The Academy will be held online and hosted by the Jaramogi Odinga Oginga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) and the AfricaLics Secretariat.

The AfricaLics network is an academic research and capacity building network that focuses on how innovation (the process through which new or improved products, processes, organisational forms, ways of working and acting are introduced into new environments) occurs and the relationship this has with economic and social development in African countries.  Such research is becoming known in the network as ‘innovation and development studies’ because it is at the intersection of innovation studies and development studies.

The 8^th AfricaLics PhD Academy provides an opportunity for PhD students enrolled at African universities who work in the field of innovation and development studies to gain more knowledge of this burgeoning field, meet leading academics in this field and receive feedback on their PhD studies.

The 8^th AfricaLics PhD Academy will be held as an in-person event under strict COVID-19 protocols at the Jaramogi Odinga Oginga University of Science and Technology’s (JOOUST) Nairobi campus, Kenya.

This is a call for students enrolled in a PhD at an African university who work in the field of innovation and development studies to apply to participate in this two-week residential event.

Innovation and development studies

The AfricaLics network was founded in 2012 due to a growing recognition of the need for more support for academic ‘research on innovation’ that had relevance to the contextual environments of African countries.  This burgeoning body of work by African scholars is essential to ensure ‘research in innovation’ (i.e., research and development of specific inventions that can help solve practical problems), where most innovation policy and funding attention is focused, can be effectively supported.  The concept of ‘research on innovation’ focuses on innovation processes, what fosters innovation and on what may help new solutions get accepted and adopted.  It is particularly interested in understanding the impact of innovation on the social and economic development of African countries.  It considers these issues at the level of firms, networks, and collaborations as well as at the national, continental, and global levels. As such the work of scholars in the AfricaLics network is multi-disciplinary being at the intersection of the established academic fields of innovation studies and development studies.

This is a multidisciplinary field which includes researchers from a range of disciplines often studying innovation studies, the economics of innovation, innovation management, technology management, science and technology studies.  However, the network also includes those from other more disciplinary fields such as engineering, economics and political science.

Who is eligible to apply?

PhD students working in innovation and development studies and who are principally interested in how innovation relates to economic and social development in Africa are the main target group for the PhD Academy.

The Academy will host around 20-25 students from Africa and a handful of students from the rest of the world.

Specifically, PhD students who wish to participate will need to fulfill the following requirements:

• be at least in the beginning of his/her second year at the time of the academy
• work explicitly on issues related to policy-oriented analysis of science, technology and innovation[1]
• be able to present an original paper reflecting his/her research and/or thesis work that fits within the thematic areas of the AfricaLics network

If you are in doubt as to whether you can apply, please contact us through the email address at the bottom of the call.

We will have a limited number of places open to master’s students who are studying in Kenya.  These selected students will be granted observer status i.e. can attend but will not present their work.

Master degree students who wish to participate will need to fulfil the following requirements:

• be a registered Masters student in a Kenyan university on a degree programme in the area of economics, business or management studies, sociology or development studies or similar
• have a Masters project that will focus on an aspect of innovation studies (i.e. innovation management or innovation systems)[2]

To improve diversity in the emerging academic community on innovation and development studies research in Africa, we encourage female scholars and those from low-income countries to apply.

Please note that all participants will be expected to be fully vaccinated before travel to Kenya.  A copy of your vaccine certificate will be required by the AfricaLics Secretariat.

Design of the Academy

The Academy will invite frontier researchers in the field of innovation and development from around the world to provide lectures and mentor students.  The Academy also provides opportunities for PhD students to share their work and learn new skills. As such, the Academy is made up of the following activities:

• Lectures by senior researchers on areas ranging from research methodologies to the latest theories and empirical research in the fields of innovation, innovation management and science policy.
• Presentations by doctoral students of their work with feedback from the senior scholars facilitating at the event.
• Sessions focused on enabling interaction between students, practitioners and policy makers on innovation and development issues
• Study visits to innovation hubs, innovative businesses and/or similar organisations
• Sessions that focus on key skills that students need to complete their PhD and become successful academic researchers such as publishing or project management skills
• A practical project that helps students think through how to ensure their PhD project is addressing developmental issues and how to ensure results will be articulated to relevant policy and practitioner stakeholders.

