CODESRIA

Application deadline: February 27, 2026

Founded in 1973, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) promotes research by African and Diaspora scholars in the Social Sciences and Humanities with the view to better understanding social phenomena in Africa. This commitment is rooted in the belief that a sound knowledge base about the continent is invaluable to collective efforts to foster opportunity and equity, rights and well-being in the continent.

In 2017, CODESRIA introduced the Meaning-Making Research Initiative (MRI) as its principal tool for research support, amalgamating the National Working Groups, Multinational Working Groups, Comparative Research Network, Transnational Working Groups and Postdoctoral Grants. The MRI is designed to facilitate research that contributes to agendas for imagining, planning, and creating African futures. A key objective of the MRI is to increase the visibility of the research supported by the Council.

The adoption of MRI marked a renewed commitment to the task of interpretation and explanation that saw CODESRIA produce ground-breaking work on thematic issues such as democratization and economic reform in Africa. The program strongly encourages scholars to build on close observation of African social realities, addressing key challenges on the continent through thorough analysis and understanding. The initiative is characterized by reinforced support for researchers and their deeper integration into the Council’s work. The MRI fosters scholars to explore diverse, innovative, and alternative ways of presenting their work beyond traditional formats such as books, journal articles, or policy briefs. The grant spans a total duration of 16 months.

Individual and Group Initiatives: MRIs may be either individual projects or group initiatives. Groups can include researchers from one or multiple countries and should ideally consist of 3 to 5 members. We strongly encourage applications from groups with members from different countries. It is essential that groups adhere to CODESRIA’s core principle of gender, linguistic, and interdisciplinary diversity. Each member should demonstrate ability to contribute meaningfully to the collaborative project’s work. The Council will offer up to USD 10,000 for individual projects and up to USD 25,000 for group projects.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Projects funded under this initiative should:

• Address key aspects of African societies aligned with CODESRIA’s strategic priori-ties listed below in this call.
• Demonstrate theoretical ambition and originality, offering new analytical perspectives or methodological approaches.
• Address challenges of shaping African futures with attention to issues of diversity, perspectives on the national question, and rural–urban contexts.
• Show familiarity with existing knowledge produced within the community of knowledge organized around CODESRIA.
• Explore diverse spatial, temporal and sectoral configurations where relevant to the process of meaning-making.
• Applicants must hold a PhD at the time of submission. For group applications, the coordinator should hold a PhD at the time of submission.

Note: CODESRIA maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding plagiarism. Please ensure that the project you submit is entirely your own work.

THEMATIC PRIORITIES

All applications must align with CODESRIA’s 2023-2027 thematic priorities and cross-cutting issues. Please note that, while Higher Education Dynamics in Africa is among the Council’s thematic priorities, it has been excluded from the MRI scheme, as the Council offers dedicated research grants specifically for higher education. The following are the thematic priorities and cross-cutting issues:

1) The State and Democratisation in Africa: Trends and Prospects
This thematic priority signals the desire of the Council to reconnect with CODESRIA’s historic work on democratization processes in Africa; aiming to assess democratic transitions in Africa, in order to probe the origins, context and evolution of the transitions, ex-amine their status, question the depth of the impact of democracy on the people and on the nature of the state, and analyse prospects for democratic consolidation in Africa. Appli-cations can also focus on the state in Africa to illuminate the context of the evolution of politics, the deployment and use of power, the resulting impact on citizens and the implications for citizenship. Applicants are encouraged assess the current state of democracy in Africa, generating in the process a typology that might be useful for comparative work on the state and democratisation, but bearing in mind that such comparative work necessarily requires a study of the trends in global democracy processes.

2) Transformations in African Economies
This thematic priority focuses on theoretical frameworks that inform discussions on economic policy-making; the current tensions in economic development driven by orthodoxy as opposed to heterodox approaches; how these approaches refract issues of economic pol-icy-making in Africa; discussions of dependency and structural transformation; export economies and industrialization; the issue of informalization of economies; histories and evolution of labor unionization; public-private partnership; challenges and impact of multi-lateral governance; the idea of planning in current economic thinking; heterodox traditions and welfare policy; alternative economic theories; reinventing economic systems; structural and institutional challenges of development; interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary conversations on economic policy; policy sovereignty for Africa, among other themes.

3) Ecologies and Society in Africa
This theme focuses on the interaction of human populations with the environment in Africa, the forms it takes, its histories and trajectories, and its impact on a broad set of sectors, including the continent’s burgeoning economies and their new capacity, whether its positive effects or negative consequences, to turn ecological inheritance (or environmental re-sources) into commercial products and assets. The emphasis is on interactions between people and ecological systems; targeting on land and agrarian questions, food sovereignty and poverty in the developing world; histories and trajectories of environmental interactions; the urban and the rural nexus and their complex interactions; mineral extraction and the transformation of habitats; structural transformations in agriculture and industrialization; conservancy practices, commodification and impact on societies.

Cross-cutting themes
(1) History, Memory and Archive
(2) Gender
(3) Generations
(4) Rurality and Urbanity.

