Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23 February 2018- The African Union Commission launches its Second Open Call For Research Proposals under Phase II of the African Union Research Grants programme, with a deadline of 22nd May 2018 for submission of proposals.

The objectives of the Call are to:

§ support collaborative Research and Innovation (R&I) activities that address critical issues facing African countries and contribute to the sustainable development of African countries and the fight against poverty, while respecting ethical and gender issues;

§ develop the capacity of the African Union Commission (AUC) to design, implement and monitor R&I funding programmes and establish the basis for a credible and reputable African framework programme for R&I that could attract additional funds from other sources (African Union (AU) Member States and other partners and donors).

This call for proposal responds to the implementation of the Africa’s Science Technology and Innovation Strategy-2024 which addresses the aspirations identified under Agenda 2063 and Priority 3 on Human development of the EU-Africa partnership. The call supports research on: Food & Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) with particular attention on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition.

The African Union Research Grant (AURG) is one of the programmes initiated within the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) to support a Pan African research and development through grants and direct funding. The programme provides the needed opportunity to use Science and Technology (S&T) as a tool for sustainable development, building and strengthening Africa’s S&T capacities.

The Commission through the support of the European Union secured a sum of 17.5 million euro under the EU Pan-African Programme to launch 2 calls for research proposals in Africa in 2016 and 2018. Nine (9) institutions have been selected and awarded grants up to US$ 1,000,000 each in the 2016 Call for Proposals.

The full Guidelines for Applicants, Application form and other supporting documents are available for downloading under the Event Resources Section located on the webpage: https://au.int/en/aurg.

Deadline for submitting applications is May 22, 2018 at 17:00 GMT + 3 (Addis Ababa Time)

For more information about the Call kindly contact: African Union Research Grant Programme Management Unit | E-mail: research-info@africa-union.org

Media inquiries should be directed to:
Mr. Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar| Communication Officer| Directorate of Information and Communication| E-mail: Gamalk@africa-union.org
Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org |

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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