TWAS Research Grants Programme for Interdisciplinary Research: Collaborative Grants

The TWAS Research Grants Programme for Collaborative Grants was established in response to the need of researchers in developing countries to link with each other in the context of interdisciplinary projects combining their skills and expertise. Under this scheme, grants are awarded to high-level scientists for interdisciplinary research projects. Each grant supports a collaborative project jointly carried out by two Principal Investigators (PIs) in the science-and-technology-lagging countries (S&TLC) identified by TWAS.

The information on this page refers to proposals submitted for the Collaborative Grant. For proposals submitted by individual young researchers, please see TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences (Individuals). For proposals submitted by research units, please see TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences (Groups).

The TWAS Research Grants Programme for Collaborative Research aims to:

• Reinforce and promote interdisciplinary scientific research in developing countries;
• Strengthen developing countries' endogenous capacity in science;
• Enable scientists from developing countries to tackle complex problems through collaborative research projects;
• Build and sustain collaborative links of scientific excellence in S&TLC to help them combine their complementary skills in addressing real-life problems facing their countries.

The programme is generously supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The contribution is intended to support research proposals from S&TLCs in dire need of basic research tools.

Programme Details

• TWAS Research Grants are awarded to high-level promising interdisciplinary research projects carried out by collaborating scientists in the S&T-lagging countries (S&TLC).
• The Collaborative Grant amounts to a maximum of USD 35,000 per Principal Investigator (with up to USD 30,000 for equipment and consumable supplies).
• The grants, which are normally provided for a period of 24 months, may be used to purchase scientific equipment and consumables. They do not cover salaries of researchers and/or students, field expenses, or travel expenses. In addition, the purchase of laptops, tablets, drones and laboratory animals is not supported.

Eligibility

• The applicants must be previous recipients of TWAS Research Grants (either Individual or Group). One Principal Investigator (PI) must be from an LDC and the other PI from any other country from the STLC list.
• Applying Principal Investigators must be two well-established researchers who are nationals of a developing country, who hold a PhD and have a good track record of publications in international journals. The grant should operate within a university or a research institution in one of the S&TLCs and should include two Principal Investigators submitting one combined application. The PIs may choose to include additional members such as researchers or PhD and MSc students, technicians, etc. There is no age limit for the PIs.
• Both PIs must be in two different countries; either both from an LDC or one from an LDC and the other from the remaining list of STLC.
• Both PIs must work in different fields to ensure the research project is interdisciplinary.
• The applications must show gender balance where one PI is female and the other male.
• Applicants must, at the time of application, NOT have an active research grant with TWAS or OWSD.
• PIs must submit a strong Research Proposal, further information on how to write research proposals may be found by visiting AuthorAID.
• Both PIs must have completed and submitted a satisfactory final report on their previous TWAS grant.
• Be advised that applicants may apply for only one programme per calendar year in the TWAS and OWSD portfolio. Applicants will not be eligible to visit another institution in that year under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes. One exception: the head of an institution who invites an external scholar to share his/her expertise under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes may still apply for another programme.

Agreement

• If selected, a trilateral written agreement is drawn up between TWAS, each PIs and his/her home institution. The institution undertakes to administer the grant according to the agreement and to provide laboratory space, salaries and other facilities necessary for the project. Equipment, consumables and literature provided for the project through the TWAS Research Grants Programme remain the property of the home institution after the project is completed. The grant will not cover any institutional overheads.
• In general, the grant funds are kept at TWAS for the purchase of items requested by the grant holder. TWAS places the orders with the supplier(s) upon receipt of proforma invoices submitted by the grant holder in accordance with the approved itemized budget.
• The agreement will also provide details on how to activate other benefits of the grant such as support for travel between the two institutions of each PI, and support for publishing in Open Access journals.
• Both PIs must submit a final report within one year from the date of the last purchase.

How to apply

• We invite you to read the guidelines (see below) carefully before starting to fill in the application form.
• TWAS Research Grant applications can now be submitted online by clicking on the “Apply Now” link at the bottom of this page.
• Please note that a researcher may only submit one application at a time and for only one kind of grant (as an individual applicant, as a research unit, collaborative grant, IsDB or the OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship). Applicants cannot apply for other TWAS programmes i.e. Postdoctoral, Visiting Scholar and Visiting Researcher programme within the same year in order to be present in their home country throughout the duration of the grant.
• For any queries please contact the TWAS Research Grants office, e-mail: researchgrants@twas.org

When to apply

• The deadline for receiving applications is 3 April 2024. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the deadline but submit the application as early as you can.

Notification

• The Selection Committee meetings of the TWAS Research Grant programmes will be held by the end of the year. Applicants will be notified of the outcome shortly after the meeting.