The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, is broadening the scope of its Early-Career Research (ECR) Fellowship program. This initiative seeks to enhance the research capabilities of early-career researchers at African universities by granting them dedicated time away from their teaching duties. This opportunity enables fellows to work closely with renowned researchers at the ARUA Centres of Excellence (CoEs). Also, each CoE will host fellows from different universities/countries, promoting cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange across the continent.