Sida funds short-term training in selected development topics for participants from developing countries. The Africa program includes a course on strategic environmental assessment, with a focus on energy. Participants may be nominated by organizations and agencies within the energy sector that work actively with energy plans, policies, and programmes at national or regional levels. The following countries are invited to nominate candidates: Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. The training will be provided in two parts, first in Sweden and then to be decided. The closing date for applications is 31 July 2017. Link
Africa
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
European Commission — Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in European Overseas Territories
The EC funds the program Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in European Overseas Territories (BEST) in order to fund actions on the ground, both at the local and regional level. BEST 2.0 is open to applications for projects in the overseas territories of the Caribbean, Pacific, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Polar/Sub-polar regions. Small grants are up to €100 thousand; medium grants are €100 thousand to €400 thousand. Potential applicants include local civil society organisations; small for-profit organisations; municipalities; OT governments and their departments and services; European Member State bodies; and regional and international organisations. The deadline to submit concept notes is 14 April 2017. Link
Rockefeller Foundation — Sustainable Development
The Rockefeller Foundation defines several initiatives and topics that guide its grant making. Those of principal relevance in the Terra Viva Grants Directory are food security in Africa; resilience to climate change; energy production and consumption; water and fisheries; and ecosystem services. Requests for support must fit Rockefeller’s issue areas, current initiatives, and geographical regions. Inquiries can be submitted at any time. Link
Southern Africa Network for Biosciences — Innovative Solutions in Nutrition
The Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio) is a NEPAD program for collaborative research, development, and innovation addressing challenges in health and nutrition in Southern Africa. The SANBio/BioFISA II Programme invites
proposals for innovative solutions in the nutrition sector. Themes are value addition to indigenous foods; post-harvest technologies; and other nutrition innovations for the SADC region. The SANBio member states are Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The application deadline is 28 March 2017. Link
Drivers of Food Choice — Competitive Grants Program
With funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development, the program “Drivers of Food Choice” solicits applications for research projects that will provide a deep understanding of the drivers of food choice and the relationship with agriculture among the poor in the world’s low- and middle-income countries. Research grants can be awarded to any organization (e.g., research organizations, NGOs, government institutions, and private-sector organizations) committed to improving food and nutrition security in one or more of the 41 countries that account for 90% of global under-nutrition. The program expects to fund seven research grants of up to US$300 thousand each. The deadline for concept memos is 01 April 2017. Link
European Commission — Women and Sustainable Energy
The EC calls for proposals to promote women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in the sustainable energy sector and value chain, with an emphasis on financial services. The action must take place in multiple countries which are recipients of official development aid, including in Sub-Saharan Africa and possibly in other developing regions. Partnerships among academia, civil society, NGOs, international or local organizations, financial institutions, government, private sector, etc., may bring added value to a comprehensive approach. The amount of funding is from €4 million to €8 million, varying with cost shares. Reference EuropeAid/155118/DH/ACT/Multi. The deadline for submitting concept notes is 25 April 2017. Link
Christensen Fund — Grants for Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity
The Christensen Fund makes grants to indigenous-led and community-based organizations for projects that combine biodiversity with cultural diversity. Pre-proposals are accepted for consideration in the following programs: African Rift Valley; Central Asia; Northwest Mexico; Melanesia; Global; and San Francisco Bay Area. Most grants are in the range of US$50 thousand to US$100 thousand for one or two years. The application period for pre-proposals is 01 August through 31 August, except for the Melanesia Program (01 September through 30 September). Link
West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use — Capacity Building Workshop
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
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.