APPLICATION PERIOD: 4^TH SEPTEMBER 2023 – 13^TH OCTOBER 2023

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 13^TH OCTOBER 2023 at 23:59Hrs

The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST), Namibia and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Zambia, within the framework of the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), invites interested researchers from Namibia and Zambia to respond to this Call.

Strategic thematic area: Climate-smart Agriculture

Focus Area: Agriculture with focus on Climate-smart agriculture technologies that are to provide a means to respond to the challenges posed by climate change.

Call Objective: The objective of the call is to minimize the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector throughutilizing climate smart technologies and techniques that will enhance market access for agricultural producers.

Project Location: Namibia and Zambia  

TO APPLY: visit www.ncrst.na and www.nstcms.nstc.org.zm for detailed Call Guidelines and online application.

For more information, please contact:

Namibia:             Oswald Mughongora,     Telephone: +264 61 431 7000;    E-mail: omughongora@ncrst.na

Zambia:                Phica N. Jalabani,             Telephone: +260-211-255854;     E-mail:pnjalabani@nstc.org.zm

1.0       BACKGROUND

The National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) of the Republic of Malawi, the National Science and Technology Council of Zambia (NSTC) and the Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ) are participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Phase II-plus. During this phase, NCST, NSTC and RCZ are jointly administering a Grant aimed at managing collaborative research calls in the application of artificial intelligence in agricultural and health service delivery in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Initiative is funded by the African Centre for Technology Studies.

Under this collaborative agreement, NCST, NSTC and RCZ purpose to strengthen research collaborations between researchers in the three countries on application of Artificial Intelligence in agriculture and delivery of health services. It is the vision of this joint collaboration to strengthen the sustainability of health and agricultural systems through artificial intelligence in pursuance of sustainable economies and societies.

2.0       RATIONALE AND SCOPE OF THE JOINT CALL

In a bid to promote the utilisation of emerging technologies in the socio-economic development of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe there is need to leverage these technologies on our existing capacities so as to improve livelihoods. Research collaborations on artificial intelligence in health and agriculture can drive innovation, solve real-world challenges, and bridge the gap between research and implementation. In that regard, the contribution of artificial intelligence in generating sectoral and organizational efficacies and efficiencies is key to developing nations which seek immediate solutions their health and agriculture systems. By bringing together experts from various national boundaries, diverging fields and involving industry stakeholders from the three countries in the research process, it is envisaged that this programme can develop more effective and practical artificial intelligence based solutions that have the potential to transform the health and agriculture sectors of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

3.0       THEMATIC FOCUS

Researchers in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning directed to health and agriculture in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe will collaborate to prepare trilateral research proposals focusing on either artificial intelligence application in health systems and agriculture. Project proposals submitted under this call may include, but are not limited to, the following research areas:

• Value addition and precision farming;
• Yield production improvements;
• Nutrition Research;
• Microbial Research;
• Medical imaging and diagnostics;
• Precision medicine;
• Healthcare operations and management; and
• Drug discovery and development.

4.0     EXPECTED OUTCOMES

It is expected that interventions of the projects will improve the utilization of emergent technologies in the above stated areas of health and agriculture sector of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Projects should also aim within their proposed duration to enhance the capacity of researchers and relevant sectors in the practicability of artificial intelligence.

5.0     FUNDING LEVEL

The budget limit for project activities in the proposal will be not more than the local equivalent of USD 45,000.00for the research team in Malawi and Zambia, while in Zimbabwe the budget limit for project activities will be USD 45,000.00. Budget modalities will include three separate budgets, one for each team representative of their respective countries. Collaborative research projects will be implemented for a period not exceeding nineteen months (19 months) from 1^st October 2023 to 31^st July, 2025. Permissible budget items include the following:

• Material costs, if they are directly linked to the research project, in particular material of enduring value, the cost of expendable items, field expenses, travel expenses or third party charges.
• Direct costs incurred through the use of research infrastructure linked to the research.
• Costs of organizing conferences and workshops in connection with the funded research.
• Costs of national and international cooperation and networking activities directly associated with the funded research.

The mode of application and submission of the full application package (i.e with all the required attachments) shall primarily be through the web-based online grants management system of both NCST at www.grants.ncst.mw; RCZ at https://rczgrants.org/ and NSTC at https://nstcms.nstc.org.zm/web/ . Application packages submitted via email will NOT be accepted under this Grant scheme.

Any enquiries from Malawi researchers should be directed to Mr Kondwani Gondwe at kgondwe@ncst.mw. Enquiries from Zimbabwe researchers should be sent to Ms Zolisa Gumede at zgumede@rcz.ac.zw .Enquiries from Zambia should be sent to Atridah Mulonga on srf@nstc.org.zm.

Call Closing Date: 28^th August, 2023

For more details, download the full call details below.

Call Opening Date: 24^th May 2023

Call Closing Date: 24^th June 2023

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Fundo Nacional de Investigação (FNI) of the Republic of Mozambique and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) from the Republic of Zambia are science granting councils participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) for Sub Saharan Africa.

