The Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) seeks 35 fellows to carry out their research at one of the PAS institutes. The fellowship program is open to scholars of any nationality, representing all research disciplines. Research fields include agricultural sciences, biological sciences, environmental science, geosciences, and many others. Each fellow receives a monthly allowance of €2,500 and, if applicable, an additional family allowance. In addition, fellows will be provided with a research budget of up to €93 thousand per project. The deadline for applications is 30 June 2021. Link to the PASIFIC Program
agriculture
International Fund for Agricultural Development — Rural Youth Innovation Award in Latin America and the Caribbean
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) launches an award to promote youth initiatives for innovation in rural areas. The award will promote the initiatives of young people who are taking action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in rural areas. IFAD seeks solutions that constitute examples of good practices and technologies applied and implemented to overcome the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. The initiative should contribute to solving problems related to rural areas, especially with small local producers. Participants must be young nationals (18-35 years) of Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants will compete for financial resources, products and services, and loans. Interested initiatives have to register by 04 April 2021. Link to the award
Investors Hub — Global Investors Hub Challenge 2021
The Investors Hub accepts applications for the Global Investors Hub Challenge 2021. Startups, entrepreneurs and companies can join the competition to get financial help, mentorship and networking opportunities for their business sector or social impact projects. The projects should have the capacity to create employment in alignment with 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This challenge is open for everyone around the world in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America and North America. Winners will be given an opportunity of a bankroll from a Venture Capital Fund with the investment size of US$ 5 thousand to US$500 thousand, depending on the nature of their project. Application must be submitted by 31 May 2021. Follow the link to the website
Embassy of Slovak Republic in Tbilisi — Small Grants for Projects in Georgia
SlovakAid supports small-scale projects in various sectors, including food and agriculture, and the sustainable use of natural resources in developing countries. The current call supports local projects in Georgia in accordance with the strategy of the Slovak Republic for development cooperation. The maximum financial support per project is €10 thousand with a maximum project duration of 6-12 months. Eligibility extends to non-profit organizations and local authorities in Georgia. The deadline for submission of project proposals is 03 April 2022. Click here for more information
United Nations — Innovations to Advance the SDGs
United Nations, in collaboration with Global Innovation Exchange, seeks applications for the 2021 Call for Innovations for a chance to be featured at the UN’s virtual STI Forum (May 2021). Innovations should address COVID-19-associated disruptions that will remain relevant beyond the pandemic to help accelerate progress towards one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The call is open to innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs worldwide. Applications will be accepted until 26 March 2021. Click here
University of Essex — Africa Scholarship Programme 2021-2022
The University of Essex invites applications from African students who self fund their postgraduate studies. The university offers a scholarship of £4 thousand to African students that will be paid as a discount on the tuition fee. Available courses include biological sciences, marine biology, and biochemistry, among many others. Applicants that meet all the eligibility criteria and firmly accept the offer of their place by 18 September 2021 will automatically be awarded this scholarship (please read the instructions carefully). Find out how it works
Inter-American Development Bank — Venture Capital Fund
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) seeks to impact development and support social inclusion with a special focus on poor and vulnerable populations across Latin America and the Caribbean through bridging grants and investments in early-stage entrepreneurs. IDB Lab invites investment management firms to apply for VC funds. Fund managers who wish to participate in the selection process must primarily invest in nascent or emerging early-stage ecosystems in LAC and specialize in high-impact investments and sectors with pronounced structural capital gaps, such as Health/Biotech, Edtech/Workertech, Agtech/Foodtech and Climatetech. Early-stage investment funds are a minimum of US$20 thousand. Proposals will be received on a rolling basis, with quarterly reviews. Venture Capital Fund
Impact-R — Energy, WASH and Food Security Nexus
Impact-Driven & Action-Based Research (Impact-R) invites microfinance institutions, NGOs, cooperatives, and technology providers with a strong social mission working in developing countries to conduct household data collection studies. The purpose of the studies is to investigate the nexus between access to energy, access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and food security, through a detailed needs/market assessment at the household level. Selected institutions will receive support for the field staff involved in the data collection and will have the opportunity to collaborate with leading research institutions. In addition, Impact-R will offer scholarships for desk research. Eligibility extends to institutions working in rural regions in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The application deadline has been extended to 25 February 2021. Impact-Driven & Action-Based Research
FSNet-Africa — Fellowship for Food Systems Research
The FSNet-Africa fellowship provides grants to researchers (fellows or mentors) working on African food systems research. Early-career researchers receive up to £20 thousand to conduct research on any aspect of the food system. Mentors and fellows have the opportunity to engage with academics from six African Universities and the UK. The call for fellows and mentors is open to researchers from ten academic partner institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania. Applications close on 01 March 2021. Click for details
Agropolis Foundation — Award for Transformative Agroecological Research
The Biovision Foundation, in partnership with the Agropolis Foundation, awards the SHIFT Prize to recognize collaborative and transdisciplinary research for development projects and initiatives that have made exemplary contributions to the agroecological transformation of food systems. The winning project will receive €20 thousand unrestricted funding to support its further development and strengthen its impacts. Eligibility extends to projects and initiatives contributing to an evidence-based food system transformation anywhere in the world. The application deadline is 15 March 2021. SHIFT Prize