The Crick Africa Network (CAN) is offering African Career Acceleration Fellowships supported by LifeArc for early-career biomedical scientists to develop translational scientific programs and become independent scientists.
The Crick Africa Network (CAN) is looking for ambitious early-career African scientists who can demonstrate strong scientific and leadership potential, a keen interest in translational science, and a commitment to establishing their own research groups and continuing their careers on the African continent.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the African Career Acceleration Fellowship you must have:
Citizenship or permanent residency status for an African country
A PhD in a relevant field with two to five years of postdoctoral experience, or a clinical PhD (MBChB) with at least three years of relevant research experience
A strong track record indicating potential as a scientific leader on the African continent
A strong translational science proposal in one of the CAN research areas
Approached and reached an agreement regarding your proposed science with your mentor in your chosen African partner institute and your chosen mentor at the Crick before submitting your scientific proposal.
The fellows will also be expected to spend some time in the United Kingdom, to use the research and laboratory facilities at the Francis Crick Institute and LifeArc.
Benefits
Fellows will have the opportunity to be supported by one or more of Crick’s 21 science technology platforms (STPs). LifeArc will also deliver translational development courses and host fellows for three to 12 months at one of their UK laboratories.
Mentorship from the chosen African partner institute, the Crick, and LifeArc will support with grant writing, publishing, research ethics, and translation.
There is a strong ethos of collaboration and interaction across the network and fellows will be encouraged to learn from one another, as well as their mentors. The fellowships will cover salary, research costs, research assistant salary, and travel and subsistence costs.
Research themes
All projects should have translational potential. Our definition of translational science is that it serves clinical, commercial, or environmental benefits. It should address a clear unmet medical need and bridge the gap between basic discovery science and product development and can include
human genetics,
disease pathogenesis and immunogenetics,
pathogen genomics or bioinformatics,
host-pathogen interaction,
diagnostics and biomarkers,
pandemic preparedness,
antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or
drug and vaccine discovery for development.
Before submitting your application, you must read the application notes (PDF).
If you have questions about the translational potential of your proposed research idea and how LifeArc could support development, please contact Andy Merritt, LifeArc project lead and head of academic engagement, at [email protected].
Applicants must have identified a mentor at their chosen African partner institute and the Crick before making an application. Crick research labs can be found in our A-Z lab listing.
Applications should be submitted through our online academic recruitment portal.
Only fully completed applications will be considered.
