PERKA-2 Project Meeting: Postdoctoral Support and Regional Collaboration in Africa

The Peer-Learning for Emerging Researchers’ Knowledge and Advancement (PERKA-2) project meeting took place from 04-05 February 2025 at the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Pretoria, South Africa. The two-day event was a critical milestone in the ongoing efforts to strengthen postdoctoral support for early career researchers across Africa.

The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including postdoctoral Fellows, research institutions, and funding agencies, to share insights and discuss strategies for improving post-PhD training models. The event built on the successful outcomes of PERKA Phase I, a project supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which documented and analysed postdoctoral support programs across Africa. PERKA-2’s primary goal is to deepen regional collaboration and engage African institutions and funders in taking ownership of postdoctoral support. The meeting focused on the consolidation of lessons learned from Phase I, as well as discussions on new strategies to enhance sustainability and long-term support for early career researchers.

With a strong emphasis on collaborative learning, the event helped shape the next steps for strengthening Africa’s research ecosystem. By fostering strategic engagement among institutions and stakeholders, the convening created actionable frameworks for developing and investing in the continent’s research talent.

Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Group Executive: Business Advancement at the NRF, said “The ability to harness the power of a highly skilled science and innovation workforce is critical if we are to drive sustainable development intentionally – and ensure that our continent remains competitive in the global research and innovation landscape.”

Professor Frans Swanepoel, PERKA Principal Investigator (PI), University of Pretoria, added “This kick off convening is strategic and key to align PERKA 1 outcomes to PERKA 2 moving forward and that the key outcomes include a comparative literature review on global post-PhD support programs with a focus on Africa, guidelines for designing impactful programs, and a post-PhD survey report.”

Meeting participants engaged in meaningful discussions about improving the research environment for emerging scholars in Africa, ultimately contributing to the long-term growth of the African research community.

“The first alignment convening of the PERKA II project ended on a truly high note. Day 2 kicked off with an inspirational keynote by NRF Lifetime Achievement honouree, Professor Teboho Moja, who spoke about Higher Education and Development in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Forward. Professor Moja highlighted increased local investments in research funding, stronger university-industry partnerships, expanded mentorship and collaborations, and policy reforms for researcher career pathways as key actions that are necessary to scale the impact of research on Africa’s economic development.

Workshop delegates expressed their appreciation for the high level of alignment that was achieved during the workshop, the co-creation activities that produced a PERKA II Impact Framework, and the sharing of knowledge and networking that highlighted new opportunities for institutional collaborations.

The next four months of the PERKA II project will focus on the finalisation and implementation of the PERKA II Impact Framework on the BANGA and CARTA programmes to produce case studies on enhancing impact orientation and implementation of early career researcher development initiatives.