PERKA Workshop

The Peer-Learning for Emerging Researchers' Knowledge and Advancement (PERKA) Programme Phase II (PERKA-2) is a collaborative initiative aimed at strengthening post-PhD support and career development for early-career researchers (ECRs) across Africa. Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and implemented by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa in partnership with the University of Pretoria's Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS), the programme focuses on creating sustainable, localised, and impactful postdoc models. The Side Event at the SRI2026 Africa Regional Conference will present evidence from the PERKA II research, explore lessons from the CARTA and BANGA models, and facilitate dialogue among key stakeholders including government, university representatives, funders, researchers and ECR development programme implementers on how to design and sustain more effective post-PhD researcher development ecosystems. By sharing lessons from PERKA II, the session will contribute to global dialogue on building more inclusive, resilient, and impact-oriented research ecosystems.