Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) Women Grant Writing Programme 2025
- Omran Aburayya
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
If you're an early-career female health researcher in Africa looking to enhance your grant-writing skills, applications are now open for the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) Women Grant Writing Programme 2025. This fully online initiative aims to equip participants with the expertise to develop competitive research proposals for international, regional, and national funding opportunities. Details in this article.
Programme Summary
Location: Online
Organized By: Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF)
Study Level: Early-career researchers
Target Group: Female researchers from African countries
Fields of Focus: Health and health-related disciplines
Value and Coverage: Comprehensive grant-writing training
Duration: June 30 – September 3, 2025
Application Deadline: April 14, 2025
Start Date: June 30, 2025
Eligible to: Female citizens of African countries in the early stages of their research careers
Programme Overview
The Women Grant Writing Programme is structured to provide intensive training over two series of online sessions:
June 30 – July 4, 2025: Daily 3-hour sessions from 08:30 to 11:30 GMT
September 1 – 3, 2025: Daily 3-hour sessions from 08:30 to 11:30 GMT
Participants will engage in interactive seminars covering:
Developing and articulating a unique research niche
Formulating compelling research questions
Understanding funders' requirements
Writing in clear, concise English
Structuring various sections of a proposal
Planning project timelines and budgets
Managing collaborations and research teams
Practicing peer review processes
Preparing for fellowship interviews
Between the two training blocks, participants are expected to draft their own research proposals, which will be reviewed during the final sessions. All sessions will be conducted in English via Zoom.
Programme Benefits
This comprehensive training will empower participants to:
Enhance their ability to secure research funding
Improve the quality and competitiveness of their grant applications
Gain insights into the expectations of funding bodies
Build confidence in presenting research ideas
Join a network of like-minded researchers across Africa
Eligibility Criteria
Be female citizens of an African country
Be in the early stages of their research career
Hold a research doctorate (PhD/DPhil/MD) awarded on or after January 1, 2019, or a medical/clinical qualification plus a research-relevant Master's degree awarded within the same timeframe
Be currently employed by a recognized university or research institution in Africa
Have not previously participated in equivalent AREF grant-writing training
Not possess a significant portfolio of international research grants (combined value of £250,000 or more)
Application Procedure
Interested candidates can follow below steps to apply:
Visit the AREF application portal: https://programmes.aref-africa.org.uk/
Register an account on the portal
Complete the online application form as directed
Submit all required documents, including proof of qualifications and employment
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.
For additional guidance, refer to the 2025 AREF GWP Online Application Form Guidance and FAQs available on the AREF website.
🗓️ Key Dates:
Application Deadline: April 14, 2025
Notification of Outcome: By May 14, 2025
Programme Start Date: June 30, 2025
ℹ️ Contact Information:
For inquiries related to registering on the portal, please email: [programmes@africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk] with the subject line "Portal Registration."
🔗 OFFICIAL CALL LINK
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