Through its program JEAI, France’s Institute for Development Research makes grants of up to €50 thousand for periods of three years to build the capacity of research teams in the developing world. Thematic areas include sustainable energy; water resources; climate change; ecosystems and biodiversity; agriculture and food safety; and several others. The supported teams will work closely with IRD. IRD recommends that applicants communicate with its relevant research units before submitting their applications. The deadline for applications (French, English) is 26 July 2017. Link
MENA
ARIMNet2 — Call for Young Researchers
The EC’s ARIMNet is a consortium to support integrated and trans-disciplinary research that enhances the contribution of agricultural and food systems for sustainable social and economic development in the Mediterranean Basin. The ARIMNet2 2017 Joint Call is dedicated to young researchers in two topics: promoting sustainable agriculture for socio-economic development; and valorising local products through food value chains improvement. The participating countries are Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey. A project consortium must include at least three young researchers from three different participating countries (at least one from a northern country and one from a southern country). The submission period is 16 August 2017 until 14 September 2017. Link
CRDF Global — Saudi and U.S. Research Collaboration
CRDF Global announces the 2017 Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. U.S. researchers will travel to Saudi Arabia for one semester (starting January 2018) to participate in collaborative research with a KAUST research center. The research centers include themes in clean combustion, Red Sea research, solar energy, water desalination and re-use, and several others. The application deadline is 31 August 2017. Link
European Commission — Marine and Coastal Biodiversity in Lebanon
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
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