Appel à projets / Call for Applications (IFAS)

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. Every year, IFAS-Research funds a variety of research projects, either individual or collective (fieldwork, surveys, archival and documentary research, events, etc.).

Elegibility critera: 

To be eligible, scientific projects must: 

1/ Be conducted within at least one of the following countries. For 2027, projects based in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and/or Zimbabwe. Projects taking place in Congo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are not eligible under this call ;

The project must take place between February and November 2027

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

3/ Be led by one or several Master’s students, PhD candidates and/or post-doctoral or senior researchers. 

3/ Candidates must apply to only one of the three calls for applications opened by IFAS in 2026 (except “Beyond Binaries) 

No nationality requirement applies, and candidates can be affiliated to an institution from any country. 

Modalities for granting:

Scientific excellence is the main criterion of selection, but priority will be given to projects that meet the following criteria: 

• Research in progress, rather than dissemination; 
• The existence (or the prospect) of a sustainable partnership with one or more local teams, particularly for collective projects; 

Funds allocated by IFAS-Research will range from 500 to 1,500 €, depending on the project’s nature. Grants are paid at the beginning of the projects (eg. during the first days of fieldwork), upon submission of proof that the research project has started (eg. picture of the boarding pass). 

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, not exceeding 4 pages and containing the following:  

• A scientific project: context, research questions, objectives, methodology;  
• A research programme: dates, itinerary, objectives, etc.; 
• Planned partnerships, in the short and long term; 
• Perspectives of dissemination: publications, oral communications, etc.;  

3/ A short CV (maximum 2 pages);  

4/ A cover letter; 

5/ For Master’s students or 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). 

Supervisors of Masters’ students or PhD candidates 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.