Deadline: December 3, 2013
The Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program is currently accepting applications from sub-Saharan African students. The Borlaug LEAP offers fellowships to enhance the quality of thesis research of outstanding graduate students from developing countries who show strong promise as leaders in the field of agriculture and related disciplines. The award level is US$20,000 for a maximum of one year.
Awards are made on a competitive basis to students who show strong scientific and leadership potential, have a well coordinated proposal between their home university, a US university mentor, and the CGIAR mentor, and whose research has relevance to the national development of the student’s home country or region.
The Fellowship
The program supports internships for up to 12 months. Internships can be at the CGIAR, US graduate-level university or a combination of appropriate institutions. Students are encouraged to creatively plan an internship that best suits their educational needs and circumstances. A minimum of three months should be spent at any one location.
Eligibility
An eligible candidate for a Borlaug LEAP fellowship must be:
- a citizen of a USAID-assisted country. Currently we are only accepting applications from citizens of USAID-assisted countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Applicants cannot hold citizenship or permanent residency in the US and/or any non-USAID assisted country. This includes applicants with dual citizenship.
- currently enrolled as an MS or PhD student at a US or sub-Saharan Africa developing country university.
- fluent in reading, writing and speaking English (with a TOEFL score 500 or above). Applicants currently enrolled in an English-speaking university are not required to take the TOEFL.
In addition, eligible candidates will have
- completed at least one year of graduate level course work in the graduate program the applicant is currently enrolled in with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- a thesis-topic related to agricultural development and related fields.
Successful candidates must:
- agree to return to their country of citizenship for a minimum of two years following graduation.
- remain enrolled as an MS or PhD student and have student status at their university for the duration of their fellowship.
- See Conditions of Training in the link below for more information
The program honors Dr. Norman Borlaug whose distinguished career epitomized the qualities of leadership, scholarship, scientific achievement, international cooperation, mentoring, and passion.
For more information, click here.
