Research Fellowships

We recruited fourteen water sector professionals in Ethiopia, Kenya,  Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Liberia as fully funded Professional Research Fellows (PRFs) to advance and deepen knowledge around water accountability.

We provided ongoing support, guidance, and resources for the PRFs to improve their research capabilities and reflect critically on their work. Together we have created a shared knowledge base to ensure accountable water governance and improved service access.

Research fellows were supported by their employers, who acted as host organisations for the research. In Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia a National Research Coordinator and Principal Investigator provided in-country support and a National Advisory Group (NAG) comprised of water sector institutions provided ongoing feedback. This structure ensured that the research was properly embedded in the key institutions in each national context. 

Sixty[lg1]  initial applicants for the Research Fellowship received preliminary training in accountability and water to help develop their proposals. Fourteen [lg2] proposals were then selected for the Professional Research Fellow Grant.

Successful completion of the training was recognised with a certificate of excellence in accountability research from the programme.

Who are the Professional Research Fellows?

Participants in the Professional Research Fellow (PRF) programme are all currently employed in the water security or WASH sector – whether part of the government, an NGO, the private sector, a research institute or another.

The grant has enabled employers to support research within the PRFs’  scope of work, during their normal hours of employment. The support of employers was therefore essential to the programme.