Eligibility Requirements
Ensuring selection of the most promising candidates
The SAHRI Fellowship seeks promising mid-career researchers from sub-Saharan Africa with strong potential to become future leaders in clinical research and biomedical innovation to tackle infectious diseases
Who Can Apply?
Nationality & residency
National of a sub-Saharan African country with commitment to return to home country/region after fellowship and valid passport for international travel.
Educational qualifications
Admission requires a university degree, equivalent to a Master’s in the EU. Eligible fields include Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical Microbiology, and other health-related domains with strong academic record and certified English proficiency.
Professional status
Desirable: Current or recent employment in academic or research institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Candidates with institutional support and commitment for leave of absence will be given preference.
Research background
Demonstrated interest in infectious diseases research aligned with EDCTP Strategic Research Agenda priorities with previous research experience or publications preferred.
Career stage
Mid-career professionals with leadership potential, typically 3-10 years post-graduation experience with strong motivation for career development in research.
Professional goals
Clear vision for using fellowship to advance health research in Africa, commitment to building research capacity in home institution/country, and interest in biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship.
BioNTech Internship Profiles
As the industry partner supporting the SAHRI Fellowship, BioNTech offers hands-on R&D training under expert mentorship.
Please review the profiles and eligibility criteria below carefully. Your motivation letter must clearly state your desired track and demonstrate how your qualifications meet its specific requirements. English proficiency is required for all tracks.
A. Clinical Operations
Fellows will gain experience in planning and executing clinical trials from start-up to close-out, focusing on efficiency, quality, and compliance. They will develop skills in accelerating trial delivery while leveraging advanced methodologies and innovative technologies to ensure alignment with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards.
Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field (biology, chemistry, natural/life sciences) or medical background.
Desirable qualifications: Minimum 3 years of experience in clinical trial execution at a trial site or sponsoring organization (industry, academic, government, or non-government).
B. Global R&D Program Management
Fellows will gain experience supporting R&D program management by overseeing planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting. They will develop skills in managing project timelines and budgets while collaborating with cross-functional teams to advance research assets through preclinical, translational, and clinical development phases. Fellows will learn to drive programs toward milestones and deliver on scope, budget, time, and quality objectives.
Educational background: Advanced degree in natural/life sciences, medicine, or a comparable field.
Desirable qualifications: Working knowledge of pharmaceutical discovery processes and therapeutic knowledge in infectious diseases.
C. Early Clinical Development
Fellows will gain experience developing and implementing biomarker and translational strategies to support clinical development plans, including defining immunogenicity endpoints and biomarker analyses. They will learn to integrate host, biomarker, and efficacy data to translate findings into program-specific strategies for preclinical reverse translation and advancing clinical development. Fellows will work with biostatistics, biomarker operations, and vendor strategy teams to ensure assay quality for clinical sample analysis. Additionally, they will gain expertise in defining and overseeing correlates of protection (CoP) analyses to inform trial design and outcomes.
Educational background: Advanced degree in Immunology, Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine, Virology, or a related scientific field.
Desirable qualifications: Previous experience with clinical samples and/or clinical biomarker assay development.
D. Clinical Development
Fellows will gain experience providing expert input on clinical trial design, product profiles, development plans, study protocols, and ethics committee interactions. They will develop skills in designing clinical trial strategies across Phases I–IV, ensuring alignment with ICH-GCP, FDA, EMA, and WHO guidelines. Additionally, fellows will gain hands-on experience in safety and immunogenicity monitoring, establishing data safety boards, tracking adverse events, and ensuring site-level compliance.
Educational background: Medical Degree (MD) or equivalent.
Desirable qualifications: Minimum 2-3 years of clinical experience in Infectious Diseases (e.g., malaria, tuberculosis, HIV) and/or emerging infections affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in a hospital, academic, or clinical trial setting.
E. Technical Quality Assurance
Fellows will gain experience in technical Quality Assurance (QA) for GMP manufacturing and Quality Control (QC). They will learn about regulations, compliance, Quality Management Systems (QMS), and oversight of all GMP activities related to manufacturing and testing. This includes GMP oversight for facilities, personnel, materials, equipment, methods, technology transfer, process/method validation, investigations, change controls, and vendor management. Fellows will also contribute to quality oversight through maintaining risk registers and documentation coordination.
Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in Sciences (Pharmacy, Biotechnology, Engineering).
Desirable qualifications: Previous experience in GxP industry or regulatory body related to GMP or GDP, with understanding of general GMP/GDP concepts.
F. Product Supply Chain Management
Fellows will gain experience supporting end-to-end supply chain operations by managing demand, supply, and material utilization while ensuring compliance with GMP, GDP, ethical requirements, and good documentation practices. They will learn to align material availability with manufacturing schedules, oversee supplier performance, and coordinate warehouse, transportation, and customs activities. Additionally, fellows will contribute to continuous improvement by analyzing supply chain processes, identifying inefficiencies, and supporting implementation of new systems and tools.
Educational background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in health sciences or economics.
Desirable qualifications: Previous experience in supply chain planning, material management, logistics, supply chain management, or APICS certification.
SELECTION
Selection Process
The SAHRI Fellowship employs a rigorous, fair, and transparent selection process designed to ensure merit-based evaluation of all applicants.
The process begins with complete online application submission, including all required documents such as motivation letter, CV, academic transcripts, and institutional support letter.
Applications undergo initial screening for completeness and basic eligibility criteria, followed by administrative compliance verification.
Academic evaluation forms the core of our selection process, where the academic selection committee assesses candidates based on their educational and professional background, motivation, research potential, proposed study plan, and feasibility of their research proposal.
Shortlisted candidates participate in structured online interviews with selection committee members to further assess their motivation and research potential. The selection committee then makes final decisions, considering factors including diversity, gender balance, geographic representation, and overall program fit to ensure a well-rounded cohort of fellows.
Application Timeline
Important dates for the upcoming fellowship cycle
1 October 2025
Applications are open. Specific industry internship tracks to be announced.
1 February 2026
Applications deadline
April 2026
Results announced
31 August 2026
Start of the Fellowship
Disclaimer: The eligibility requirements and dates provided on this webpage are official at the time of publication. Consortium partners will provide updates and clarifications on a continuous basis throughout the application process. Final requirements and the number of available positions per track may be adjusted based on partner capacity and program needs. Please check this page regularly for the latest information.
