2018 Africa-India Mobility Fund for African and Indian Researchers

In which host country will I be studying?

African countries and India (In an exchange format ie Africans

What is the award about?

The AIMF initiative by the African Academy of Sciences and the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance (India Alliance) intends to encourage South-South collaborations and learning between the two ecosystems. This is in recognition of the fact that Africa and India face similar challenges, both in the diseases that affect their populations and socio-political issues as well as the leadership required to address these. The exchanges are expected to enhance their skills and contribute to the growth of knowledge and leadership towards common health challenges.

Objectives

• To strengthen research & innovation capacity and knowledge exchange
• To strengthen scientific collaboration between Indian and African teams

What is the category of this opportunity?

Short courses, Grants

How do I know if I’m eligible for the scholarship?

• Applications broadly focused on infectious and non-communicable diseases of relevance to local, national, or global health will be accepted every month. The scope of the collaborative opportunity may include but is not limited to HIV/AIDS, TB, dengue, malaria, vector-borne diseases, parasitic infections, emerging infections, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, health systems research, antimicrobial resistance, drug development, microbiome and general biomedical sciences.
• While applications that involve existing collaborations will be considered, applications that target new collaborations and encourage diversity especially female and young applicants are particularly encouraged.

What are the selection criteria?

• The candidate – evidence of scientific track record or achievements (if young researcher) in the specified project area and demonstrated interest in collaborating with India/Africa.
• The proposal – scientific quality and feasibility of the proposal.
• Evidence that the grant will facilitate scientific exchange that would otherwise not be possible from distance. Evidence of added value for addressing the disease area/challenge and for fostering Africa-India collaboration.

How many scholarship awards are available?

Not specified

What are the benefits of the award?

• The award will cover directly incurred costs upto $5,000 / INR 325,000

  for travel lasting up to 3 months. This is to cover the applicant’s airfare (at Economy class) and subsistence whilst on the visit.

• Salaries and fees to attend meetings will not be eligible.
• An additional $2,500 may be requested for laboratory reagents, however, the decision to award the extra funds will be on case by case basis upon justification of the needs.
• The amount of each individual award will vary according to location and timescale. For example, if staying for a 3-month

  placement, the applicant may be expected to source university accommodation, or a short term let. However, if visiting for a week, a hotel or equivalent may be more suitable.

• Applicants may not seek funding for conference attendance, salary, equipment, per diem and indirect costs.

Reporting

• Recipients will be expected to submit a 3-4 page

  scientific report on the outcomes of the collaboration one month after the end of the visit. This should include scientific outcomes, experience and value gained from the visit, and proposed future steps (a standard narrative form will be provided).

• Financial reports will be submitted by the home institutions as per the prescribed template.  Proof of expenditure may be requested.

Awardees will also be expected to write at least one blog or a publication including photos about their experiences.

What is the duration of the program?

3 months.

How to Apply for the Programme

All application forms should be submitted through the AAS Grants Management System (Ishango). Register and apply here.

Program Webpage

Please Note

Please note that the grant can only be used to deliver the objectives stated in the grant application. Ensure that the best estimates for the full cost of undertaking the project described in the application are requested.