IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027

About this opportunity

IFRA-Nigeria, the French Institute for Research in Africa based at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, is funding around a dozen humanities and social-science research projects that will run between January and October 2027. The money is meant for fieldwork trips and archive visits, and each grant is worth at most €1,000, depending on the project's nature and budget.

Projects can be individual or collaborative, but they must focus on one of the nine West African countries in IFRA-Nigeria's mandate (Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad and Togo) and fit at least one of the institute's research axes: beliefs, bodies and health; citizenship, gender and mobilisation; heritage dynamics and environment; or the cross-cutting axis of digital humanities.

There is no nationality requirement, and applications can be written in English or French. Projects outside the humanities and social sciences are not eligible. Every proposal must include a plan to share the results — for example publications or talks — linked to IFRA-Nigeria's own editorial and research activities, and the institute strongly encourages partnerships with researchers or institutions in the country where the research takes place.

Purpose & benefits

• Up to €1,000 towards fieldwork and/or archive research carried out between January and October 2027.
• The amount awarded depends on the nature and budget of each project.

Eligibility

Open to second-year Master's students, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and established researchers in the humanities and social sciences.

• No nationality requirement.
• The research must be on one or more of IFRA-Nigeria's nine countries: Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad and Togo.
• It must fit at least one IFRA-Nigeria research axis.
• Applications are accepted in English or French.

• Nationality: open to all nationalities.
• Country of residence: any country.
• Where it takes place: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo.
• Field of study or work: Humanities and social sciences

Required qualifications

Second-year Master’s student, doctoral or postdoctoral student, or researcher in the humanities or social sciences.

Who should consider applying

Postgraduate students and researchers in history, anthropology, sociology, political science, heritage studies, religious studies, gender studies, digital humanities and related fields who need a modest budget for fieldwork or archive work in West Africa during 2027.

Important restrictions

• Disciplines outside the humanities and social sciences are not eligible.
• For individual projects, the applicant must carry out the research personally.
• For collaborative projects, everyone involved and their role must be named.
• The proposal must be written by the applicant. Any use of AI tools must be disclosed and justified; breaking IFRA-Nigeria's AI rules leads to automatic disqualification.

How to apply

1. Download the call and the budget and proposal templates from the official page.
2. Prepare the four documents listed below and combine them into one PDF file.
3. Upload the PDF through IFRA-Nigeria's official Google Form before 30 October 2026, 23:59 West Africa Time.

Incomplete applications are rejected automatically.

Documents you'll need

• Cover letter (1 page maximum, Arial 12)
• CV (3 pages maximum)
• Budget using IFRA-Nigeria’s template, including other funding requested or received
• Project description of up to 4 pages using IFRA-Nigeria’s template (work plan, partnerships, dissemination plan, bibliography)

How applicants are selected

IFRA-Nigeria will email every applicant with a decision by December 2026 at the latest.

Preparing a strong application

• Read IFRA-Nigeria's website and research axes first, and say clearly which axis your project fits.
• Give a realistic, itemised budget that shows how the IFRA-Nigeria money will be used and lists any other funding you have requested or received.
• Make the work plan concrete: dates, places, archives and objectives.
• Include a clear plan for sharing your findings (articles, seminars, conference papers).
• Keep within the limits: 1-page cover letter (Arial 12), 3-page CV and a project description of no more than 4 pages excluding bibliography and budget.