Afghanistan Research Initiative: Non-Resident Research Fellowships

The Afghanistan Research Initiative: Non-Resident Research Fellowships is offered through the Afghanistan Research Initiative, a program of the University of Central Asia that is jointly supported by the International Development Research Centre and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. The program is implemented by the University of Central Asia through its Graduate School of Development Afghanistan Research Initiative. Established following the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021, the initiative seeks to sustain research capacity on Afghanistan, support students and scholars, foster collaboration among researchers, and promote independent research relevant to Afghanistan's development and future. The Non-Resident Research Fellowship combines support for individual research with opportunities for knowledge exchange, policy-oriented outputs, thematic roundtables, and engagement with the wider ARI research community. Proposed research must align with one or more of ARI's thematic areas. These encompass economic development, including livelihoods, poverty, labor markets, private sector development, entrepreneurship, finance, and economic resilience; regional integration and sustainable trade, including cooperation, connectivity, trade, transportation, and economic corridors; and climate change, natural resources, and environmental sustainability, including agriculture, water, energy, mining, biodiversity, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. Additional themes include governance, public policy, and institutions; society, migration, and inclusion; and culture, history, and heritage. The latter areas encompass subjects such as public administration, service delivery, accountability, peacebuilding, education, health, gender, displacement, demographic change, social inclusion, identity, languages, cultural heritage, religion, literature, and historical research relevant to social cohesion, governance, development, or public policy in Afghanistan. The fellowship has a duration of 18 months and provides funding of up to USD 18,000. The number of awards is subject to available funding and is not specified. Applicants should request only costs necessary to undertake the proposed fellowship activities, and the detailed budget should reflect the activities and outputs presented in the research proposal and 18-month workplan. Funding will be disbursed in instalments linked to agreed milestones and satisfactory progress against fellowship deliverables. The specific payment schedule, reporting requirements, and conditions for disbursement will be established in the fellowship agreement issued to successful applicants. Fellows may also be required to provide financial information concerning the approved research budget in accordance with that agreement. No cost-sharing or matching requirement is stated in the provided material. Applicants must hold a PhD in a relevant discipline and must be affiliated with or formally associated with a recognized university or established research institution anywhere in the world. They must propose an original research project aligned with at least one ARI research theme, demonstrate the ability to complete the research during the grant period, and demonstrate sufficient English proficiency to produce research outputs and communicate with ARI. Afghan citizenship is not required, and applicants of all nationalities are eligible. However, the Principal Investigator must be based outside Afghanistan throughout the fellowship. ARI strongly encourages collaborative research involving researchers from Afghanistan, including researchers based inside Afghanistan where feasible and appropriate, as well as members of the Afghanistan diaspora. Successful fellows are expected to undertake the approved research project and produce one peer-reviewed journal article based on the approved proposal or an agreed modification. Each fellow must organize and moderate three thematic roundtables, approximately one every six months, bringing together approximately six to eight researchers, experts, and practitioners and including an ARI representative. Fellows must also prepare non-technical knowledge briefs or policy notes covering the roundtables' main themes, key insights and recommendations, and implications for research, policy, and practice. These briefs are due within two to three weeks of each roundtable. Fellows are also expected to contribute, where appropriate, to ARI research dissemination and public engagement activities, which may include Conversations with ARI, public lectures, workshops, webinars, and other knowledge-sharing activities. Three written progress reports are required at months 6, 12, and 18, with the month 18 submission serving as the final report. Applications must be submitted through the online application process and must include a completed online application form, curriculum vitae, proof of institutional affiliation, writing sample, research proposal of no more than 1,000 words, proposed 18-month implementation timeline or workplan, detailed budget using the ARI budget template, and a brief budget narrative explaining and justifying proposed costs. A letter of support is optional. Applications will be evaluated for relevance to ARI's thematic priorities, originality and significance, quality and rigor of the research methodology, feasibility of the proposed work plan, applicant qualifications and research experience, and potential academic, policy, and societal impact. These criteria indicate that applicants should closely connect their proposed methods, work plan, budget, qualifications, and intended outputs to the selected ARI themes and demonstrate both feasibility and potential impact. The application deadline is October 1, 2026. The supplied material presents an Apply option but does not state a separate application opening date, pre-application or letter-of-intent deadline, award notification date, or recurring annual or biennial schedule. The fellowship itself runs for 18 months. During that period, roundtables are expected approximately every six months, knowledge briefs are due within two to three weeks after each roundtable, and progress reports are due at months 6, 12, and 18. No named individual program contact, email address, telephone number, or direct PDF solicitation URL is provided in the supplied source.

Align the proposed research directly with one or more ARI thematic priorities; demonstrate originality and significance; present a rigorous research methodology and feasible 18-month work plan; demonstrate relevant qualifications and research experience; explain potential academic, policy, and societal impact; ensure the proposed budget reflects the research proposal and workplan and requests only costs necessary for fellowship activities.