IFAS Call for events

IFAS-Research (UMIFRE 25, MEAE/CNRS – French Institute of South Africa) promotes and supports research projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Southern Africa. The Institute is offering funding for the organization of scientific events in 2027 (conferences, colloquiums, seminars, workshops, etc.). 

Elegibility critera:

To be eligible, scientific events must: 

1/ Be organised by a pair of researchers (from PhD level), one based in a French institution, the other in an institution or research centre in one of the following countries in Southern Africa : Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2/ Take place between February and November 2027;  

3/ Take place in at least one of the countries listed above; If it is proposed that all or part of the event be held at IFAS-Research, in Johannesburg (which is no longer a selection criterion in 2027), please mention it in the submitted project. Dates will have to be determined in collaboration with the IFAS-Research team. For the 2027 call, events taking place in Congo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are not eligible.

4/ Be relevant to at least one of IFAS-Research’s three scientific areas (see list below).  

5/ Researchers can apply to only one of the calls for applications issued by IFAS in 2026 (except for the “Beyond Binaries” call). 

Modalities for granting:

Scientific event fundings aim to support the establishment or development of research partnerships between French and Southern African researchers.  

Scientific excellence is the main criterion of selection, but the potential for integration into the Southern African academic landscape and the prospects for sustainable partnerships will also be taken into consideration. Co-funding will be considered an advantage. 

The allocated funding will range from 500 to 1500 euros and will be disbursed before or upon the event. 

List of documents to enclose in the application: 

1/ The application form for funding for a project, to be completed online here.

2/ A detailed description of the research project, cosigned by both researchers holding the project, not exceeding 4 pages and containing the following: 

• Scientific interests and objectives of the scientific events,
• Format, timeline and location of the event, and potential associated events, 
• An account of the wider scientific collaboration project it contributes to, and at what point in this collaboration the event takes place (whether it initiates, develops it, etc.), 
• Prospects for publication and other follow-ups of the event, and further development of the collaboration;  

3/A short CV (maximum 2 pages) for each researcher; 

4/ For PhD candidates, a letter of recommendation from the research supervisor, addressed to IFAS-Research director, Dr Annael Le Poullennec; 

6/ The estimated budget, downloadable here. 

Applications may be written in English or in French. 

Application process: 

To complete your application, you must fill in and submit the online application form, available here, and send your application documents by email to both annael.lepoullennec@frenchinstitute.org.za and amayelle.pendeoro@frenchinstitute.org.za. 

Applications must contain two files: 

• A single .pdf file containing the above documents n°2 to 5, 
• the budget Excel sheet (.xls ou .xlsx ; document n°6). 

PhD students’ supervisors can send their letter of recommendation directly to annael.lepoullennec@frenchinstitute.org.za and amayelle.pendeoro@frenchinstitute.org.za. 

A confirmation of receipt will be sent to you once the form has been submitted correctly. Please make sure you receive this confirmation to verify that your application has been successfully registered. 

Deadline for applications: November 30, 2026, at midnight (Johannesburg time). 

Any incomplete or late application will be considered ineligible. 

Applicants will receive replies by email in January 2027. 

IFAS-Research’s scientific areas : 

1/ Archéologie et préhistoire en Afrique australe 

• Paleoanthropology, hominin evolution; 
• Archaeology and pluridisciplinary studies of the Middle Stone Age, the Late Stone Age, the Iron Age, and historical archaeology; 
• Rock art. 

2/ Memories, heritage, art history, and the history (medieval, modern, and contemporary) of societies in Southern Africa

• Political and social history; 
• Heritage, archives, art history, and contemporary issues of memory in Southern Africa; 
• History of ideas and knowledge; history of material, cultural, and linguistic circulations; 
• History of social and racial hierarchies and slavery. 

3/ Contemporary Dynamics: Social, Political, Cultural, Urban, and Economic Changes 

• Urban studies (geography, history, sociology, anthropology, etc.): governance and policy, spatial justice, right to the city, urban memory; 
• Migration studies, borders, xeno- or afrophobia; 
• Political transformations in Southern Africa, citizenship and its transformations, national construction processes; 
• Cultural policy; cultural and creative industries; art and society; 
• Identity studies; gender studies; 
• Literature and linguistics 
• Economic policies, labour; 
• Education, youth, social movements; 
• Ecology, the environment, health and society.