The EC announces funding to enhance the protection and sustainable development of maritime resources in Lebanon. More specifically, activities should address how to recover the country’s affected marine ecosystems and to develop marine and coastal biodiversity. Eligibility for grants extends to NGOs and universities in Lebanon, member states of the EU, and partner countries and territories covered by the European Neighborhood Instrument — in addition to qualifying international organizations. Grants will range from €250 thousand to €300 thousand, varying by cost shares. The deadline for concept notes is 05 July 2017. Link
MENA
Arab Council for the Social Sciences — Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Arab Council for the Social Sciences announces its fourth cycle of postdoctoral fellowships for junior Arab scholars. The program is open to individuals who completed their PhD within the past three years, and who are nationals or residents of countries in the League of Arab States. The fellowship provides for full costs over nine months in the proposed country/countries of residence where the fellow will reside. The thematic focus is open. The program has a special interest in attracting foreign-trained Arab scholars back to the region.The application deadline is 19 May 2017. Link
African Union Commission — Pan African University Scholarships for Postgraduate Education 2017-2018
The Pan African University (PAU) seeks to develop institutions of excellence in science, technology, innovation, social sciences, and governance in Africa. The African Union offers the Pan African University Scholarship for masters and PhD degree programs at four PAU Institutes (in Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria). Subject areas for the postgraduate educational programs include agriculture, water resources, arid lands management, energy, environmental management, and many others — varying among the PAU Institutes. The scholarships program is open to applicants from African countries and the African Diaspora. The deadline for applications (English, French) is 31 May 2017. Link
U.S. Department of State — Supporting Tunisia’s Agribusiness Sector
The program aims to increase the productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability in selected value chains and areas of the agribusiness sector to boost Tunisia’s agro-food exports. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations; for-profit organizations; private institutions of higher education, public and state institutions of higher education; public international organizations; and small businesses. The U.S. Embassy in Tunis strongly encourages applications from civil society organizations headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa. Funding Opportunity NEAAC-EMBASSYTUNIS-16-002. The application deadline is 08 June 2017. Link
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science — RONPAKU Fellowships for PhD Students 2018
The RONPAKU fellowships are a program of the JSPS to support students from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to pursue PhD degrees at Japanese universities. Each fellow submits a research dissertation co-supervised by an advisor in Japan and an advisor in the fellow’s home country. The fellows do not pursue doctoral courses in Japan (i.e., dissertation only). RONPAKU will award about 20 fellowships across all subject areas. The application deadline is 25 August 2017 for submissions to RONPAKU from Japanese universities; applicants need to send their documents to their prospective Japanese advisors in advance of this deadline. Link
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research — Grants for Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, and Field Days
ACIAR offers sponsorship assistance to individuals wishing to attend a conference, seminar, workshop or field day that directly benefits agricultural research for development. ACIAR also supports organisations seeking sponsorships for this same objective. The priority is for events and sponsorships in ACIAR partner countries and related to ACIAR projects. However, direct involvement in an ACIAR project is not a prerequisite to apply for funding. The application deadlines are the first Wednesday of April and the last Wednesday of October in each calendar year. Link
World Bank — WeMENA Supporting Women Social Entrepreneurs
WeMENA announces a challenge to help women advance solutions across eight cities in the Middle East and North Africa to build resilience to climate change. The cities are Alexandria, Amman, Beirut, Byblos, Cairo, Casablanca, Ramallah, and Tunis. The challenge categories include agriculture and food security; sustainable energy and the environment; water and sanitation; and several others. Participants in the challenge will receive business training, mentoring, and the chance to compete for a share of US$150 thousand in cash awards. The competition is open to women participating as individuals, as teams, or on behalf of a legal entity. The deadline for submissions is 17 January 2017. Link
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences — Training in Taxonomy and Collection Management 2017
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is the country’s focal point for the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI). Qualified individuals from developing countries supported by Belgian Development Cooperation can apply for study visits in Belgium to train in taxonomic projects and biodiversity assessment projects that have strong taxonomic components. Priority is given to projects in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Dem Rep Congo, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. The application deadline is 19 February 2017. Link
Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education — STEM Scholars Program
The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education offers scholarships to young Arab citizens for university studies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at any of the Foundation’s partner universities. Applicants should be ages 15-30 and demonstrate past high academic achievement, as well as financial need. The application deadline is 15 January 2017. Link
Royal Bank of Canada — Blue Water Project 2017
The RBC’s Blue Water Project makes grants for watershed protection and safe drinking water in two programs. (i) The Community Action Grants are up to $10 thousand for local and community organizations in Canada, USA, and the Caribbean. (ii) Leadership Grants ranging from $10 thousand to $100 thousand are available in North America and other countries where RBC does business (including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Chile, and Uruguay). For Leadership Grants, applicants send an expression of interest before 04 November 2016. For Community Action Grants, the application deadline is 23 December 2016. Link