Sub-Saharan Africa Dissertation Internship Awards

1996-97

The Rockefeller Foundation is pleased to announce a program of competitive awards to enable African doctoral students enrolled in universities in the United States and Canada to undertake supervised dissertation research in Africa.

Objectives
The goal of the program is to enhance the quality of the overseas education received by African graduate students enrolled in universities in the United States and Canada, and to maximize its relevance to the process of economic development in Africa. The program enables African doctoral candidates to return to Africa to conduct dissertation research in association with a local university or research institution, thereby facilitating the transition to a productive professional career upon return to Africa.

Eligibility
The program is open to citizens of sub-Saharan African nations enrolled in doctoral programs at universities in the United States and Canada. U.S. permanent residents and Canadian landed immigrants are not eligible. Priority will be given to research on economic development in the areas of agriculture, environment, education, health, the humanities, the life sciences, and population. Projects must involve field observation or the use of primary sources available only in Africa. Students are strongly encouraged to plan to be in the field for at least 12 months. The applicant must have completed all course work and qualifying examinations prior to receiving an award.

The Awards
The candidate's dissertation committee must approve the research proposal prior to submission to the Foundation. The applicant is responsible for arranging affiliation with an institution in Africa able to provide adequate supervision and research support in the student's field of study.

The awards are intended to cover the costs of conducting research in the field and might include: international travel, living expenses in Africa, local transportation, and costs related to research and analysis. The maximum award is US$20,000. In addition, the Foundation will provide an administrative contribution of US$2,500 to the African host institution and funds for one field-site visit by the student's faculty adviser. Upon completion of field research, support may also be requested to enable the supervisor at the African host institution to attend the student's dissertation defense.

Application Procedure
Deadlines for applications are October 1, 1996, and March 1, 1997. Candidates are strongly urged to submit their applications well in advance of the date on which field work is expected to begin. Preliminary inquiries as to the relevance of the research topic and the proposed institutional setting in Africa are encouraged. The selection committee will consider only complete applications, which must be prepared according to "Instructions for Preparing the Application Package" provided by the Foundation. The following items are required in the application:

1 The applicant's dissertation proposal, accompanied by a letter clearly indicating final approval by the thesis advisory committee. The proposal should include research objectives, conceptual framework, literature review, methodology, and time line. It should also discuss the project's relevance to African development. The proposal must be written in English. If longer than 15 pages (not including bibliography or annexes), it must be accompanied by a detailed summary of no more than 15 pages.

2 Photocopies of the following documents certified by the Foreign Student Office of the applicant's university: 1) the page(s) of the applicant's passport indicating the country of citizenship and date and place of issue, and 2) the page bearing the visa for the U. S. or Canada.

3 Three letters of reference, commenting on the content and design of the proposal and the ability of the applicant to conduct the research. Letters written in French should be accompanied by an English translation. One of the letters should be from the chair of the applicant's dissertation committee.

4 An academic review of the dissertation proposal, written by the person at the host institution in Africa who will supervise the applicant's work. This person should also discuss his or her interest in supervising the research and the ability of the host institution to provide necessary services, such as office space, laboratory facilities, access to study sites, and technical advice.

5 A letter from the head or appropriate officer of the host institution in Africa confirming that the affiliation proposed in the host supervisor's letter (described in item 4) is acceptable to the host institution.

6 A budget, not to exceed US$20,000, itemizing and justifying all costs. (A budget guideline sheet is available to applicants.)

7 A letter outlining the applicant's entire financial support package, including the write-up period following the applicant's return from the field. This letter should come from an appropriate official of the principal funding agency or the applicant's university. Applicants who are self-supporting should write a letter to this effect.

8 Official graduate transcripts.

9 A curriculum vitae.

10 A completed basic data form (provided by the Foundation).

11 A successful applicant will be asked to provide a letter from the appropriate administrative office of the American or Canadian university, stating its willingness to administer the award (with the exception of the contribution to the African host institution) without charge. Applicants are advised to comply with the university's procedures for the submission of proposals to external funding agencies.

Send complete application packages to:

African Dissertation Internships
The Rockefeller Foundation
420 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10018-2702
phone: (212) 852-8373

Inquiries may also be directed to:

African Dissertation Internships
The Rockefeller Foundation
PO Box 47543
Nairobi, Kenya

Editor: Ali B. Dinar, (aadinar@sas.upenn.edu)