The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is seeking proposals for agricultural research with the potential to increase the sustainable productivity of smallholder farmers in developing countries. Sustainable productivity includes tackling the underlying social and economic determinants of productivity, such as gender equity, environmental issues, and healthy, diverse diets. With this call, BMGF is looking for projects led by MSc and PhD scientists at national agricultural research institutions and universities in sub-Saharan Africa, working in collaboration with other researchers internationally (either within Africa or beyond the continent). The 2014 PEARL call is restricted to proposals relevant to staple crops grown in Africa (please note the BMGF hopes to offer future competitive opportunities for livestock research, but livestock-related proposals will not be considered in the current call). In order to apply, applicants must:
- Be an African scientist residing in sub-Saharan Africa or planning to relocate to sub-Saharan Africa to implement the proposed project, e.g. returning from diaspora;
- Identify a local host institution (a national agricultural research institute or university) (International centers based in Africa or institutes overseas are not eligible to lead proposals in this call, but may partner as sub-grant hosts.)
- Have at minimum an MSc degree; and
- Be able to devote at least 70% of their time to lead the proposed project.
The deadline for Pre-proposal submission is on September 7th, 2014. More information is available at https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/how-we-work/grant-opportunities.