TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences (Individuals)

Publish Date: Mar 14, 2021

Deadline: Apr 14, 2021

The TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences was established in response to the needs of researchers in developing countries, particularly those attached to institutions that lack appropriate research facilities. Under this scheme, grants can be awarded for research projects in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics either to individual young researchers, or to research units in the science-and-technology-lagging countries - https://twas.org/node/2329 (S&TLC) identified by TWAS, to enable them to purchase the research facilities they need to enhance their productivity.

The TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences aims to:

  • Reinforce and promote scientific research in basic sciences in developing countries;
  • Strengthen developing countries' endogenous capacity in science;
  • Reduce the exodus of scientific talents from the South;
  • Build and sustain units of scientific excellence in S&TLC over a longer period to help them achieve a critical mass of highly qualified and innovative scientists capable of addressing real-life problems facing their countries.

The TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences complements that of the International Foundation for Science (IFS). The two organizations maintain close contact to ensure the complementarity of the two schemes and to avoid duplication. The TWAS Research Grants Programme supports research in the basic sciences only; proposals focusing on more applied research should therefore be submitted to IFS. TWAS cannot accept projects relating to applications in agriculture or medicine or that use existing techniques to screen, for example, medicinal plants for bioactive substances or to monitor an environment for pollutants; TWAS will have to reject such proposals.

The TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences is generously supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida - http://www.sida.se/). The contribution is mainly intended to support research proposals from S&TLCs in dire need of basic research tools.

Programme Details

  • TWAS Research Grants are awarded to high-level promising research projects in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics carried out by individual scientists in the S&T-lagging countries  (S&TLC - https://twas.org/node/2329) identified by TWAS.
  • Research Grants to individual scientists amount to a maximum of USD 15,000.
  • The grants, which are normally provided for a period of 24 months, may be used to purchase scientific equipment, consumables and specialized literature (textbooks and proceedings only). They do not cover salaries of researchers and/or students, field expenses, or travel expenses. In addition, the purchase of laptops, tablets, drones and laboratory animals is not supported.

Eligibility

  • Individual applicants must be nationals of developing countries. They must hold a PhD, be at the beginning of their careers, but already have some research experience. They must hold a position at a university or research institution in one of the S&TLCs and be under 45 years of age.
  • Applicant must at the time of application NOT have an active research grant with TWAS or OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship.
  • Applications from women scientists and those working in Least Developed Countries are especially encouraged.
  • You must submit a strong Research Proposal, you may find further information on how to wrtire a strong proposal by visiting AuthorAID - https://www.authoraid.info/en/resources/?topic=Grant+proposal+writing&language=English.
  • Individual scientists who submit a satisfactory final report on a previous grant may apply for a renewal.
  • Please be advised that applicants may apply for only one programme per calendar year in the TWAS and OWSD portfolio. Applicants will not be eligible to visit another institution in that year under the TWAS Visiting Professor - https://twas.org/opportunities/visiting-scientist/professors programmes. One exception: The head of an institution who invites an external scholar to share his/her expertise under the TWAS Visiting Professor - https://twas.org/opportunities/visiting-scientist/professors programmes may still apply for another programme.

Agreement

  • If selected, a trilateral written agreement is drawn up between TWAS, the individual grantee and the home institution. The institution undertakes to administer the grant according to the agreement and to provide laboratory space, salaries and other facilities necessary for the project. Equipment, consumables and literature provided for the project through the TWAS Research Grants Programme remain the property of the home institution after the project is completed.
  • In general, the grant funds are kept at TWAS for the purchase of items requested by the grant holder. TWAS places the orders with the supplier(s) upon receipt of proforma invoices submitted by the grant holder in accordance with the approved itemized budget.
  • The agreement will also provide details on how to activate other benefits of the grant such as support for travel for young scientists to attend international scientific meetings, and support for publishing in Open Access journals.
  • Grant holders must submit a final report within one year of receipt of the last purchase.

How to apply

  • TWAS Research Grant applications can ONLY be submitted online now by clicking on the “Apply Now” tab at the bottom of this page.
  • Please note that a researcher may only submit one application at a time and for only one kind of grant (either as an individual applicant, as a research unit - https://twas.org/node/1924, IsDB - https://twas.org/opportunity/isdb-twas-research-grant or the OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship). Applicants cannot apply for other TWAS programmes i.e. Postdoctoral, Visiting Scholar and Visiting Researcher programme within the same year in order to be present in their home country throughout the duration of the grant.
  • For any queries please contact Ms. P. Patel, e-mail: researchgrants@twas.org.

When to apply

  • The deadline for receiving applications is 14 April 2021. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the deadline but submit the application as early as you can to enable us to process your application as quickly as possible.

Notification

  • Please note that the assignment meetings of the TWAS Research Grants Committees will be held by the end of the year. Applicants will be notified of the outcome shortly after the meeting.

https://twas.org/opportunity/twas-research-grants-programme-basic-sciences-individuals

Similar Opportunities


Disciplines

Biology

Chemistry

Mathematics

Physics

Opportunity Types

Grants

Eligible Countries

Algeria

Argentina

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belize

Benin

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Costa Rica

Croatia

Dominica

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Fiji

Gabon

Georgia

Ghana

Grenada

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Honduras

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iran

Jamaica

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

Macedonia

Malaysia

Maldives

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Oman

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Poland

Romania

Russia

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Solomon Islands

South Africa

Suriname

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Uganda

Ukraine

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Zimbabwe