CFPs: Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators

The Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI) was established in response to the needs of researchers in developing countries, particularly those attached to institutions that lack appropriate research facilities to enable them to purchase the research facilities they need to enhance their productivity.

Focus Areas

• Scientists working in the following research areas can apply for an SG-NAPI award:
  • Agriculture
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Information Computer Technology
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Physics

Components of the Programme 

• Scientists can apply for several or all of the following components of the programme:
  • Equipment start-up grant: allowing scientists to equip their laboratories.
  • Consumables grant: allowing scientists to acquire consumables for specific research projects.
  • MSc. training grant: allowing scientists to train and teach M.Sc. students within their research group.
  • International conference grant: for participation in an international conference.
  • Industrial link grant: to cover travel and incidental expenses as well as laboratory bench costs of scientists who cooperate with industrial partners.
  • South-North collaborative mobility grant: to cover travel to the collaborative laboratory, accommodation during the visit and laboratory bench costs.
  • Open access international publication grant: to cover fees for publication in reputable open access journals.
  • Skills-building workshop grant: each successful candidate will be provided with an opportunity to participate in a workshop which provides advice and guidance on a range of soft skills.
  • Female “scientist-after-child” grant: support for a research assistant (up to 12 months) may be offered to women scientists in the following cases:
    • Scientist with a child up to 12 months of age;
    • Scientist going through a pregnancy at the time of the application.

Funding Information

• Equipment start-up grant: up to USD 20,000
• Consumables grant: up to USD 15,000
• MSc. training grant: up to USD 10,000
• International conference grant: up to USD 3,000
• Industrial link grant: up to USD 4,000
• South-North collaborative mobility grant: up to USD 10,000
• Open access international publication grant: up to USD 2,000
• Duration: It is granted for a period of 24 months, however a final report will be required a year after receiving the last item of equipment/consumables.

Eligible Countries

• Be nationals of an eligible African country that is lagging in science and technology, as follows:
  • Western Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.
  • Eastern Africa: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Reunion, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
  • Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé, Principe.
  • Southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to apply candidates must fulfill the following criteria:
  • be 40 years old or younger;
  • obtained their Ph.D. within the last 5 years;
  • returned to their home country within the last 36 months;
  • hold, be offered or be in the process of accepting a position at an academic and/or research institution (including international research centers) in their home country.

For more information, visit UNESCO.