The language of the Academy will predominantly be English.  If we have a sufficient number of French speaking PhD students accepted, we will put on simultaneous interpretation.

How to apply

PhD students who apply must submit an extended abstract of their PhD thesis of not more than 5 pages.

Masters students who apply must submit an extended abstract of their Masters project of not more than 2 pages.

The abstract must be submitted together with the applicant’s CV and a recommendation letter from the principal PhD/ Master’s supervisor or a senior scholar who knows the applicant’s work.

These three documents should be sent to the AfricaLics Secretariat (phd-academy@africalics.org) on or before 23:00 hours East Africa time on Friday 18^th March, 2022.

Format of abstracts

Abstracts should be typed double-spaced in French or in English with font size 12. The abstract must include the following sections:

1. Background and literature review
2. The research objectives or research questions
3. Methodology including the data collection and analysis techniques to be used,
4. Expected contribution to academia and policy discussions.
5. References

Please also make it clear in your application if you are preparing a thesis by publication or manuscript/ monograph thesis.

Selection

All extended abstracts will be reviewed by at least two senior scholars from a review panel made up of members of the AfricaLics Scientific Board, AfricaLics Secretariat and the host University.

Selection will be made based on academic quality of extended abstracts as well as on the basis of criteria aimed at promoting diversity (by location, gender etc.).  Selection criteria for AfricaLics events are published on the AfricaLics website: http://www.africalics.org/selection-criteria/

Successful applicants will be notified by 12^th April 2022 of their acceptance to the Academy.

Sponsorship and travel support

AfricaLics has funding to cover the costs of economy class return airfares and fully catered accommodation during the Academy in Nairobi for those attending who are registered at an African university based in a country classified as ‘low income’ or ‘low middle income’.[3]  A small amount of funds will be available to reimburse additional costs of the visa itself and any COVID-19 PCR testing that is required.  Accepted participants from outside Kenya will need to complete (and have accepted) a travel support request form and COVID-19 waiver before they will be granted sponsorship.  Details of this process will be made available once an applicant has received confirmation of their acceptance at the academy.

Please note that all participants will be expected to be fully vaccinated before travel.

Final paper upload and confirmation of attendance

All successful applicants will be expected to have confirmed their participation by 23:00 hours East Africa time on Friday 13^th May 2022 or their place will be given to someone else.

We recommend that all applicants pencil in the dates of the event in their diaries as soon as they apply as there is very little time between notification of acceptance and the first week of the event.

All selected participants who confirm attendance will also be expected to upload a final FULL paper (details of this will be given in your acceptance letter) by 23:00 hours East Africa time on Friday 27^th May 2022.  The full paper should be a full project proposal (for Masters students) or a chapter of your thesis that you would like to present and get feedback on during the Academy (for PhD students).

Organisation and support

The 7^th AfricaLics Ph.D. Academy is jointly organized by the JOOUST with support from the AfricaLics Secretariat hosted at the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya. The event is supported financially by the JOOUST, the AfricaLics network and Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) through Sida Research.

The local organising committee at JOOUST is led by: Prof. Ben Muok, Director of Research and Innovation.  Day to day organisation of the Academy at JOOUST is the responsibility of Mr. Martin Ojala Omondi.  Organisation of the Academy at the AfricaLics Secretariat is being managed by Dr. Rebecca Hanlin.

Contacts

For any queries or questions about the academy by contact: phd-academy@africalics.org

For general queries about JOOUST: omondimartin5@gmail.com

For general queries about AfricaLics: secretariat@africalics.org

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[1] If you are unsure as to whether your topic is appropriate please visit www.africalics.org and read more about the network.  Work in these areas is usually found in a particular set of social science and economics journals – see https://www.africalics.org/innovation-and-development-studies-resources/

[2] Again, please see the AfricaLics website and also look at: Fagerberg, J., Martin, B.R. and Andersen, E.S. eds., 2013. Innovation studies: evolution and future challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press and Muchie, M., Gammeltoft, P. and Lundvall, B.A., (2003). Putting Africa First: The making of African innovation systems. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press

[3] As per DAC OECD listing: https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/daclist.htm