About the 2016 Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund
Applications are currently ongoing for the 2016 Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund and all interested members of the public are hereby invited to apply.
Fellowship is awarded to applicants of Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
The purpose of the ABCF fellowship program is to develop capacity for agricultural biosciences research in Africa, to support research for development projects that ultimately contribute towards increasing food and nutritional security and/or food safety in Africa, and to facilitate access to the BecA-ILRI Hub facilities by African researchers (and their partners).
The mission of the BecA-ILRI Hub is “Mobilizing Bioscience for Africa’s Development” by providing a Centre of Excellence in agricultural biosciences, which enables research, capacity building and product incubation, conducted by scientists in Africa and for Africa, and empowers African institutions to harness innovations for regional impact.
Course Level:
Fellowship is available for pursuing research programme.
Eligible Courses:
Applicants must be scientists affiliated (through employment) with an African National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) or university, and conducting research in the areas of food and nutritional security or food safety in Africa.
Those carrying out research in the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply; Improved control of priority livestock and fish diseases including:
African Swine Fever (ASF); Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP); Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR); Rift Valley Fever (RVF); East Coast Fever (ECF); Capripox Virus diseases of ruminants; Harnessing genetic diversity for conservation, resistance to disease and improving productivity of crops and livestock and fish (livestock focus: African indigenous breeds, particularly goats, chickens, alternative small livestock species);Molecular breeding for important food security crops in Africa; Plant transformation to address food insecurity in Africa; Plant-microbe interactions; Tissue culture and virus indexing for production of virus-free planting materials in Africa; Orphan/underutilized species of crops and livestock Crop pests, pathogens and weed management research, including biological control; Microbial technology for improving adaptation of staple food crops and forages to biotic and abiotic stresses; Food safety, including addressing aflatoxin and other mycotoxins contamination in food and feeds; Nutritional analysis of food and animal feeds; Rapid diagnostics for crop, livestock and fish diseases; Genomics, bioinformatics and metagenomics including microbial discovery; Studies on climate-smart forage grasses and mixed livestock-crop systems; Microbial technology for improving adaptation of staple food crops and forages to biotic and abiotic stresses; and Soil health in agricultural systems.
Scholarship Benefits:
The BecA-ILRI Hub has secured funding to sponsor several fellowships on a highly competitive basis. The fellowship will cover the following costs [1];
-Research costs at the BecA-ILRI Hub;
-Travel;
-Medical insurance;
-Accommodation;
-A modest subsistence allowance.
Eligibility Criteria:
Applicants can apply for this fellowship if they are:
-National (passport holder) of a BecA-ILRI Hub target country for this call: Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
In exceptional cases we may consider applicants from other African countries.
The applicant must be a researcher employed at a NARI or university.
-Please note that applicants from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda are not eligible to apply to this call. A separate strategy has been developed to support these countries through nominations, to build on the on-going engagements between national research organizations and universities in these countries and the BecA-ILRI Hub. The nomination will also aim at filling priority national research gaps jointly identified through on-going engagements. HOWEVER, research scientists from the nine countries may apply to this call only if;
-(i) They have own funding to fully support their research and all other costs while at the BecA-ILRI Hub, or
-(ii) They are able to secure a significant portion (at least 50%) of their total research budget and other necessary costs while at the BecA-ILRI Hub. In this case they would be seeking partial funding through application for an ABCF fellowship.
-Currently engaged in research in food and nutritional security or food safety in Africa, or in a research area with relevance to agriculture in Africa.
-Good working knowledge of written and spoken English.
-Completed online application form.
-A signed letter of endorsement of the application from the head of the applicant’s home institute/organization/university faculty.
-We particularly welcome applications from women and less resourced NARIs and universities.
Eligible Countries:
Applicants from (Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan) are eligible. In exceptional cases we may consider applicants from other African countries. The applicant must be a researcher employed at a NARI or university.
College Admission Requirements:
Entrance Requirement: Biosciences eastern and central Africa only accept applications from scientists affiliated (through employment) with an African National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) or university.
Supporting Material:
The support letter must:
-Include signature and institute letterhead;
-Confirm that the applicant is a full-time member of staff or have a strong affiliation with the institute;
-State the role of the applicant at the institute;
-Include the title of the applicants research project proposal;
-Describe how the ABCF fellowship would benefit the applicant, their research program, and/or their institute and department (and partners,) the significance of the research in national and regional context;
-State that the head of the institute/department has read and understood this application in its entirety.
How to Apply:
To apply for a fellowship, click on the online application link below:
Application Deadline:
The application deadline is December 31st 2015.
Source: scholarship-positions.com