Deadline: October 4, 2019
The Africa India Mobility Fund (AIMF) is now accepting applications from African and Indian scientists who wish to conduct visits of up to three months in either direction.
The AIMF is a partnership between The African Academy of Sciences (The AAS) and the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance (India Alliance) that has been running since April 2018 to promote collaboration between African and Indian scientists. Travel grants which seek to establish links between African and Indian researchers that cultivate a culture of collaboration will serve as a vehicle to improve research capacity and build leadership in biomedical and clinical research for Africa and India.
The AIMF comes on the heels of the Third India-Africa Forum Summit held in 2015, where Heads of State adopted the Delhi Declaration renewing their commitment to work with each other, and outlining the priority areas and ways in which Africa and India can work together to improve the lives of their people.
Financial Support
- The award will cover directly incurred costs up to $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. The decision committee will consider whether the expenses are reasonable and may ask for revised costing.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be nationals of India or nationals of countries within Africa;
- They should be based either in Africa or in India, and should be affiliated with a recognised academic, medical, research institution, or other similar institutions. Those based at for-profit organisations are not eligible;
- The call is also open to non-African investigators who must be resident in Africa or Overseas Citizen of India (evidence may be requested), have an appointment/affiliation with an African/Indian institution, and their residence and tenure of service with the appointing African/Indian institution should cover the duration of the award;
- Travel should be between an African country and India and can be in either direction. Travel within Africa can also be sought for an engagement of more than one African country with India;
- Applicants must have a PhD/MD or equivalent research qualification and hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible institution, which must span the duration of the project;
- Collaboration should focus on a single project involving researchers in Africa and India, respectively;
- An applicant is eligible to receive only one grant per year.
Assessment 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.
Application
All application forms should be submitted through The AAS Grants Management System.
In addition, applicants will be required to provide the following information at the application stage, to enable us to assess their eligibility to receive travel awards:
- A letter of support from their academic supervisor/line manager, and confirmation of support from the respective head of department or institution
- Confirmation of support from hosting scientists’ institution
- Curriculum Vitae.
Applications must be submitted in English.
For more information, visit AIMF.