HOW TO APPLY
Interested applicants should submit application packages containing the following required materials:
a) Applicants are required to develop a brief, to the point proposal that provides:

i. an introduction that outlines the overarching theme and objectives;
ii. a clear statement of the key research question(s);
iii. concise review of the relevant literature, that highlights the proposal’s expected contribution to existing debates;
iv. explains the theoretical significance of the study, including its anticipated contribution to knowledge production outlines
v. the research methodology to show how data or evidence will generate and analyzed;
vi. a research plan outlining key activities and timelines.
vii. Budget: a concise and realistic budget that reflects the strict 16-month duration of the grant. Click on this link to access and complete the budget template MRI Budget Template Individual / MRI Budget Template Group

b) Annotated plan of deliverables: Individual projects should include a one-page annotated plan for one scholarly article and one policy brief/blog post. Group projects should include a one-page annotated plan for two scholarly articles and two policy briefs/blog posts.
c) A letter of institutional support from a dean or any other official of the university above the dean in university hierarchy.
d) The CV of the scholar(s) applying, including full contact details.

Applicants are reminded that proposals must be submitted in Word documents and should not exceed 10 pages including bibliography (Times New Roman, font size 12, double-spaced).

Please note that applications that lack any of these elements will not be considered.

The deadline for submitting applications is February 27, 2026. Please use the CODESRIA online submission system via the following link : https://codesria.org/application-form-meaning-making-research-initiatives-mri-2026/

NB:

• Previous recipients of an MRI grant are ineligible and should refrain from submitting a new application.
• Applicants may submit only one application across all three categories. Multiple submissions are not permitted.
• In accordance with CODESRIA’s guidelines, this grant scheme is open exclusively to African scholars, primarily those residing on the continent, while allowing a limited number of applicants from the Diaspora.
• Applications from consultants or consulting firms are not eligible.

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MRI FAQs 

1. Can the proposal be submitted in languages other than English? 
   • Yes, proposals can be submitted in English, French, or Portuguese. 
2. Can I apply as an individual and also as part of a group? 
   • You can submit only one application: either as an individual or as part of a group. You cannot apply both ways. 
3. I don’t have a PhD; can I still apply for an individual initiative? 
   • No, PhD candidates are welcome to be part of a group but cannot apply for an individual grant. Kindly note that the grant is not intended to fund the completion of a PhD thesis. 
4. Can PhD students be part of a research group? 
   • Yes, PhD students can be members of a research group but cannot serve as the team coordinator. The coordinator must hold a PhD. 
5. Can male team members be included in a female-led research team for the MRI Female Scholars call? 
   • Yes, male team members can be included in a female-led research team, but only in exceptional cases and with proper justification. 
6. Must you be a member of CODESRIA to apply? 
   • No, you do not have to be a member of CODESRIA to apply; however, we encourage applicants to submit their membership. 
7. Is there a proposal template? 
   • There is no specific template for submitting the proposal. However, the Call for Applications outlines the key sections expected in the proposal (e.g., research questions, methodology, etc.). 
8. Can I re-submit a revised proposal if it was not successful in a previous call? 
   • Yes, you can resubmit a revised proposal in response to a new call, provided you address the feedback received and make significant improvements to the original submission. 
9. Are non-African nationals eligible to apply? 
   • Only nationals of African countries are eligible to apply for the MRI grants. While applicants may reside either on the African continent or abroad, priority is given to scholars based in Africa, in line with CODESRIA guidelines. 
10. What is required for the institutional affiliation letter? 
    • The institutional affiliation letter should confirm your association with the institution and be signed by an authorized official. Independent researchers, however, may not be required to provide this letter. 
11. How can I Access CODESRIA’s strategic plan? 
    • You can access CODESRIA’s strategic plan using this link: https://codesria.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CODESRIA-Strategic-Plan_2023-2027-17122024.pdf 
12. Are there any limits or restrictions on the budget? 
    • The grant can be used to cover costs such as data collection, data analysis, books, and materials. Specific expenditures may be included in your budget as long as they are justified and within the funding limits. A budget template is provided to help you outline these costs. Please note that the grant does not cover researchers’ honoraria/fees. 
13. How many years of experience of post-PhD are required to apply for an MRI? 
    • For the General and Female Scholars’ grants, the coordinator must hold a PhD, with no requirement for the number of years since obtaining it, while applicants for the Advanced Senior Research Fellowship grant must have obtained their PhDs at least 15 years prior to the submission date. 
14. What is the exact budget amount for the Advanced Senior Research Fellowship grant? 
    • The proposed budget will be evaluated based on the needs outlined in your proposal. 
15. What are the main selection criteria? 
    • Projects should address relevant topics, adopt a strong and ambitious theoretical approach, and incorporate innovative methods. For more detailed guidelines, please refer to the specific calls for proposals. 
16. I am a member of an NGO/Consulting Firm; can I apply for the MRI? 
    • Applications from consultants and members of NGOs are not eligible. However, independent researchers are eligible to apply. 
17. Can a group member belong to a discipline outside of the humanities and social sciences? 
    • Yes, a member of a group can belong to a discipline outside of the humanities and social sciences, provided their involvement is properly justified. 
18. Is the MRI program open to proposals related to higher education? 
    • No, the MRI program does not accept proposals related to higher education. The Council has other programs that address this topic. For more information, please visit the CODESRIA website.