Atlas: France > West Africa

Research projects that align with IFRA-Nigeria’s research priorities and foster synergies with its researchers and partners in West Africa will be supported.

This call for proposals is part of the Atlas Programme, which supports short-term postdoctoral mobility launched by the FMSH and its partners.

Financial terms

Successful applicants will receive financial support of €1,500 per month, paid at the beginning of each month of their stay. This funding is intended to cover transportation, visa, and living expenses.

Eligibility criteria

• Nationality/residence: Applicants must be citizens of a European Union country and reside in France.
• Qualifications/status: Applicants must be postdoctoral researchers in the humanities and social sciences, have defended their PhD thesis since 2021, and be affiliated with a research centre in France.
• Discipline: Applicants must conduct research in the humanities and social sciences and work on one or more West African countries covered by IFRA-Nigeria’s scientific mandate. Projects must fall within the main research areas addressed by IFRA-Nigeria:

  Research Area 1. Beliefs, Bodies and Health
  Research Area 2. Citizenship, Gender and Mobilization
  Research Area 3. Heritage and Environmental Dynamics
  Cross-cutting Area. Digital Humanities

• Language: Have proficiency in English and/or French, depending on the country in which the research stay will take place.

Obligations of researchers 

As part of the mobility grant, the successful applicant is required to reside and conduct research for a total period of two months in the country or countries where the proposed research project is to be carried out and that fall within IFRA-Nigeria’s scientific mandate. Applicants must, however, follow the recommendations issued by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs when selecting the country and area in which their fieldwork will be conducted. The eligible countries are therefore: Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Chad.
Researchers choosing to reside and conduct their research in Nigeria are expected to participate in the scientific activities of IFRA-Nigeria, and a workspace will be made available to them at the Institute. If the research site is located outside Nigeria, researchers are expected to present their work remotely. Deliverables will be discussed with the IFRA-Nigeria management team.

Application file

Applicants must submit an application form and a research proposal (including the required supporting documents) via an online platform. The platform will remain open until 8 February 2027 at 5:00 p.m. (Paris time).

The application form and research proposal must be submitted in French or English.

Contents of the scientific dossier

The research project:

The research proposal (maximum 20,000 characters, including spaces and bibliography) must present the research topic and its research questions, as well as the theoretical and methodological framework; provide a detailed description of the activities and stages to be completed during the research stay; and include a timeline. Applicants are also requested to consult the AI Use Charter, which can be downloaded from the IFRA-Nigeria website: here.

Appendices:

• A signed cover letter explaining the scientific and logistical reasons for requesting financial support and the logistical assistance expected from IFRA-Nigeria, and identifying relevant institutional partners in West Africa who could contribute to the successful implementation of the research.
• A CV of no more than three pages, including a list of publications.

How to apply?

1. Reach the online application form http://calls.msh-paris.fr and enter the "Researcher Workspace".
2. You have to be registered on the online platform in order to use it. If you haven’t created an account yet, you will be asked to.
3. Create your profile by filling all your personal information and then enter "create a new application".
4. Select "Programme Atlas outgoing 2027", then the specific call "FMSH-IFRA: France > West Africa".
5. Fill all the information tabs.
6. In the "Documents" final tab, you will need to upload your research proposal and the appendices into one single PDF document:

• Research proposal
• Motivation letter signed
• CV of no more than three pages, including a list of publications.

You can save your application and complete it later several times if you wish, until the closure of the call for applications. Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer have the possibility to amend it. Once submitted, you will receive an automatic email confirming the submission. 

Important: Applications not submitted, incomplete application forms or applications that do not match the above description will not be taken into account.

For any technical information on the platform or in case of you meet difficulties to use it, please contact fadili@msh-paris.fr.

Evaluation process and criteria

A selection committee composed of representatives of the FMSH and IFRA-Nigeria, as well as external experts, will review and select applications based on the following criteria:

• The quality of the research proposal and the methodology developed, as well as its alignment with IFRA-Nigeria’s research areas.
• The relevance of undertaking a total two-month research stay in one or more West African countries covered by IFRA-Nigeria’s scientific mandate, in light of the research project, its feasibility, and the applicant’s academic and research background.
• The ability to identify and establish scientific contacts on site.

Preference will be given to researchers who have not previously benefited from this mobility scheme.

The results will be communicated to applicants by email.