Call for Applications: 2024 AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grants (Grant of EUR 7,000)

Ednah Carrick August 28, 2024

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Closing Date: 30 August 2024

Call for Applications: 2024 AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grants (Grant of EUR 7,000)

Background

The African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES) is pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the “AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant for Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa”. This grant is funded by the BAYER Foundation with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), Federal Republic of Germany. The Grant is for Junior Researchers (PhD students) and aims to strengthen the scientific capacity of young scholars in Africa.

Programmes

The AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant for Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainable Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa enables doctoral students from sub-Saharan African countries to undertake outstanding research activities in Biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.

The AGNES-BAYER Grant aims to support African PhD students to implement/carry out activities that are part of the doctoral research, including but not limited to field experiment and data collection or laboratory studies or any other outstanding research activities in the area of biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture. Eligible junior researchers need to demonstrate the relevance of their work to further development of their home countries in sub-Sahara Africa. A maximum Grant of EUR 7,000 will be awarded to each successful applicant.

Eligibility and Application Process

Direct applications from young researchers having published at least 1 scientific paper (in a non-predatory journal) will be considered for the grant. AGNES will consider only candidates with outstanding academic records and with good publications in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science (WoS). Candidates MUST provide the SCOPUS or Web of Science links (URL) to each publication. The applicant should be working in the field of Biodiversity conservation and/or Sustainable Agriculture. Candidate must be officially registered for a Doctoral degree at a university/tertiary institute in sub-Sahara Africa and MUST be a national of a sub-Saharan African country. Applicants must demonstrate clearly that their original proposal is relevant to development in sub-Saharan African countries.

Required Documents

Complete applications MUST include the following:

a) A short original research/project proposal (not more than 5 pages, MUST be in English) from the junior scientist (applicant) with a short outline of the proposed work activities and a schedule for achieving the objectives of the research project. We will process every proposal through a plagiarism test.

b) A standard CV of the applicant (use the AGNES template, MUST be in English).

c) Official proof of registration for the postgraduate degree (only Doctoral students currently at a university/tertiary institute in sub-Sahara Africa are eligible). Completed PhD work will not be considered.

d) A copy of the official Academic transcripts reflecting the grades obtained in the undergraduate and any postgraduate study. Please supply the official explanation of the grading system in English if your transcript is in another language.

e) A list of published articles in non-predatory journals with SCOPUS or Web of Science links (URL) to each publication (include an e-copy of the first page showing the title, authors and the abstract).

f) A detailed budget of the planned activities.

Amount and Use of the Grant

The maximum budget of the grant is EUR 7,000. This once-off Grant cannot be used to refund previous field work activities. The recipient of the Grant and her/his supervisor must both send a signed letter of acceptance and contractual agreement to the Governing Board of AGNES within two weeks of receipt of the offer. On completion of the PhD, Grantees and supervisors are both expected to make reports to AGNES on the progress and success of the work (scientific publications).

Selection Meeting

The selection meeting will take place in October 2024 and only selected candidates will be informed. Research activities will begin no earlier than December 1, 2024 and no later than February 28, 2025.