Alliance for African Partnership and African Studies Center 

Student Research Fellowship Application

Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) and African Studies Center (ASC) are pleased to announce our Student Research Fellowship. This award supports: 

1. MSU graduate students’ travel to any African country for research. 
2. Graduate students from AAP’s ten African consortium members to travel to MSU for research. 
3. MSU graduate students’ travel in the US to present their research on Africa at an academic conference.

*In the case that you are unable to travel internationally to conduct research, applicants must provide a brief contingency plan detailing how they would alternately use the funds to advance their research.

Eligibility

AAP and ASC recognize that graduate students can have limited opportunities to apply for grants and fellowships to conduct international research and to access funds for conference travel to disseminate their research results. To address this issue, AAP and ASC have established the Student Research Fellowship.   

Eligibility requirements for this opportunity are as follows: 

• All applicants must be a graduate student currently enrolled in a degree-granting program at one of AAP’s ten African university consortium members (in good standing) or at MSU. 
• MSU applicants for research funds must secure affiliation with an African university, institution, or organization in the country to which they are traveling and for the time in which they will conduct their research. 
• Applicants from the ten AAP African university consortium members must be supervised by an academic mentor at their home institution who is collaborating with an MSU faculty member. The student must be hosted by the MSU faculty member/department. 
• All applicants for research funds must successfully complete their university requirements related to doing research (e.g., approved research plans, ethical conduct of research or IRB, training and approvals, etc.).
• All fellowship recipients must return to their home university as registered students in the semester or term following the award. 
• All fellowship recipients must be in good academic standing, and priority will be given to students with demonstrated financial need. This program is open to all and selection is based on neutral criteria.
• All fellowship recipients must write and submit a report on their research and experiences within one month of their return from the research trip or conference travel. The report template will be provided to students upon their award.
• Past recipients of this fellowship are not eligible for additional funding.

Funding

• Each research fellowship will be up to $2,000, awarded for travel and/or fieldwork expenses. 
• Applicants for research travel fellowships should specify all other funding sources, if applicable. 
• For students from AAP consortium members, funds will be provided to the MSU host faculty member to pay for travel costs directly. 
• For students from MSU, funds will be provided either via the home department or via another method; AAP and ASC will work with students on a case-by-case basis on fund transfer.  

Selection Process

The Student Research Fellowship is administered by AAP or ASC, depending on the category of funds requested. The timeline is as follows: 

• Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through May 31, 2026, subject to funding availability. The application process may close early if all funds are awarded before this date.
• All funding must be transferred to recipients by June 12, 2026.

Application Process

Research funding

Applicants must complete an online application that includes the following documents. *Please note that some documents require a template that is provided below.

Apply here: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1EQipYlo5x7Ebtk

1) Cover letter. Within the cover letter please include the following information:
a. Explain interest in the fellowship and how it furthers your scholarly interests
b. Describe the research topic and its significance to your degree program
c. Outline the activities proposed for this trip and the anticipated outputs from them
d. Provide names, roles, and description of faculty members involved in the project
e. Identify the university department and/or college that you will collaborate or affiliate with
f.  Provide dates to be spent in country/region
g. Provide a short paragraph explaining how funds would be used in case the applicant is unable to travel

2) Two-page Curriculum Vitae or Resume

3) Transcript

4) Budget
Please use the budget template

5) Letter from faculty member or individual at the host institution who will supervise your work.

For students from AAP Consortium member institutions: The letter must be from the MSU faculty member (on their department’s letterhead) who has agreed to host you during your research trip to MSU. Please use the host letter template

For MSU students: The letter must be from an individual at the institution you will be affiliated with (on the institution’s letterhead) during your research trip. Please use the host letter template

AAP and ASC will contact the relevant host faculty/organization as part of the selection process.

6) Letter of recommendation

The application must include one letter of recommendation from their advisor or supervisor. The letter must discuss the value of your project and the quality of your work. *The person who writes the letter of recommendation must email the letter directly to aap(at)msu.edu.

Conference travel funding

Applicants must complete an online application on the African Studies Center website.