Africa Research Excellence Fund

What Africa Research Excellence Fund does

Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is a UK-registered charitable company limited by guarantee, founded in 2015 by Professor Sir Tumani Corrah KBE and originally established under the Medical Research Foundation. AREF's core function is health research capacity building in Africa: it runs a portfolio of fellowship and training programmes for early-career African health researchers, including Research Development Fellowships (3-9 month placements at partner research centres), the EXCELL Leadership and Development Programme, a Grant Writing Programme (with a dedicated Women in Research track), the Women in Research Leadership Programme, and the Towards Leadership Programme supported by UKRI-MRC. The organisation also awards the annual Tumani Corrah Prize for Excellence.

AREF's underlying 'technology' is a programmatic model rather than a software product. Selection of researchers is conducted by a peer-review panel drawn from AREF's College of Experts, and the organisation maintains placement partnerships with 17 research centres of excellence across Africa and Europe, including MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, University of Cambridge, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Programmes are delivered at no cost to eligible researchers. Distribution occurs through open funding calls published on the website, with applications reviewed through peer review.

AREF's revenue model is non-commercial: it is funded through donations, multi-year grants from research funders (notably a $4.48M malaria capacity-building grant received in 2024, plus ongoing support from the Medical Research Foundation, MRC, Wellcome Trust, and NIH), and corporate partnerships (including a 2026 agreement with Consolidated Contractors Company). The organisation is governed by an independent Board of Trustees following its 2021 incorporation, and operates dual legal entities in the UK (London) and The Gambia (Banjul), with leadership comprising Founder/Co-President Professor Sir Tumani Corrah, Co-President Professor Baron Peter Piot, and Chief Executive Professor Gibson Kibiki. By its 10-year anniversary in 2025, AREF reported 967 alumni across 30 African countries who have collectively secured over £10M in follow-on research funding.

Name

Africa Research Excellence Fund

Legal name

Africa Research Excellence Fund

Website

https://africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is a UK-registered charity, founded in 2015, that funds fellowships, grant-writing training, and leadership development programmes for early-career African health researchers through partnerships with 17 research centres of excellence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Research Capacity Building

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Health research fellowships
• Scientific training programmes
• Grant writing workshops
• Research capacity building
• Researcher leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: AREF generates revenue through donations from individual donors, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners who support their mission to build health research capacity in Africa.
2. Foundation and Funder Grants: AREF receives multi-year grants from major health research funders including the Medical Research Foundation and other institutional donors to support fellowship programmes and operational activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AREF is a charitable organization that supports early-career African health researchers through Research Development Fellowships (3-9 month placements at 17 centres of excellence in Africa and Europe), leadership development programmes (EXCELL, Towards Leadership), grant writing workshops, and the Women in Research Leadership Programme. Its mission is to strengthen African-led health research capacity by providing skills training, mentorship, networking, and funding application support at no cost to eligible researchers.

Product overview

Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is a charitable organization offering a portfolio of fellowship and development programmes for early-career African health researchers. The core offerings include Research Development Fellowships (3-9 month placements at research centres of excellence), the EXCELL Leadership and Development Programme, Grant Writing Programme (including a dedicated Women in Research track), the Women in Research Leadership Programme, and the Towards Leadership Programme. AREF also awards the annual Tumani Corrah Prize for Excellence to recognize outstanding alumni achievements. These interconnected programmes provide stepping stones for researchers to develop skills, win competitive funding, build networks, and progress toward research leadership across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Development Fellowships Fellowships providing 3-9 month placements at 17 research centres of excellence in Africa and Europe for early-career African scientists working on human health challenges in Africa.
• EXCELL Researcher and Leadership Development Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Researchers who have gone on to win over £10m from prestigious researcher funders
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, strategic and core.

• Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 May 2026CCC signed agreement with AREF to support African research development. Partnership includes bespoke grant writing skills workshops targeting women researchers and researchers in under-served African countries.
• Egon ZehnderstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership between Egon Zehnder and MRC to support African scientists. AREF Founder Professor Tumani Corrah contributed expertise on increasing mentoring for emerging African scientists and opening opportunities for collaborations.
• Medical Research Council (MRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021MRC partnered with Egon Zehnder to understand barriers faced by African diaspora biomedical scientists and explore solutions for increasing their research links to Africa.
• Medical Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015AREF was established by the Medical Research Foundation with Professor Sir Tumani Corrah as founder. Medical Research Foundation provided initial establishment funding and continues as a key supporter.
• CCC Corporate Social ResponsibilitymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCCC CSR partnership to improve social and economic livelihood of marginalized communities through capacity building initiatives including Women in Research Leadership Programme.
• Research centres of excellence (17 institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship placement partner institutions in Africa and Europe including MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, University of Cambridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and others.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Major UK-based global health research funder that also runs fellowship and capacity-building programmes for African researchers through initiatives such as its International Training Fellowships. AREF alumni have secured Wellcome fellowships, positioning Wellcome as both a downstream funder and an upstream comparable capacity-builder.
• Medical Research Council (UKRI-MRC): UK government research council funding biomedical research with substantial African programmes and the Towards Leadership Programme that supports AREF; comparable as a major funder and capacity builder in the same ecosystem.
• NIH Fogarty International Center: US federal centre dedicated to global health research training, including programmes such as the K43 Emerging Global Leader Award won by AREF alumni. Comparable mission of building low- and middle-income country research capacity.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: One of the largest funders of global health research, with explicit investments in African research capacity strengthening. AREF alumni have secured Gates grants, and the foundation operates as both funder and ecosystem peer.

Direct peers

• Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA): Africa-based consortium of nine academic institutions offering doctoral and postdoctoral research training for African academics. Direct functional peer in researcher development and capacity building across the continent.
• EDCTP (European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership): Public-public partnership funding clinical research capacity building across sub-Saharan Africa through grants, fellowships and training programmes. Direct functional peer to AREF in the African health research capacity-building niche, albeit at materially larger scale.
• African Academy of Sciences: Pan-African science organisation running fellowship, mentoring and grant programmes for early- and mid-career African scientists, including the AAS Affiliates programme in which AREF alumni participate. Closest direct peer in mission and target population.
• Medical Research Foundation: Founder and continuing core supporter of AREF; runs its own portfolio of research grants and fellowships in the UK. Closest organisational peer and historic incubator of AREF's mission.

Others

• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): Leading global health research and teaching institution; hosts AREF's UK operations indirectly through the Medical Research Foundation and is a key partner institution for AREF fellowship placements. Comparable as a global health research training and capacity-building organisation.

Regional players

• Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI): Global partnership funding vaccine R&D with significant African capacity-building investments to support regional outbreak response. Comparable as a funder building African health research capacity, though focused on vaccine development rather than general researcher training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AREF_Africa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCD8-hEy9T0f3u9B-SfN3n3A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africaresearchexcellencefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Africa Research Excellence Fund