Open International Scholarships

In support of its mission, IFAR annually provides small grants to professionals from national agricultural research systems in developing countries (NARS). The award made to the youngest woman grantee each year will be designated the Ravi Tadvalkar Memorial Scholarship, in recognition of the many contributions to the organization by IFAR’s first Treasurer and Secretary, his commitment to capacity building in developing countries, and his concern about diversity and gender issues.

IFAR also manages the IFAR Wilfried Thalwitz Scholarship established in his memory by the family and friends of the late CGIAR Chair for research linked with CGIAR Centers.

Nominations for these awards must be sponsored by one or more CGIAR Centers, and the work programs proposed by applicants must be closely linked with the program of a CGIAR Center. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with Center scientists when preparing their project proposals for submission to IFAR.

Role:
IFAR is a results-oriented foundation that supports partnerships, collaboration,
and awards as a means of fostering scientific excellence in agriculture and related fields
(Additional details may be accessed at http://www.ifar4dev.org/).

Mission: IFAR’s mission is to:

• Recognize and promote scientific excellence involving the work of international
  agricultural research centers (CGIAR Centers) supported by the Consultative Group on
  International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and their partners.
• Promote science through professional development.
• Give priority to Africa and South Asia

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Professional Development Grants:
In support of its mission, IFAR annually provides small
grants to professionals from national agricultural research systems in developing countries
(NARS). The award made to the youngest woman grantee each year will be designated the Ravi
Tadvalkar Memorial Scholarship, in recognition of the many contributions to the organization by
IFAR’s first Treasurer and Secretary, his commitment to capacity building in developing countries,and his concern about diversity and gender issues.

IFAR also manages the IFAR Wilfried Thalwitz Scholarship established in his memory by the
family and friends of the late CGIAR Chair for research linked with CGIAR Centers.
Nominations for these awards must be sponsored by one or more CGIAR Center/s (see
http://www.cgiar.org/ for a full list of Centers), and the work programs proposed by applicants
must be closely linked with the program of a CGIAR Center. Applicants are encouraged to
collaborate with Center scientists when preparing their project proposals for submission to IFAR.
Up to four professionals sponsored by any individual Center may receive grants each year.
An awardee will not be eligible to re-apply for a grant following his/her previous
successful application.

Applications should be from individual scientists. However, a proponent may wish to
collaborate with other proponents, creating synergies through team work. The value of the
individual grant (up to $11,000) will not change in these circumstances.

Objectives: The objectives of IFAR’s grants are to:

• Enhance the professional development of promising professionals from developing countries,
  who are at the early to middle stages of their careers, and undertaking research in partnership
  with CGIAR Centers to support sustainable development of agriculture in developing countries;
• Promote values gained from a “System Perspective” involving linkages between CGIAR
  Centers and NARS, and collaboration among CGIAR Centers;
• Encourage cooperation among national institutions through linkages with CGIAR Centers.

Eligibility:
Please note that

• all applicants are expected to hold a graduate degree;
• grants are not intended to finance regular undergraduate or graduate academic
  programs, in whole or in part.

Criteria:
Evaluation criteria, and the total points given to each criterion (indicating relative
emphasis), are stated below. Adequacy and clarity of the proposed budget are essential for
selection.

• Appropriateness of proponent’s skills and experience to implementing the
  proposal (20);
• Opportunity for the professional development of applicants in the early or midstages
  of their careers (15);
• Quality of proposal, and its relevance to the goals of the CGIAR (20);
• Support from proponent’s institution for the work program and activities to be
  undertaken after completion of work program (15);
• Means by which the proposed work program will improve understanding of the CGIAR
  System, and its linkages to NARS (10);
• Activities to be undertaken by proponent in her/his own country after completion of
  work program to promote (a) science-based solutions to development problems, and (b)
  linkages between NARS and the CGIAR System (20)

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Timeline:
The schedule for the award of grants in 2007 appears below:

• Information about the 2007 Program conveyed to CGIAR Center Directors and GFAR,
  and posted on IFAR’s web site – By Dec. 15, 2007;
• Receipt of proposals — By March 2, 2007;
• Review of proposals by Evaluation Committee, and submission of Committee’s
  recommendations to the IFAR Board — By April 13, 2007;
• Board discussion and approval — By April 27, 2007;
• Centers informed of selections, and funds released — By May 11, 2007.

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Category: General, United States