Deadline: 17 August 2016
The African Union Commission (AUC) is currently inviting applications for its Research Grants with an aim to deploy Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the Agricultural sector as tool for Africa’s sustainable economic growth, wealth creation, and food and nutrition security, as well as for political stability and specifically:
- To support collaborative Research and Innovation (R&I) activities that address critical issues facing African countries and contribute to the sustainable development of African countries and the fight against poverty, while respecting ethical and gender issues;
- To develop the capacity of the African Union Commission (AUC) to design, implement and monitor R&I funding programmes and establish the basis for a credible and reputable African framework programme for R&I that could attract additional funds from other sources, e.g. African Union (AU) Member States and other partners and donors;
- To enhance intra–regional and North-South scientific collaboration and research that contributes to Africa’s sustainable development.
The Specific objective of this Call for Proposals is to award grants to finance research projects that aim to Eradicate Hunger and Ensure Food and nutrition security. It is highly envisaged that the deployment and the improvement of science and technology research in this challenging area will effectively contribute to Africa’s poverty reduction strategies, economic growth and social development efforts.
Funding Information
The overall indicative amount made available under the African Union Research Grants (AURG)-II 1st Call for Proposals (2016) is USD 9,000,000.00 for research actions that seek to address Sustainable Agricultural Intensification, within the broader theme of Food, Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).
Size of Grants
Any grant awarded under this Call for Proposals must fall between USD 500,000.00 and USD 1,000,000.00.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible, applicant must:
- Be legal persons and
- Be nationals of African Countries, EU Member States
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with their partners, not acting as an intermediary
- Be registered locally in (or have a memorandum of understanding in relevant research areas, with) an eligible African country prior to the publication of this call for proposals
- Have at least a three-year record in the formulation and/or implementation of research activities in Africa for which they will have to provide the relevant legal documents
- Be able to demonstrate their experience and capacity to manage activities corresponding in scale and complexity to those for which a grant has been requested
- Have stable and sufficient sources of finance to ensure the continuity of their organization throughout the implementation of the proposed action
- Belong to consortia of scientists- composition of partnerships.
- Belong to at least one of the following categories:
- National or regional science and technology organizations, research institutions, universities, government ministries or public institutions dealing with scientific research including regional science and technology institutions, with separate legal status, not belonging to any national system but formally recognized by one of the eligible countries; or
- Established science and technology networks provided that: all network members and the network headquarters are located in eligible countries; the network has a legal status; the network is applying in its own right; and the network has been registered for a minimum of two years;
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) via post at the address mentioned on the website.
For more information, please visit Research Grants.