Crick Africa Network

The Crick Africa Network (CAN) aims to equitably build research capacity in Africa.

There is an imbalance between the well-funded research laboratories in the Global North and the relative scarcity of resources in Africa. 

This is made more significant by the scale of health challenges facing African countries. Infectious disease outbreaks, the effects of climate change and mental health problems are rising in the countries that are least equipped to make discoveries that could help their populations.

African scientists have the potential to make a vital contribution to tackling these challenges. In 2017, we established CAN as an equitable partnership with institutions in The Gambia, Ghana, South Africa and Uganda to shift the balance in favour of African scientists working in Africa.

A key part of our programme is providing competitive fellowships to support African scientists through the transition to becoming independent researchers in Africa.

The first round of fellows were funded by the UK Research & Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Since completing their fellowships, they have developed their research in infectious diseases, and built training capacity for the next generation of African scientists.

Our next round of fellowships will open for applications in August 2023, supported by LifeArc. Translating basic research into real-world applications is a key part of our mission, and LifeArc will help our fellows to develop their research into clinicial, commercial or environmental benefits.

In the future, we will also support Technology Development Fellows – training posts for African-based scientists in the management and development of science and technology platforms, skills which are critically lacking across much of the African continent.