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DOCTAS II Mobility Grant (TEST CALL)

Call for Applications

MOBILITY GRANTS FOR DOCTORAL SCHOLARS
Opening Date: October 20, 2025
Closing Date: November 03, 2025

Purpose

With funding from the Carnegie Foundation of New York, under the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Training in Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology in Africa (DOCTAS II).

Rsif will award grants to support ongoing Rsif PhD scholars (Cohort 3 & 4 in round 1) in disseminating their research through conference participation and/or peer-reviewed publications, thereby advancing their academic careers, building visibility for African research, and strengthening global scholarly networks. These Mobility Grants will specifically enable Cohort 3 & 4 Rsif scholars to: 

  1. Enhance visibility and career development by supporting scholars to actively participate in regional and international conferences, expanding their professional networks and promoting African scientific contributions.
  2. Promote high-quality scientific publications by covering article processing charges and other costs of publishing in reputable peer-reviewed journals, thereby increasing global visibility of African research.
  3. Foster research leadership by equipping doctoral scholars to disseminate knowledge, contribute to policy discussions, and align outputs with Rsif’s thematic research priorities.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be current (ongoing) students of the Rsif PhD program in either cohort 3 or 4.
  • Conference applicants must have presented their research work (at least once) in the Rsif Student Seminar Series.
  • The applicant should have an invitation from an upcoming international or regional conference (as a session presenter, poster presenter, as a panelist or an organizer) or a submitted manuscript/publication in a reputable open access journal that required funding in form of Article Processing Charges (APC).
  • An applicant may submit only one application for an upcoming international or regional conference or publication support, including Article Processing Charges (APC), journal publication fees and other scholarly dissemination costs.

Funding

Grant size: Up to USD 5,000.

Duration: Funds should have been utilised by July 2026 upon award.

Number of awards: 20.

Eligible costs for a conference application include: Conference Registration, Visa, Airport Transfers, Economy Return ticket, Verifiable Ground Transport & Accomodation

Eligible costs for the publication support application include: Article Processing Charges (APC), Submission Fees, Excess Page Fees, Colour Figure Fees & changes After Layout.

Research Areas

The conference and the publication support applications must be linked to below PASET Thematic areas:

  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), including big data and artificial intelligence.
  • Food security and agribusiness.
  • Minerals, mining, and materials engineering.
  • Energy, including renewable energy.
  • Climate change.

Application Requirements

Conference

Publication support

A complete application must include:

  1. CV of the applicant
  2. Abstract/Full Paper/Poster for presentation at a conference*
  3. Conference acceptance letter
  4. Conference program
  5. Budget Estimate
  6. Institutional (AHU) Support Letter

*Applicants serving a different roles at the conference e.g. as an organiser or as a panellist, attach evidence.

 A complete application must include:

  1. CV of the applicant
  2. Manuscript/Publication
  3. Submission/Acceptance letter
  4. Publisher's invoice/Article Processing Charges (APC) Quote
  5. Institutional (AHU) Support Letter

 

Evaluation

Evaluation will commence after the call closes on 03 November 2025. A three-stage review process will done as follows:
  1. Eligibility screening to ensure the application meets the minimum requirements
  2. Evaluation by the DOCTAS II Mobility Grants Selection Committee
  3. Award by Rsif Management.

Evaluation Criteria (100 points total):

Criteria

Conference Applications

Publication Applications

Weight (%)

1. Scholarly Contribution

Quality & originality of paper/poster/panel; active role at the conference.

Quality, originality, and scientific rigor of manuscript.

30%

2. Relevance to RSIF & African Priorities

Alignment with Rsif thematic areas & African development priorities.

Alignment of manuscript with RSIF thematic areas & African priorities.

20%

3. Prestige & Visibility

Reputation of conference; global relevance & networking opportunities.

Reputation of target journal (peer-reviewed, indexed, impact factor).

20%

4. Career Development Potential

Potential to strengthen networks, exposure & employability.

Potential to enhance research profile, visibility, academic trajectory.

15%

5. Value for Money

Budget reasonableness (travel, registration, per diem); cost-sharing.

Budget reasonableness (APC fees, editing support); cost-effectiveness.

10%

6. Dissemination & Multiplier Effect

Plan to share learnings (seminars, reports, blogs, peer mentoring).

Plans for wider impact (co-authorship, citations, institutional outputs).

5%

TOTAL

    

100%

 

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online via the Rsif Portal: click here

Applications may be submitted in English or French.

Please upload your documents in PDF format. The maximum file size allowed is 5 MB.

Contact

Deadline for applications 03rd November 2025 at 5:00 pm (East Africa Time; UTC+3)

For inquiries and technical assistance:
Regional Coordination Unit (RCU), International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)
📧 Email: Rsifscholarships@icipe.org
📍 P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
📞 Tel: +254 (20) 8632000

For full details, download the DOCTAS II Mobility Grants Call October 2025 document below.

DOCTAS II Mobility Grant (TEST CALL)

(TEST CALL)

DOCTAS II Mobility Grant (TEST CALL)

(TEST CALL)

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