IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027 | How to Apply
IFRA-Nigeria has opened its call for the 2027 Research Grants, offering funding for fieldwork and archival research to second-year Master’s students, doctoral and postdoctoral students, and researchers working in the humanities and social sciences across nine West African countries. It’s a modest grant of up to €1,000 per project, and it is open to a wide range of researchers, has no nationality restriction, and accepts applications in either French or English.
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If you’re already working on a humanities or social sciences research project focused on this region, read the eligibility and document requirements closely, since IFRA-Nigeria is explicit about what automatically disqualifies an application.
About the IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants
IFRA-Nigeria has a regional mandate covering nine West African countries: Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad, and Togo and funds research on these countries specifically within the humanities and social sciences. Disciplines outside this field are explicitly not eligible.
For the 2027 cycle, IFRA-Nigeria is financing around a dozen individual or collective research projects involving fieldwork missions and/or stays in archives, running from January to October 2027. Grants are capped at €1,000, with the exact amount depending on the nature and budget of the specific project.
Every project must fall within IFRA-Nigeria’s geographical mandate and align with at least one of its four research axes:
- Axis 1: Beliefs, bodies and health
- Axis 2: Citizenship, gender and mobilisation
- Axis 3: Heritage dynamics and environment
- Transversal axis: Digital Humanities
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All projects must also include a valorisation component: publications, oral communications, or similar outputs connected to IFRA-Nigeria’s own editorial and research activities. Sustainable partnerships with institutions or researchers in the host country are strongly encouraged, though not stated as mandatory.
IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | IFRA-Nigeria research grants |
| Host Country ⇒ | Nigeria |
| Study Level ⇒ | PhD, Fellowship |
| Benefits ⇒ | Up to €1,000 per project |
| Funded By ⇒ | IFRA-Nigeria (French Institute for Research in Africa), Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | All nationalities — no nationality requirement |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | October 30, 2026, 23:59 West African Time |
Eligibility Requirements
- Second-year Master’s students, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, or established researchers.
- Working specifically in the humanities and social sciences — other disciplines are not eligible.
- Research project must focus on one of the nine countries under IFRA-Nigeria’s mandate (Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad, Togo).
- No nationality restrictions apply.
- For an individual project, the research must be undertaken personally by the applicant — not delegated to anyone else.
- For a collaborative project, every person involved and their specific role must be clearly identified and explained.
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Scientific Integrity and AI Disclosure
This is worth calling out on its own, since it’s an unusually strict condition: your research proposal cannot be written by anyone other than you, and it cannot use AI tools without properly disclosing and justifying that usage. Applicants are required to read IFRA-Nigeria’s official position on AI use (available on the “calls & grants” page of their website) before applying. Any violation of these rules leads to automatic disqualification, and could exclude you from future collaboration with IFRA-Nigeria entirely.
IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants Required Documents
All documents must be combined into a single PDF and uploaded via the official Google form. Incomplete applications are automatically rejected. You’ll need:
- A cover letter — 1 page maximum, Arial 12, automatic margins and paragraph spacing.
- A CV — 3 pages maximum.
- A budget — stating the total cost of the project, with a detailed explanation of how IFRA-Nigeria’s funds would be used, and disclosure of any other funding requested or received. Use IFRA-Nigeria’s official budget template.
- A detailed research project description — up to 4 pages, excluding bibliography and budget. This must include the scientific project itself, a detailed work plan (dates, itinerary, objectives), a list of institutional partnerships, valorisation perspectives, and a bibliography. Use IFRA-Nigeria’s official proposal template.
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Step-by-Step Guide to Apply for the IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants
- Confirm your project fits within IFRA-Nigeria’s geographic mandate and at least one of its four research axes.
- Prepare your cover letter, CV, budget, and detailed project description using the official templates.
- Combine all documents into a single PDF file.
- Submit your application through the official Google form.
- Submit before the deadline — incomplete applications are automatically rejected, so double-check every document is included.
For questions, contact:
Payment Structure
Responses are sent to all applicants by email no later than December 2026. If successful, only half of the grant is paid at the start of the project in January 2027 — the second half is only released after you submit a final report, and all final reports are due before 15 November 2027.
Application Deadline
Applications are due October 30, 2026, at 23:59 West African Time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this grant open to Nigerians only?
No. There’s no nationality requirement — what matters is that your research focuses on one of the nine countries under IFRA-Nigeria’s mandate, regardless of your own nationality.
Can I apply if my research is in economics, medicine, or a science field?
No. IFRA-Nigeria funds humanities and social sciences research only; other disciplines are explicitly not eligible.
Can I use AI tools to help write my research proposal?
Only with proper disclosure and justification, following IFRA-Nigeria’s published position on AI use. Using AI tools without disclosing it leads to automatic disqualification.
How much funding can I receive?
Up to €1,000 per project, with the exact amount depending on your project’s nature and budget.
When is the grant paid out?
Half is paid at the start of the project in January 2027, and the remaining half only after you submit your final report, which is due by 15 November 2027.
Disclaimer: All grant details, deadlines, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of September 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official IFRA-Nigeria website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with IFRA-Nigeria or the University of Ibadan.
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