The SGCI seeks to strengthen the capacities of the participating SGCs in supporting research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to socio-economic development of the countries. The Initiative is jointly funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the UK´s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

In contributing to their national research systems, the SGCs (in the two countries) secured a Grant from the International Development Research Centre under the auspices of the SGCI which aims at supporting research projects in sustainable economies and societies.

2.0 RATIONALE AND SCOPE OF THE JOINT CALL

Sustainable development means that the needs of the present generation should be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Economies must be productive to meet the needs of the world’s growing population. Societies must be inclusive, providing opportunities for decent work for all, reducing inequalities and effectively eliminating poverty. In implementing sustainable development strategies, it is important to foster international cooperation among countries. In this context sustainable economies and societies: Sustainable Agriculture Practices and Renewable Energy was identified as research priority area to develop collaboration between Mozambique and Zambia.

To contribute towards efforts to enhance the implementation of sustainable economies and societies in the two countries, FNI and NSTC will fund collaborative research projects in this area. The objective of this Bilateral Joint Call is to generate critical knowledge that will help in strategic development and utilization of sustainable economies and societies to increase industry competitiveness, improve service delivery and reduce poverty.

3.0 THEMATIC FOCUS

The researchers in the two countries will collaborate to prepare joint research proposals in the priority area named below. The FNI and NSTC will, therefore, co-fund demand-led, collaborative research projects that address issues of relevance in the following priority areas in which research project proposals are invited;

a) Sustainable economies and societies: sustainable agriculture practices e.g. organic farming, green enterprises, crop rotation, increased crop diversity, integrated pest management (IPM), integration of livestock and crops, sustainable agroforestry practices, and precision farming),

b) Renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, water, geothermal, biomass energy etc)

APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND ELIGIBILITY

The application guidelines and other requirements including eligibility criteria are downloadable from any of the following website and links;

www.fni.gov.mz/ http://gms.fni.gov.mz/sistemamonitoria/

5.0 SUBMISSION AND PROCESSING OF PROPOSALS

Submission of an application package should be in a form of electronic copy. The deadline for submission is 24^th June, 2023. Application package shall include full proposal specified herein; Principal Investigator’s covering letter; letter of support from the institution of the Principal Investigator; and CVs of the Principal Investigators. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. When the full application package is duly completed save the document as “last names of principal investigators–NSTC-FNI Call for Proposals 2023”. The electronic copy should be in PDF.

• The Joint full application package should be submitted electronically in the prescribed template to the following:

• Upload on FNI website for principal investigators from Mozambique, and Email to nstc@nstc.org.zm for principal investigators from Zambia.

• All applications will be reviewed based on their quality and merit. A full proposal template is downloadable below.

• All documents (full research proposal, CV, detailed budget, letters of support) have to be submitted in PDF.

• The review, selection of proposals and communication to applicants is expected to be done by 31 August 2023.

• All proposals will be received and processed in confidentiality with acknowledgment of intellectual property rights of the applicants.

• Decision of NSTC and FNI will be final.

6.0 ENQUIRIES

Any enquiries from researchers shall be directed as follows;

a) Enquiries from researchers in Zambia should be directed to Atridah Mulonga on amulonga@nstc.org.zm and Phica Jalabani on pnjalabani@nstc.org.zm (Telephone +260-211-255854).

b) Enquiries from researchers from Mozambique should be directed to Dirce Madeira on dirce.madeira@fni.gov.mz or dmadeiramac@gmail.com (Tel No. 258-845-633807) and Edson Faria on edson.faria@fni.gov.mz (Tel No. 258-844-122705)

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), gives annual Science and Technology (S&T) Merit Awards in the male and female scientists categories, to recognize their outstanding achievements and contributions in advancing the socio-economic development of the country through research and development in science and technology.

The NSTC is hereby inviting Zambian scientists/researchers, to enter the 2022 S&T Merit Awards. candidates are required to complete and submit the Individual S&T Merit Award Application Form, which can be accessed by following the link below:

https://nstc.org.zm/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-Individual-ST-Merit-Award-Application-Form.doc

Applications should be submitted to zsc2022@nstc.org.zm by Friday 11^th November 2022.

For more information, visit the NSTC website or Facebook page. For inquiries, contact Ms. Nsama Mataka or Mr. Raphael Zimba on Tel: +260-211-255854, E-mail: nmataka@nstc.org.zm;  rkzimba@nstc.org.zm

NSTC – Committed to the promotion of Science, Technology and Innovation for improved quality of life in Zambia.

Pre-Call Announcement: Initiation of Cooperation in the Area of Agriculture between Sub-Saharan African and German Researchers

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) invites interested scientists from all Sub-Saharan African countries and researchers at all universities and research institutes in Germany, explicitly including universities of applied sciences, to take part in a scientific exchange in the field of agricultural sciences with special emphasis on the sustainable intensification of agriculture. The invitation is issued in close cooperation with the Fundo Nacional de Investigação (FNI) of the Republic of Mozambique and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the Republic of Zambia.

