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Programmes

Four strategic pillars, one purpose

Each pillar strengthens women's capacity to produce knowledge, grow as scholars, and lead in academic and policy spaces.

01Pillar

Research and Publication

We encourage and support women to research, write, and publish their academic articles, expanding the body of women-led knowledge across the region.

Services provided

  • Manuscript clinics and peer feedback on drafts before submission

  • Coaching on research design, methodology, and academic writing

  • Guidance on selecting journals and preparing submissions

  • Dissemination of selected women-led research through Udub policy briefs and the annual forum

Illustrative Somali women researchers collaborating on an academic manuscript
AI-generated illustration · Somali women in research
Research and publication session
Research & Publication
Academic mentorship and community
Academic Mentorship & Community

02Pillar

Academic Mentorship Programme

Connects women pursuing Master's and PhD degrees with experienced female academics, researchers, and professionals for structured mentorship that includes professional development and career planning.
6

month cycle with agreed milestones and monthly virtual sessions on research methodology, academic writing, and grant writing.

How it works

  • Mentor selection: open call and application; vetted by the Independent Review Panel on academic or professional record, available time, and a signed mentor agreement and code of conduct

  • Matching: one-to-one, based on field, career stage, and needs stated in the mentee's application

  • Cycle: six months with agreed milestones and monthly virtual sessions

  • Evaluation: monthly check-ins, a mid-cycle review, and end-of-cycle feedback from mentor and mentee

  • Support: access to the Women Scholars Network and need-based emergency academic support grants

Who we mentor: women in Master's programmes; women pursuing PhDs in Africa or internationally; women moving from practice to academia; early-career researchers producing their first independent research.

03Pillar

Call for Papers and Research Competitions

Regular calls for papers, research grants, and essay competitions stimulate original knowledge production by women scholars, from undergraduate students to senior academics.

Thematic areas

Women's political participationGender and climate resilienceWomen, peace and securityLegal reform and XeerEconomic empowermentGirls' educationDigital rightsGender-responsive health

Eligibility

Women scholars at any career stage in the Horn of Africa or the diaspora, submitting original, unpublished work; each call states its own theme and terms.

Independent review

An independent panel scores submissions on relevance, originality, methodological rigour, and feasibility, with conflicts of interest declared.

Funding

Awards are drawn from donor and partner funding committed to each call, and paid in instalments linked to agreed milestones.

Submissions: submissions@udubinstitute.org

04Pillar

Women in Academia Network and Community of Practice

A growing community of female academics, researchers, policy practitioners, and postgraduate students across the Horn of Africa and the diaspora, offering peer learning, collaboration, and mutual support.

Monthly seminars
Annual forum
Research brokering
Curated resource library

Membership

Open to women academics, researchers, policy practitioners, and postgraduate students who apply with a short profile and agree to the network code of conduct.

Coordination

The Programme Secretariat runs the network, supported by volunteer thematic focal points who lead seminars and peer groups.