About this opportunity
The AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant is a call aimed at one very specific person: a doctoral student in sub-Saharan Africa who still has a piece of their PhD research to carry out and needs funding to do it properly. The African-German Network of Excellence in Science runs the award, funded by the Bayer Foundation with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, and its stated purpose is to strengthen the scientific capacity of young African scholars.
Each successful applicant receives a maximum of EUR 7,000, paid once. The grant supports activities that are already part of your doctoral research, which could be a field experiment, data collection, laboratory work or another research activity in biodiversity conservation or sustainable agriculture. Two limits matter here. The money cannot refund field work you already completed, so the plan you submit should describe work still ahead of you. And the work must be carried out in a sub-Saharan African country, with the proposal showing clearly how it is relevant to development in those countries.
The
Eligibility
line is narrow on purpose, and it is worth reading twice before you spend a weekend on the proposal. You must be a national of a sub-Saharan African country and officially registered for a doctoral degree at a university or tertiary institute in the same region at the time you apply, since completed PhD work is not considered. You must also have published at least one scientific paper in a non-predatory journal, and AGNES only looks at papers in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science, with the URL link to each publication supplied.
Applications go in through one online form and close on 16 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT, with no late submissions accepted. The selection meeting takes place in December 2026 and selected candidates are informed afterwards. If you are awarded, your funded research begins no earlier than 11 January 2027 and no later than 31 March 2027, you and your supervisor both sign a letter of acceptance and contractual agreement back to the AGNES Governing Board within two weeks of the offer, and you report on progress and publications after the PhD is complete, no later than six months after that completion date.
What you receive
- A once-off grant of up to EUR 7,000 toward doctoral research in biodiversity conservation or sustainable agriculture
- Funding for work that is already part of your PhD, including field experiments, data collection and laboratory studies
- An award funded by the Bayer Foundation with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany
- Membership of the AGNES network of young African researchers and the recognition that comes with it
- A clear timeline: selection in December 2026 and funded work starting between 11 January 2027 and 31 March 2027
- No application fee, with everything submitted through one online form
Who can apply
- Officially registered for a doctoral degree at a university or tertiary institute in sub-Saharan Africa when you apply
- A national of a sub-Saharan African country
- Working in the field of biodiversity conservation and/or sustainable agriculture
- At least one scientific paper published in a non-predatory journal
- Publications in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science, with the URL link to each publication provided
- An original proposal that shows clear relevance to development in sub-Saharan African countries
- All application materials submitted in English
Who should not apply
- Applicants whose doctoral work is already completed
- Candidates not currently enrolled at a university or tertiary institute in sub-Saharan Africa
- Applicants who are not nationals of a sub-Saharan African country
- Research proposals outside biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture
- Applications that do not follow the indicated guidelines or lack a required document, which are automatically rejected
- Late submissions, which are not accepted
- Field work already carried out, since the grant cannot refund previous activities
Documents to prepare
- A short original research or project proposal of not more than 5 pages, in English, outlining the proposed activities and the schedule for reaching the objectives
- A standard CV in English using the AGNES template, downloadable from the call page
- Official proof of registration for your doctoral degree
- Official academic transcripts covering undergraduate and any postgraduate study, plus an official English explanation of the grading system if your transcript is in another language
- A list of published articles in non-predatory journals with the SCOPUS or Web of Science link to each, merged into one PDF that opens with a descriptive title page and then carries the first page of each publication
- A detailed budget of the planned activities
- All uploads kept within the 20Mb maximum size stated on the call page
How to apply
- Open the 2026 AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant page on the AGNES website and read the eligibility, document and submission sections before you start writing
- Download the 2026 AGNES-BAYER CV template from that same page and complete it in English
- Draft your original proposal in no more than 5 pages, with the work activities and a schedule for the objectives, keeping it inside biodiversity conservation or sustainable agriculture
- Assemble your proof of registration, official transcripts, publication list with SCOPUS or Web of Science links and the first page of each paper merged into one PDF, and your detailed budget
- Check your proposal for originality yourself, since every proposal is run through a plagiarism test
- Submit the complete set through the official application form at https://forms.gle/4Z6aEBaSW9hcYB4S8 before 16 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT
- Write to info@agnes-h.org if you need clarification on the call
Selection process
- Applications are screened for completeness against the required documents and for originality through a plagiarism test
- AGNES considers only candidates with outstanding academic records and publications in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science
- Relevance of the proposal to development in sub-Saharan African countries is assessed as part of the review
- The selection meeting takes place in December 2026 and selected candidates are informed after it
- Each awardee and their supervisor send a signed letter of acceptance and contractual agreement to the AGNES Governing Board within two weeks of receiving the offer
- Grantees and supervisors report progress and published results to AGNES on the prescribed format, with the final report due no later than 6 months after the PhD is completed
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Who can apply for the AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026?
A doctoral student who is a national of a sub-Saharan African country and is officially registered at a university or tertiary institute in sub-Saharan Africa, working on biodiversity conservation or sustainable agriculture, with at least one paper published in a non-predatory journal indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science. Completed PhD work is not considered.
How much is the grant and what may it be spent on?
A maximum of EUR 7,000, paid once. It funds activities that form part of your doctoral research, such as field experiments, data collection, laboratory studies or other research work in biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture. It cannot be used to refund field work you already carried out.
When does the call close and what happens after that?
Applications must be submitted online by 16 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT, and late submissions are not accepted. The selection meeting is held in December 2026, successful candidates are informed, and funded research activities must begin no earlier than 11 January 2027 and no later than 31 March 2027.
Is there an application fee?
No. There is no fee to apply, and the whole application is submitted through the online form linked on the AGNES call page.
How should the publication list be prepared?
List each article published in a non-predatory journal with its SCOPUS or Web of Science link, then merge that list and the first page of every publication, showing title, authors and abstract, into a single PDF. The document should open with a descriptive title page, for example a line naming the list and the author, before the publications follow.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
