Crick Africa Network (CAN) Career Acceleration Fellowships for Early-Career Scientists 2024

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.

• Table of Content
• About Crick Africa Network (CAN)
• CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships
• Aim and Benefits of CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships
• Requirements for CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Crick Africa Network (CAN)

The Crick’s mission is discovery without boundaries. We don’t limit the direction our research takes. We want to understand more about how living things work to help improve treatment, diagnosis and prevention of human disease, and generate economic opportunities for the UK. In our institute more than 2,000 staff and students use their wide-ranging knowledge and expertise to work across disciplines and explore biology at all levels, from molecules through cells to entire organisms. The Crick is the outcome of a merger between the MRC's National Institute for Medical ... continue reading

CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships

Aim and Benefits of CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships

• 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.

Requirements for CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships Qualification

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.

Interview date, Process and Venue for CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships

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.

Check also:
Commonwealth Master's Scholarship to Study in UK 2027/2028
Mandela Washington Fellowship for Africans 2027 (Fully Funded to USA)

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Applications will be checked for eligibility including the nationality of the applicant, number of years of postdoc experience and the translational elements of the proposal.

• Proposals will be assessed by the chosen African partner institution, the chosen Crick mentor, as well as an external peer reviewer.

• Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the chosen African partner institution.

• An expert panel will convene to assess all interviewed applicants and agree on the successful fellows. Applicants will then be informed of the outcome. 

For more details,visit CAN website