UJALA African Scholars Program 2025: Apply Now to Lead Agricultural Impact Evaluations in Africa
- Omran Aburayya
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
If you are an African researcher holding a PhD in Economics, Agricultural Economics, or a related empirical field, this is your chance: the UJALA African Scholars Program 2025 is now open for applications. Designed to build research capacity and support high-quality impact evaluations in agriculture, the program offers training, mentorship, funding, and hands-on experience. Whether you are based in Africa or abroad (but with strong ties to Africa), this initiative could be the next step in elevating your policy-relevant research.
📚 Program Summary
Location: University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Rabat, Morocco (launch event in-person; program components may include remote work depending on eligibility)
Host Institution: UM6P - J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture (UJALA)
Program Level: Post-PhD / Early or mid-career researchers (PhD required) in empirical fields; this is not a degree-granting scholarship but a fellowship/research funding & capacity building program in impact evaluation.
Target Group: African scholars (resident or non-resident) whose work aligns with development economics, especially agricultural development, impact evaluation, randomized controlled trials. Residency and affiliation requirements apply.
Fields of Focus: Agriculture / Agricultural Economics; impact evaluation; randomized controlled trials; development economics; quantitative empirical work.
Funding: Pilot grants of up to USD 75,000 (pre-tax) for early-stage randomized controlled trial pilots (field costs, researcher time, research design etc.).
Duration: Depends on project: pilot phase. There’s training first, then proposal development, then implementation. No fixed duration given for entire program but pilot/grant period to support early stage RCTs.
Application Deadline: October 1, 2025
Program Start: Program officially launches 17 September 2025 at the UM6P Rabat campus.
🧭 Program Overview
UJALA (UM6P-J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture) addresses a gap: many African scholars interested in conducting rigorous experiments (RCTs, impact evaluations) in agricultural policy don’t have access to sufficient support, funding, or mentorship. To tackle this, UJALA offers a structured program combining:
Training and Education: Scholars may be asked to take one or two courses from the Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) MicroMasters if needed or to refresh skills. UJALA covers the fees. Workshops are required: hands-on sessions to develop pilot proposals, complete draft proposals and budgets, simulate reviews, and get feedback.
Mentorship: After completing training and submitting a satisfactory Letter of Interest (LOI), scholars will be paired with mentors (J-PAL affiliated or invited researchers) who guide research design, fieldwork, analysis, and policy implications. Regular check-ins are built in.
Impact Evaluation Tracks: There are three main pathways:
Scholars design and propose their own pilot aligned with UJALA’s agenda.
Scholars may team up with another in the cohort to jointly develop a proposal.
Scholars can join an ongoing RCT project led by an experienced principal investigator for hands-on placement / learning.
Research Funding: Eligible scholars can apply for pilot grants (up to USD 75,000 pre-tax) to support early-stage randomized evaluation work. To get to funding stage, training / workshops + LOI + full proposal evaluation are required. If you have already done a pilot under another J-PAL program, there may be pathways to apply directly to pilot funding under UJALA without repeating all training.
Professional Development, Networking & Visibility: Besides technical training, the program builds capacity in proposal writing, budget planning, responding to peer review, disseminating results, etc. Scholars get access to UJALA / J-PAL networks, mentors, partners, and opportunities to present work, get featured in partner events, and open doors to further funding.
🎁 Benefits
Full or partial fee coverage for courses (especially MicroMasters courses if required) so financial barrier for refresher or additional training is reduced.
Up to USD 75,000 in grant funding to cover research field costs, design, researcher time etc. for pilot evaluation studies.
Strong mentorship support by experienced researchers, helping to refine proposals, plan fieldwork, analyze data, and ensure policy relevance.
Hands-on learning via workshops, simulation of proposal review, mock funding decisions etc., which primes scholars for real competitive research funding.
Access to research networks (cohorts, J-PAL affiliates, partner institutions) for collaboration, exposure, potential for scaling research, and career visibility.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible you must meet all of the following:
Academic Qualification: PhD in Economics, Agricultural Economics, or related empirical discipline.
Quantitative Skills: Advanced levels in econometrics, statistics, data analysis; proficiency in Stata or R.
Language Skills: Advanced / fluent English.
Professional Affiliation & Residency:
Resident scholars: based at an academic institution in Africa.
Non-resident scholars: must have completed high school in Africa and currently be affiliated with an academic institution abroad.
Research Focus: Interest in development economics, impact evaluation / randomized controlled trials, and agriculture in particular.
Commitment: Availability to complete all program components (training, workshops, proposal development, mentorship, throughout duration of pilot etc.).
Prior Engagement (preferred, not required): Affiliation with UM6P, or collaboration with OCP or its partners or similar networks may give priority.
Not a Current J-PAL affiliate / invited researcher: Applicants must not be current J-PAL affiliates or invited researchers. Prior collaboration with J-PAL is okay only if the earlier condition (current affiliate) does not apply.
📝 Application Procedure
Complete the official application form
Deadline for applications is October 1, 2025.
Scholars are encouraged to sign up with the African Scholars Registry for related announcements and funding opportunities.
Submit a Letter of Interest (LOI). If successful, you’ll be invited to submit a full proposal via a Request for Proposals (RFP) phase.
📂 Documents likely required
Curriculum Vitae (CV) showing academic credentials and research experience.
Statement of Research Interests / Research Proposal idea or LOI.
Details on quantitative skills, software skills (Stata/R), statistical / econometric background.
Affiliation letter or proof of institution.
Evidence of academic credentials (PhD certificate or proof if pending).
Possibly proposals budgets or plans for use of funds, timeline.
🔍 Selection Process:
Training / workshop first, then LOI review.
If LOI passes, full proposal is requested; competitive review with mentors etc.
ℹ️ Extra Information
The launch event is in person, on 17 September 2025, at UM6P Rabat; useful for networking and learning more about what to expect.
The program is aligned with UJALA’s broader agenda: improving food security, small-scale farmers’ productivity and profitability through evaluating agricultural technologies and practices; working with private sector partners, policy actors.
Applicants should check the FAQ document on the UJALA website for the detailed funding breakdown, e.g. what percentage of researcher’s time is supported, what field costs are covered, etc.
