Opportunity Type: Fellowship

Organization: Sub-Saharan Africa Health Research and Innovation (SAHRI)
Location: Europe & Africa
Application deadline: 1st February 2026

Overview

The Sub-Saharan Africa Health Research and Innovation Fellowship (SAHRI Fellowship) is a three-year programme designed to strengthen health research capacity and foster biomedical innovation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The fellowship is coordinated by ITM in collaboration with African and European partners, including the Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR), the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN) in Burkina Faso, KU Leuven, and BioNTech.

The SAHRI Fellowship aims to create a new generation of leaders in health research and entrepreneurship, driving sustainable change against prevalent infectious diseases in Africa.

Fellowship structure

The Fellowship follows a structured three-year trajectory:

1. Academic phase:

• Master of Science in Tropical Medicine (60 ECTS) at ITM, Antwerp
• Systems Thinking in Biotech Development course (3 ECTS) at KU Leuven
• Industry internship and research placements:

• Six-month industry internship at BioNTech in Germany
• Hands-on research projects at leading African centres (EACCR, CRUN)
• Return-home phase:

• Twelve months of research implementation in the fellow’s home institution or region
• Continued mentorship and opportunities to transition into a PhD programme

Throughout the fellowship, participants are supported by a mentorship framework linking them with experts from academia, African research institutions, and industry.

Learning objectives

By the end of the Master in Tropical Medicine, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate at an advanced level specific knowledge and insight in the field of tropical medicine
• Critically analyze the epidemiological, biomedical and clinical features of tropical diseases
• Identify and critically discuss the determinants of health related to tropical diseases
• Contextualize clinical and biomedical expertise in tropical medicine, taking into account the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of low resource settings
• Analyze and interpret the accuracy and pitfalls of laboratory tests for tropical diseases
• Use appropriate research tools and skills for clinical and/or biomedical research on tropical diseases
• Develop and implement properly the consecutive steps of a scientific research project
• Contribute responsibly in a professional and multidisciplinary international team.

Who Can Apply

The SAHRI Fellowship Program is designed for mid-career African researchers. To be eligible, you must:

• Be a citizen of a sub-Saharan African country with plans to return and contribute to your home region
• Hold the necessary qualifications for admission to the Master of Science in Tropical Medicine at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp
• Match one of the 6 specialized internship profiles offered by BioNTech

The program will recruit 12 fellows in total, distributed across two consecutive cohorts, ensuring an open, fair, transparent, and gender-balanced selection process. Read below the detailed eligibility criteria.

Selection Criteria

The SAHRI Fellowship employs a rigorous, fair, and transparent selection process designed to ensure merit-based evaluation of all applicants.

SAHRI applicants will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Academic qualifications: Master’s degree (EU equivalent) in a biomedical or clinical discipline.
• Research experience: prior involvement in biomedical or clinical research, preferably on infectious diseases relevant to Africa.
• Professional profile: clear alignment with one of the two target groups (clinical/biomedical professionals or clinical/biomedical scientists).
• Institutional support: an Institutional endorsement letter from the home institution confirming support during the fellowship and the return home phase.
• Motivation: strong interest in health research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, with a demonstrated commitment to apply skills in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Potential for leadership: ability to contribute to capacity building and sustainable change in health research and innovation.
• Language skills: fluency in English (written and spoken); knowledge of French is considered an asset.
• Diversity: gender balance and regional representation will be taken into account, with women and candidates from underrepresented regions strongly encouraged to apply.
• Appropiate match with one of the internship positions offered by BioNTech

Benefits

• Complete scholarship support covers all costs including tuition, accommodation, mobility, and research expenses throughout the 3-year fellowship.
• Fellows will gain access to a robust global network spanning 8 countries across Africa and Europe
• The program includes a training internship at BioNTech, providing real-world R&D experience in pharmaceutical innovation and valuable industry networking opportunities. 
• Continuous mentorship from African & European experts

Important dates for the upcoming fellowship cycle

1 October 2025: Applications are open. Specific industry internship tracks to be announced.

1 February 2026: Application 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.

How to apply

To apply for this opportunity, fill out the online application form

https://www.itg.be/en/study/courses/master-of-science-in-tropical-medicine-sahri-fellowship?tab=about-the-course

For more information about the fellowship and eligibility

Please visit the SAHRI official webpage at:

https://sahrifellowship.net/eligibility https://afroscientric.com/2025/12/19/sahri-fellowship-program/