Call for proposals: Establishing research chairs on forced displacement in North and West Africa

IDRC will support the establishment of up to four university research chairs, for up to five years: two in North Africa, and two in West Africa. For a list of eligible countries, please see the Frequently asked questions document. 

The aim of the research chair positions will be to empower institutions in these regions to define research agendas on forced displacement. They will also lead on identifying practical, gender-transformative solutions that promote the social, economic, political, and health rights of forcibly displaced persons and host communities.  

These research chairs will: 

• commit to excellence in research and teaching on forced displacement and mentor early-career scholars in this field; 

• be demand driven and responsive and reflect specific thematic and sectoral, as well as sub-national, national, and regional priorities and capacities; 

• complement IDRC strategic priorities; 

• ensure an interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and gender-transformative approach to studying forced displacement; 

• ensure a strong linkage with community research, policy influence and programming initiatives, including with refugee-led responses; 

• ensure that the research conducted has a strong connection to policy processes — from the local to national, regional and global; and 

• collaborate with research chairs in other regions, including those supported by IDRC in the Middle East, East Africa, Central and South America and South and Southeast Asia to reinforce the collective impact of localized knowledge production on forced displacement.