MIASA Fellowships 2026–2028 at the University of Ghana: Research Fellowships in Sustainable Governance, Democracy, Peace and Environmental Transformation

Overview

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), located at the University of Ghana’s Legon campus in Accra, provides an interdisciplinary research environment for scholars in the humanities and social sciences. The institute aims to strengthen research quality, reduce global knowledge production asymmetries, and foster intellectual connections between African and European research communities. Its central theme focuses on Sustainable Governance, encompassing three main research corridors: Sustainable Environmental Transformation, Sustainable Conflict Management and Peace, and Sustainable Democracy.

MIASA offers several fellowship formats to accommodate diverse research goals and collaborations:

• Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs): Four-month collaborative groups bringing together four fellows (including two convenors, one from the University of Ghana) to address complex shared research questions.
• Individual Residential Fellowships: Programs lasting three to six months that allow junior and senior scholars to dedicate time to writing, analysis, and reflection.
• Tandem Fellowships: Joint research projects lasting three to five months pairing one researcher based in Africa with one based in Germany.
• Artists in Residence: Three-month stays that integrate creative and artistic perspectives into academic discussions surrounding global and environmental issues.
• Self-Funded Residential Fellowships: Flexible three-to-six-month stays for researchers with external funding or paid sabbatical leave.

Benefits

Fellowship benefits vary depending on the chosen programme model:

• Access to dedicated office space, organizational assistance, and the vibrant academic community at the University of Ghana.
• For eligible individual fellows, potential coverage of salary or teaching-substitution costs up to a maximum of €6,925 per month paid directly to the home institution.
• Monthly individual grants for non-employed fellows.
• Accommodation allowances of up to €1,500 per month for fellows relocating from outside Accra, alongside travel cost reimbursements at the start and end of the stay.
• Family allowances for fellows relocating with qualifying family members.
• Opportunities to disseminate findings through MIASA working paper series, UGSpace, academic blogs, and peer-reviewed journals.

Eligibility

General qualifications across the fellowship categories include:

• Open to junior and senior scholars working in the humanities and social sciences whose proposals align with MIASA's research themes.
• For individual and self-funded fellowships, applicants must hold a doctoral degree awarded at least three months prior to the fellowship start date.
• Tandem fellowships require specific pairing between an Africa-based researcher and a Germany-based researcher.
• Applicants must be able to commit to a full-time residential presence at the Legon campus in Accra, subject to limited approved absences.

How to Apply

Applicants must prepare the required application documentation according to their specific fellowship model, ensuring compliance with formatting guidelines (such as font specifications and page limits). Proposals must clearly demonstrate academic excellence, project originality, and the specific added value of conducting the research at MIASA and the University of Ghana.

Applications can be submitted via the online application channels provided by the administering institutions.

Deadline

Application deadlines vary depending on the specific fellowship call:

• Sustainable Democracy Interdisciplinary Fellow Group & Individual Residential Fellowships: Applications are due by 15 October 2026. Successful candidates will be notified in March 2027.
• Self-Funded Residential Fellowships: Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year, provided they are submitted at least four months before the intended start date.