Professor Michael Collyer
IWWAF21\100042
Capacity building for Syrian academics at Sham University
University of Sussex
£24,711.60
These workshops target the writing and professional development of academics from Sham University in the non-regime northwest of Syria. This is part of the successful Syria Programme run by the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara). Cara has worked in the area for almost a decade, first with exiled academics and now with fledging university sector that has emerged in NW Syria since 2015, including Sham University. The workshops will focus on a 'training of trainers' model, building on previous training and to develop a sustainable model that will allow training to reach the wider faculty of Sham University, beyond those with permission to cross the border and attend the workshops in person. Workshops will be held in May and November 2025 in Gaziantep, in Turkey, and close to the Syrian border. They will be supported by five additional online workshops.
Workshop Team: Professor Michael Collyer, University of Sussex; Dr Hanadi Abdullah, Sham University, Gaziantep University; Dr Juliet Elgar Millican
Professor Julia O’Connell Davidson
IWWAF21\100034
Writing for Change: Slavery, Violence and Exploitation
University of Bristol
£29,980.00
The team's original writing workshop in Ghana sought to enhance both Ghanaian and Brazilian ECRs’ writing skills and career development by promoting South-South as well as North-South exchange. At a time when Africa and Latin America are emerging as new centres of gravity in global knowledge production, this element of the initial project was one of its most innovative and important features. The project extends and deepens the exchange through a program of online and in person mentorship meetings, including a 3-day writing workshop in Brazil, through which senior scholars from the UK, Brazil, and Ghana will support alumni as they develop book proposals, international journal articles, research funding applications, and acquire skills necessary to write for impact. Alumni will receive tailored career development advice, and be encouraged to amplify project impact through blogs and short films sharing their learning with ECR peers in Ghana and Brazil.
Workshop Team: Professor Julia O’Connell Davidson, University of Bristol; Dr Simone Hüning, Federal University of Alagoas; Dr Angelo Martins Junior, University of Birmingham; Dr Samuel Okyere, University of Bristol
Professor Jef Husymans
IWWAF21\100027
International Political Sociology: Transversal Writing and Publishing II
Queen Mary University of London
£29,921.80
The project includes three writing workshops in Rio de Janeiro and three online peer-support meetings. Organised by Queen Mary University of London and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, two institutions collaborating in International Relations since 2015, these workshops are integrated into the International Political Sociology Winter School held annually by the PUC-Rio International Relations Institute. They focus on developing writing skills and increasing publication rates in international scientific journals for junior scholars from Latin America while fostering collaborations within academic networks across Brazil, the UK, and Europe. Participants will benefit from mentoring sessions, seminars, working sessions, and tutorials covering academic writing, grant applications, publishing strategies, collaborative writing, and networking.
Workshop Team: Professor Jef Husymans, Queen Mary University of London; Dr Joao Pontes Nogueira; Pontifical Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro
Professor Adriaan van Klinken
IWWAF21\100007
Researching and Writing Gender, Spirituality and Agency in Africa
University of Leeds
£30,000.00
This project expands the collaborations between the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR) and members of the Leeds University Centre for African Studies. The project brings together African early-career researchers (ECR) who participated in the previous workshop and/or in other ECR writing/mentoring activities of the AASR for a sustained, two-year long process of training and mentorship, with a view to developing the academic skills, strengthening the networks, and enhancing the careers of participants. The programme entails a series of activities both online and in person, with a physical three-day workshop in August 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, and with panels at the AASR conference in Gaborone, Botswana, in August 2026, leading towards publication of high-quality papers.
Workshop Team: Professor Adriaan van Klinken, University of Leeds; Dr Telesia Musili, University of Nairobi; Dr Abel Ugba, University of Leeds; Professor Damaris Parsitau, Calvin University, Grand Rapids USA
Dr Adeena Mey
IWWAF21\100069
Art Writing and Publishing in Southeast Asia: Collectivity and Land Issues
University of the Arts London
£30,000.00
This program focuses on the pivotal themes of collectivity and land issues in Southeast Asia. Through workshops, seminars, and mentoring sessions, twenty early career researchers (ECRs) based in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, explore how these themes intersect with regional art practices and social dynamics. Hosted online across five regional hubs and culminating in an in person writing intensive in Manila, the program fosters a collaborative environment, enabling ECRs to produce research publications, develop funding applications, and strengthen transnational networks. Emphasising sustainable academic ecosystems, the initiative connects researchers, publishers, and institutions to address pressing regional challenges and elevate collective local narratives.
Workshop Team: Dr Adeena Mey, University of the Arts London; Professor Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez, University of the Philippines; Dr Thanavi Chotpradit, Silpakorn University; Professor Tram (Carin) Luong, Fulbright University Vietnam; Miss Brigitta Isabella, KUNCI Study Forum and Collective; Mr Lyno Vuth, SEANNET, Phnom Penh; Dr David Morris, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
Please note: Awards are arranged alphabetically by surname of the grant recipient. The institution is that given at the time of application.