Introduction
The Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. It promotes innovative research on Africa and African diasporas through international fellowships, postdoctoral working groups, academic collaboration and public engagement.
Since 2019, the Academy has operated as part of the University of Bayreuth’s Africa Multiple: Reconfiguring African Studies Cluster of Excellence. It is a research institution rather than a conventional grantmaking foundation, although it provides funded fellowships and other forms of academic support.
History and Background
The Bayreuth Academy was founded in 2012 under a German Federal Ministry of Education and Research initiative designed to strengthen regional and area studies.
Its first major research program, Future Africa—Visions in Time, began in October 2012. The project examined how people and institutions in Africa and African diasporas understand, imagine and shape the future. It was later expanded under the title Future Africa and Beyond—Visions in Time.
In 2019, the Academy became part of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence. This integration expanded its international research networks, fellowship activities and opportunities for collaboration with African universities.
Mission and Purpose
The Academy’s purpose is to advance interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in African Studies while creating more equitable forms of international knowledge production.
Its principal objectives include:
- Supporting high-quality research on Africa and African diasporas.
- Connecting African Studies with other academic disciplines.
- Strengthening cooperation between African and international scholars.
- Supporting postdoctoral and early-career researchers.
- Creating opportunities for academic mobility and knowledge exchange.
- Encouraging dialogue among researchers, artists, policymakers and civil society.
- Challenging simplified or externally imposed representations of Africa.
The Academy welcomes researchers from different countries and disciplines, with particular encouragement for Africa-based scholars.
Governance and Structure
The Bayreuth Academy is institutionally located within the University of Bayreuth and the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence. It is therefore governed through the University and the Cluster’s academic and administrative structures rather than operating as an independent charitable foundation.
Its activities are coordinated by Academy staff in collaboration with:
- Cluster leadership and research sections.
- University faculty members.
- International fellows.
- Postdoctoral and doctoral researchers.
- African partner universities.
- Artists and cultural institutions.
The wider Africa Multiple network includes partner centres associated with the University of Lagos in Nigeria, Moi University in Kenya, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso and Rhodes University in South Africa.
Funding and Grants
The Academy’s original work was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, including the Future Africa research project.
Since 2019, activities connected to Africa Multiple have been financed through Germany’s Excellence Strategy, supported by the federal and state governments and administered through Germany’s research-funding system.
The Academy does not generally award community-development grants to NGOs. Its financial support is primarily directed toward academic research, fellowships, mobility, conferences and knowledge production.
International Fellowships
The Academy offers competitive fellowships to scholars with established research experience in African Studies. Fellowships normally provide:
- A monthly living or research allowance.
- Travel support to and from Bayreuth.
- A mobility allowance.
- Workspace and access to University research facilities.
- Participation in lectures, workshops and Cluster activities.
- Opportunities to collaborate with University of Bayreuth researchers.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Future Africa—Visions in Time
The Academy’s foundational project investigated ideas of the future within African societies and diasporas. It examined themes such as hope, uncertainty, development, utopia, social transformation and political imagination.
The program helped move African Studies beyond perspectives imposed from outside the continent by emphasizing locally created knowledge and visions.
Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
Africa Multiple seeks to reconfigure African Studies through collaborative, interdisciplinary and globally connected research.
The Cluster’s second funding phase began in January 2026, with research organized around:
- Digitalities.
- Ecologies.
- Accumulation.
- Insecurities.
- Remembering.
- Translating.
These themes are jointly developed across the Cluster’s German and African research locations.
Postdoctoral Working Groups
The Academy supports interdisciplinary working groups led by postdoctoral researchers. These groups examine emerging topics through seminars, workshops, lectures and collaborative publications.
The program allows early-career academics to build international networks, develop leadership skills and establish new research agendas.
Artists-in-Residence
Working with the University’s Iwalewahaus, the Academy brings researchers and artists together to explore alternative forms of knowledge production. Participants may include visual artists, writers, musicians, performers and filmmakers.
Research findings are communicated through exhibitions, performances, public discussions and other creative formats.
PLURA Learning and Resource Platform
The Academy initiated the PLURA learning and resource platform to translate research-based knowledge about Africa into educational materials. Its resources help teachers and students engage with African societies in more diverse and critical ways.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
The Bayreuth Academy has contributed to African Studies by:
- Hosting international scholars from Africa and other regions.
- Supporting interdisciplinary postdoctoral research.
- Producing scholarly publications, lectures and public events.
- Connecting academic research with arts and cultural practice.
- Strengthening collaboration between European and African universities.
- Developing educational resources that challenge stereotypes about Africa.
Across its first funding phase, the wider Africa Multiple Cluster organized approximately 15 international conferences and more than 600 academic events, including around 200 events at African partner locations.
The Cluster has also supported school engagement, research mobility, early-career development and collaborative knowledge production across its international network.
Conclusion
The Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies is an important centre for interdisciplinary African research and international academic exchange. Founded in 2012 and incorporated into the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence in 2019, it provides fellowships, collaborative research opportunities and innovative platforms for scholars and artists.
Its work strengthens African Studies by supporting Africa-based perspectives, early-career researchers and equitable international partnerships. Researchers interested in fellowships or academic collaboration should consult the current Bayreuth Academy website for open calls and program information.
For more information, visit here.
