The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), in collaboration with NASA and the University of Missouri, will be conducting a capacity building workshop on the theme of “Interdisciplinary Remote Sensing, Modeling, and Validation of Environmental Processes.“ The workshop, to be held in Ghana in June 2017, is for advanced doctoral students and early-career scientists across all countries of West Africa. It will focus on advanced analysis of satellite and climate data for multi-sectoral applications, including climate, agriculture and water resources. The workshop will take sponsored and self-sponsored participants. Tuition and workshop fees will be waived for sponsored participants. The deadline for expressions of interest is 15 March 2017. Link
Africa
Young Innovators in Agribusiness — Postharvest Technologies Competition 2017
The East Africa Postharvest Technologies Competition aims to identify scalable post-harvest technologies in East Africa. Applications are open to both institutions and individuals of 18 years and above in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. The competition will select top 50 technologies from successful entries and offer them accelerated training on scaling up and pitching. Twenty-five participants in the accelerated training will be invited to showcase and pitch to development partners, donors, governments, farmers/traders associations, and investors at the East Africa Postharvest Technologies Fair in May 2017. The top five technologies will divide seed awards totaling US$30 thousand. The closing date for applications is 20 February 2017.
International Development Research Center — Innovations to Improve Livestock Vaccines in Africa and Asia
Canada’s IDRC calls for proposals to support novel ideas or pre-existing innovations to respond to the challenges of existing livestock vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. The research should focus on vaccine improvement for one or more of the eligible livestock diseases identified in the announcement. Eligibility to participate in the call for proposals extends to applicants from research-focused organizations in the private sector, academia, and research institutes anywhere in the world. The program will fund up to six research projects at a maximum of CA$1 million each. The deadline for proposals is 21 March 2017. Link
RUFORUM — Community Action Research Programme 2017
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is partnering with the MasterCard Foundation to implement the programme “Transforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully contribute to Africa’s growth and development (TAGDev).” TAGDev announces the 2017 call for proposals for the Community Action Research Programme. The objective is to extend university activities to work more closely with rural communities. The current call focuses on crops and livestock value chains of strategic importance in Kenya and Uganda. In this current call, proposals will be accepted only from Egerton University and Gulu University. The application deadline is 27 March 2017. Link
University of California at Davis — Trellis Fund for Horticulture
U.S. Agency for International Development — Off-Grid Solar Energy for Africa
The “Scaling Off-Grid Energy Grand Challenge for Development” (SOGE) seeks to provide 20 million households in Sub-Saharan Africa with access to modern, clean, and affordable off-grid electricity from solar sources. USAID welcomes applications from U.S. and non-U.S. private businesses and social enterprises that are solar manufacturers, distributors, and service providers. Grants will range from US$500 thousand to US$1.5 million. USAID requires a private financial commitment in the ratio of at least 2:1 to the amount of a grant. Funding Opportunity APS-OAA-16-000001-ADDENDUM-SOGE. The deadline for concept papers is 30 April 2017. Link
Bestseller Foundation — Enterprises in Agriculture and Environment
The Bestseller Foundation provides financial support for agricultural value chains and for enterprises based on sustainable environment in Southern and Eastern Africa, China, and India. The foundation invests mainly with commercial actors in for-profit projects by means of loans and equity. Nonprofit organizations and projects may sometimes be eligible if they have clear and commercially viable objectives. In some cases, the Foundation may consider grants or donations. Potential partners in the eligible regions contact the Foundation by telephone or email, and present a short concept note. Link
Rabobank Employees Fund — Community Projects in Education and Water Supply
The Rabo Foundation Employeesfund is a part of the Rabobank Group, a provider of financial services that operates on cooperative principles in over 40 countries. The Employeesfund supports small-scale sustainable projects in education and water supply. For water projects, the areas of interest include improved water supplies and facilities for drinking water; agricultural irrigation; information projects; and integrated water management. Applications are welcomed from organizations that bank with Rabobank, and from Rabobank employees, in the Rabobank focus countries. The maximum grant request is €15 thousand. There is no deadline for applications. Link
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology — Doctoral Scholarships 2017
In partnership with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), icipe announces research scholarships in the African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Sciences (ARPPIS). The program supports three-year doctoral research studies to prepare young researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa for internationally competitive research careers in insect and related sciences. Qualified female candidates, candidates from less privileged regions or groups, and candidates with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. Qualified nationals of French- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa are also especially encouraged to apply. Scholarships cover all costs of the PhD program including travel, living expenses, medical insurance, university fees, and all research and training costs. The application deadline is 12 February 2017. Link
International Livestock Research Institute — Training in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics
The Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub seeks to strengthen the capacity of the African scientific community to conduct bioscience research that will improve agricultural products and enhance food security. In support of building science capacity, the BecA-ILRI Hub is partnering with the Rwanda Agriculture Board to hold a training workshop on “Introduction to Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics” in May 2017. Applications are welcomed from qualified individuals at research institutes and universities in Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Congo, Dem Rep Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The training course offers several funded places on a competitive basis. The deadline for applications is 17 March 2017. Link