding.

Capacity to benefit

Your application will be assessed in terms of your capacity to benefit from the training, using the following kinds of evidence:

Your research experience, outputs and other achievements as an emerging researcher up to now.
How you will use the training to achieve your personal vision for your development as a scientist who can address key health challenges important to Africa.
How you will “cascade”, i.e. to pass on, the knowledge and skills you have gained from the programme
Adequate command of English.

Programme participants will be shortlisted from the eligible applicants using these criteria. Only applicants who meet the capacity to benefit criteria will be on the shortlist from which the final selection will be made.

How to apply

To apply, please go to the portal to access the application form and complete the application form as directed. You must register an account on the portal before you can access the application form.