This initiative covers all (interdisciplinary) research questions that are primarily concerned with agriculture. Subject areas include (integrated) animal production and cropping systems, animal and plant breeding technologies, soil and plant microbiome interaction, abiotic and biotic plant stressors, digital methods in agriculture, livestock farming and animal disease control as well as socioeconomic aspects of agriculture.

Aim of the Initiative

The aim of the initiative is for participating researchers to identify joint interests in the area of agricultural research and initiate new collaborative ventures.

Structure of the Initiative

The initiative comprises three consecutive steps:

1. Identification of collaboration partners through previously submitted posters reflecting the researchers’ expertise, research interests and ideas for collaborative research projects;
2. the subsequent opportunity to submit DFG proposals to support the Initiation of International Collaborations;
3. a Status Workshop in Bonn/Germany to convene all researchers funded under this call.

Eligibility: Qualified researchers from all Sub-Saharan African countries and Germany are invited to take part in the initiative (as a rule they should hold a doctorate and have a track record in their respective research field). Applicants from German research institutions are required to fulfil the DFG eligibility requirements.

(1) Invitation to Submit Posters

Submitted posters should reflect the profile of the researcher as well as showing their expertise, experience and contact details. At the same time, the posters should highlight current research interests and ideas for joint research projects. Posters that show solely the results of previous research projects are out of scope and will not be considered. Posters must comply with the template provided below. Researchers are required to submit their posters in either English or French by 30 September 2022. The submission of posters is a prerequisite for participation in the subsequent call for proposals.

Only posters that comply with the eligibility requirements (i.e. the duty to cooperate in the case of participants from Germany) and the scope of the initiative will be accepted and uploaded to a poster platform. The posters will only be accessible to participating researchers and to the partnering funding agencies. When the poster platform goes live, participating researchers will be invited to view all posters, contact potential collaboration partners, develop joint research ideas and prepare a DFG proposal for the Initiation of International Collaboration.

(2) Call for the Initiation of International Collaboration

The call for the Initiation of International Collaboration serves to establish and facilitate collaborative relationships between researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany. For this purpose, three different modules are available: “Exploratory Workshops”, “Trips Abroad” and “Guest Visits”. In general, the DFG can only fund bilateral or multilateral Sub-Saharan African/German projects under this initiative. More details regarding the specifics of this call will be provided to the participants of the poster platform in October 2022. For further information on the programme and instructions for proposal preparation, please refer to the “Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration” (DFG form 1.813). Proposals must be submitted in English by 28 February 2023.

All proposals must include at least one applicant from Germany and one cooperation partner from Sub-Saharan Africa who have both previously submitted a poster. However, proposals can only be submitted by researchers from Germany. Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa act as cooperation partners and can also receive funding.

(3) Status Workshop

Approved travel funds from the funding for the Initiation of International Collaboration must be used to enable Sub-Saharan African project partners to participate in a Status Workshop in Bonn in the week of 8 to 12 April 2024. This workshop will be organised centrally by the DFG with the aim of assessing the need for a possible joint call for project proposals and collect lessons learnt regarding the framework within which such Sub-Saharan African/German collaborations can evolve.

Participation in the workshop will be limited to applicants from Germany and their cooperation partners from Sub-Saharan Africa with funding under the Initiation for International Collaboration.

Further Information

This call for proposals is also available in French:

• www.dfg.de/download/pdf/foerderung/internationales/ african_german_call_agriculture_fr.pdf

Poster template:

• www.dfg.de/download/pdf/foerderung/internationales/ african_german_call_agriculture_template_en.rtf

Platform for poster upload:

• https://events-dfg.aloom.de/african-german-scientific-exchange-sustainable-intensification-of-agriculture  

Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration with Proposal Preparation Instructions (DFG form 1.813):

• www.dfg.de/formulare/1_813 

Please note the DFG’s data protection notice on research funding, which can be viewed and downloaded at:

• www.dfg.de/privacy_policy

If necessary, please also forward this information to those individuals whose data will be processed by the DFG due to their involvement in your project.

For questions on this initiative and DFG collaboration with African countries, please contact:

• Franziska Meixner
  phone +49 228 885-2327
  franziska.meixner@dfg.de

For questions concerning DFG funding of projects in the field of agricultural sciences, please contact:

• Dr. Patricia Schmitz-Möller
  phone +49 228 885-2797
  patricia.schmitz-moeller@dfg.de

For questions concerning the Fundo Nacional de Investigação (FNI), please contact:

• Dirce Madeira
  dirce.madeira@mctestp.gov.mz
  dmadeiramac@gmail.com

For questions concerning the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), please contact:

• Nsama Mataka
  nmataka@nstc.org.zm

Note:

This text is available at
www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/announcements_proposals/2022/info_wissenschaft_22_54 
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