Research Chair in African Perspectives and Theories for Education

Applications are open to eligible Kenyan public and private universities with demonstrated excellence in research, strong postgraduate programmes, institutional commitment to African perspectives and theories for education in education, sound financial management systems, and adequate research infrastructure. Applicants/universities should also demonstrate commitment from senior leadership to support the Chair.

Yes. HERI Africa encourages joint applications where universities can demonstrate complementary strengths. Joint applications should clearly define the roles, responsibilities and contributions of each partner institution.

Yes, this is permissible so long as the university is the lead institution and the research chair holder will be hosted at the university, then the non-university institution can provide a co-chair. The responsibilities for each of the institutions should be spelt out clearly and provide support letters or joint memorandum.

The Chair Holder should:

• Hold a PhD in African perspectives and theories for education or a closely related field.
• Be an Associate Professor or Professor at the point of application.
• Have strong regional and international recognition.
• Have at least 10 lead-author publications in reputable indexed journals.
• Have a minimum h-index of 15 and at least 1,000 citations.
• Have supervised at least 7 PhD graduates.
• Have secured at least three competitive research grants worth at least US$100,000.
• Demonstrate policy influence and leadership of multidisciplinary research teams.
• Have a minimum of 5 years to retirement.

The proposal should be anchored within national education priorities, including the National Education Research Agenda and relevant gender, equity, and inclusion policies, while addressing context-specific challenges and opportunities facing education systems, particularly in the application or development of African perspectives and theories that foster education.

At the regional and continental levels, the proposal should contribute to the East African education agenda and the African Union's Agenda 2063 by advancing research that supports inclusive, resilient, and transformative education systems in Africa.

Applicants should propose a research programme spanning 5 to 10 years, demonstrating long-term research vision, sustainability and impact beyond the initial funding period of 2 years from HERI Africa.

The host university is expected to provide:

• Office and meeting space
• ICT infrastructure
• Administrative and finance support
• Research officers
• Reduced and secured teaching load for the Research Chair Holder
• Postgraduate positions that have preferably completed course work
• Postdoctoral opportunities
• Institutional co-investment through staff time, infrastructure, scholarships and operational support.

Over the minimum five-year period, the Chair is expected to produce:

• More than 50 peer-reviewed publications (10 per year)
• Books and edited volumes (1 in the first 2 years)
• Policy briefs (1 per year)
• Eight PhD graduates (2 per year)
• 12 Master's graduates (3 per year)
• Three postdoctoral fellows (1 per year)
• Annual conferences (attend and present high papers — 2 per year)
• Training programmes operationalised (3 per year)
• Government advisory reports (1 per year)
• Community engagement and knowledge dissemination activities.

Key expected outcomes/impacts of the Research Chair on African Perspectives and Theories for Education should at the minimum be:

• Generation of African-centred knowledge and theories through high-quality research that advances African philosophies, epistemologies, indigenous knowledge systems, and context-responsive theories to inform education policy and practice.
• Influence on education policy, curriculum, and appropriate and suitable pedagogical approaches by producing evidence-based recommendations and frameworks that strengthen the integration of African perspectives into education systems, teacher education, and curriculum development.
• Strengthening research capacity and scholarly leadership by mentoring postgraduate students and early-career researchers, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and establishing networks of excellence in African education research with Kenya being the proof of concept.
• Enhancing the relevance and transformation of education systems through innovative, contextually grounded solutions that promote culturally and socially responsive, inclusive, and equitable education, while contributing to Africa's social, economic, and sustainable development aspirations.

Applications will be assessed using the following weighted criteria:

• Research excellence (25%)
• Strategic research programme (20%)
• Institutional capacity (15%)
• Human capital development (15%)
• Partnerships (10%)
• Transformation and inclusion (10%)
• Sustainability (5%)

Minimum score is 75%.

Applicants should submit a comprehensive proposal including:

• Executive Summary
• Institutional Profile
• CVs of the Chair Holder and Associate Chair Holder and Co-Chair
• Comprehensive Research Programme
• Human Capital Development Strategy/Plan
• Institutional Transformation Strategy
• Partnership Plan
• Theory of Change
• Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
• Sustainability Plan
• Budget
• Letters of Institutional Commitment
• Risk Management Plan.

The budget should broadly allocate:

• At least 70% to research activities,
• At most 15% to direct operational costs, and
• At most 15% to indirect institutional costs.

Eligible expenditures include personnel, postgraduate scholarships, postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, fieldwork/research work, equipment, conferences, international collaboration, dissemination, institutional capacity strengthening, and monitoring and evaluation.

The grant shall not be used to purchase vehicle, alcoholic beverages, any prohibited drugs, promotion of any variant of political ideas.

The selection process involves:

• Eligibility screening
• Independent peer review
• Institutional capacity assessment
• Interviews or presentations (where necessary)
• Steering Committee approval
• Funding negotiations
• Signing of the Host Agreement
• Public launch of the Chair.

HERI Africa Research Chairs are expected to:

• Serve as centres of excellence.
• Generate evidence that directly informs policy.
• Apply intersectional approaches.
• Build sustainable, impactful and inclusion research ecosystems within and outside of.
• Strengthen African scholarship and scholarly work.
• Foster regional, continental and international collaborations.
• Responsibly utilize digital technologies and AI to foster gender and inclusion in education.
• Develop diversified long-term home grown funding strategies.

Performance will be monitored using measurable indicators such as mostly at outcome and impact levels:

• Publications that are cited (citation)
• PhD and Master's graduations with innovative objectives
• Postdoctoral development
• External research funding
• Policy influence
• Innovation outputs
• Active partnerships
• Community/societal impact
• Gender transformation outcomes within the education ecosystem.

HERI Africa expects applicants to provide proof of three tier layer of research capability:

• Research Chair Holder and Associate Research Chair Holder (Leadership)
• Pool of senior level researchers (should be senior lecturers or equivalent and above) to provide supervision, mentorship, and coaching to the middle level or early career researchers (should be senior lecturer or equivalent and above)
• Pool of early career researchers (lectures, postdoctoral fellow or equivalent)
• Pool of postgraduate (PhD and masters) students.

Yes. The funding model provides support for:

• PhD scholarships
• Master's scholarships
• Postdoctoral fellows
• Research fellows
• Research assistants.

The Chair is expected to build the next generation of African scholars through structured capacity development.

• Applications should be submitted by the lead university in case of a joint proposal by 10 October 2026 at 6:00 p.m. (EAT) through the designated application portal.
• HERI Africa will organise 2 applicant webinars, and additional enquiries may be directed to the Programme Director via the contact details provided in the call document.
• HERI Africa will update this catalogue of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) as additional questions or requests for clarification are received from prospective applicants during the call period.