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Two people sitting at a table discussing mentorship opportunities.

Mentorship programme

The IGC mentorship programme connects researchers based in-country with experienced academics from the IGC network, providing structured guidance at key stages of the research process. Through regular engagement, researchers receive focused input on research design, methodology, and project development, helping strengthen work that is already underway and supporting its progression into credible research outputs.

How it works 

The mentorship programme pairs early-career researchers with academic mentors whose expertise aligns closely with their research. Mentorship typically runs for six months and focuses on improving work that is already in development, whether a thesis chapter, research proposal, or draft paper. The emphasis is on practical feedback that helps move projects forward. 

  • Mentors and mentees meet regularly, typically once a month, alongside ongoing email exchanges. 
  • Discussions focus on research design, empirical strategy, proposal development, and practical challenges that arise during research. 
  • Mentorship supports researchers developing proposals for IGC or other funding opportunities, and is also offered to selected near-miss proposals from IGC funding rounds. 
  • Feedback is primarily provided through discussion, with IGC summarising key points and sharing structured feedback with both mentors and mentees. 
  • The programme is selective and designed for researchers already working on well-defined projects rather than early-stage ideas. 

Timing and eligibility 

Mentorships are only offered to eligible students from our partner universities or past recipients of IGC funding. Applications will be opened once a year and will undergo a rigorous evaluation process to select top candidates. Exact timing will be announced in summer 2026. 

Programme in numbers

  • 20 mentor-mentee matches 
  • 7 countries 
  • 50+ hours of mentorship 
University partner logos including Addis Ababa University, Dhaka University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Makerere University, University of Eduardo Mondlane, University of Ghana, University of Jordan, University of Lusaka, University of Rwanda and the University of Sierra Leone

A list of university partners that have signed MoUs with the IGC and their respective logos.

Mentees

A profile picture of Betty Adzah

Betty Adzah

PhD candidate in Economics, University of Ghana
A profile picture of Apurbo Krishna Saha

Apurbo Krishna Saha

M.S.S in Economics, University of Dhaka
A profile picture of Deborah Ayebare

Ayebare Deborah

Senior Macroeconomist, Uganda National Planning Authority
A profile picture of Foday Daboh

Foday Daboh

Research Economist, Higher School of Economics

Mentorship testimonials

Being paired with my mentor, Dr. Gaurav Chiplunkar, has been especially impactful; his early contributions are already refining my project and helping to smooth my doctoral journey. Overall, I have benefited immensely from the mentorship and hope the collaboration continues.

- Betty Adzah | Mentor: Gaurav Chiplunkar

Most impactful has been the mentorship programme, where guidance from Enid Slack, a leading expert on municipal finance and intergovernmental transfers at the University of Toronto, has provided invaluable insights, sharpening my analytical approach and inspiring policy-oriented work.

- Michael Kofi Hanson | Mentor: Enid Slack

My mentorship meetings with Professor Catherine Wolfram provided guidance on refining the empirical strategy, addressing endogeneity, and identifying plausible causal pathways.

- Deborah Ayebare | Mentor: Catherine Wolfram