African Fellows Programme: 9th Call for Pre-Proposals

Friday, 27 February 2009 18:00

The Rothamsted International African Fellows Programme is now inviting scientists and researchers working on agriculture in Africa to submit pre-proposals under its 9th African Fellows Programme Call.

The aim of the African Fellows Programme (AFP) is to support sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa by catalysing innovative solutions needed to achieve food security. Projects should focus on specific problems in agriculture with a researchable constraint. They should also aim to develop lasting partnerships and strategic alliances that will help in developing local scientific capacity relevant to sustainable agricultural production. The potential impact of the project on small-holder farmers will be a major consideration during proposal assessment. African scientists will carry out research projects at a partner European research institute, or university, for a maximum period of 6 months. Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis in a two-stage assessment process.

Research projects must:

• focus on solving an agricultural problem with a researchable constraint
• demonstrate how the knowledge gained will be applied to benefit small-holder African farmers
• be of high quality science

Examples of potential project areas include crop nutrition, soil fertility, post-harvest technology, alternative crops, livestock management and plant protection.

The programme cannot support field work in Africa. Projects focusing on food processing and socio-economic research are not within the remit of the programme. Equally, MSc and PhD studies will not be funded.

Deadline for submission of pre-proposals: 17:00 hours (GMT) on Friday 19th June 2009. Submissions should be sent by email.

Application documents:

•  Programme guidelines
•  Programme guidelines and criteria summary
•  Pre-proposal application form
•  Rothamsted International newsletter

More details and guidelines on how to apply

Contact: Please send any queries to the AFP Coordinator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by post to Rothamsted International, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK.