2015 African Union (AU)-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards for Young African Scientists.

by lanredahunsi April 23, 2015

Application Deadline: June 25 2015

The African Union and TWAS offer support for African countries to establish awards for young African scientists. TWAS, the African Union (AU) and national ministries of science and technology are entering into partnerships with national science academies, scientific research councils and high-level research organizations in Africa to establish ‘AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards’.

The awards are designed to recognize scientific excellence in their countries. In each participating country, two USD5,000-prizes will be awarded each year in the categories of:

‘Life and earth sciences‘, and
‘Basic sciences, technology and innovation‘.

For African countries, this programme replaces the TWAS Prizes for Young Scientists in Developing Countries award scheme.

This programme is for science academies, research councils or high-level research organizations in developing countries

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates eligible for the prizes should be no older than forty years of age at the time of winning the prize;
hold at least a Master’s degree; have a good record of research publications in internationally recognized journals;
be living and working in the country of the awarding organization for at least the previous three years.
Nominations of women scientists are particularly encouraged.

Application Procedure

African organizations intending to award AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards in their respective countries are required to sign an agreement of collaboration with TWAS, the AU and their national ministry of science and technology that outlines the rules and regulations governing the scheme.
The scheme is then managed by the participating organization while TWAS and the AU provide the prize money.

Presentation:

The prize should be presented to the awardees by a high-ranking public figure (e.g., head of state/government, minister of science and technology) at a special ceremony held each year on 9 September: Africa Union Day.

Participating Organizations

To date, TWAS and the AU have signed agreements with ministries of science and technology and participating organizations in 14 countries. The participating organizations are:

Benin: Centre Beninois de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (CBRST)
Burkina Faso: Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique et Tecnologique (CNRST)
Cameroon: Cameroon Academy of Sciences
Egypt: Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT)
Ghana: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
Guinea: Organisation Scientifique National de Stimulation de la Recherche en Guinee
Kenya: Directorate of Research Management and Development (DRMD), Kenya
Lesotho: Department of Science and Technology
Malawi: National Commission for Science and Technology
Nigeria: Nigerian Academy of Sciences
Senegal: National Academy of Science and Technology (ANSTS)
South Africa: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
Sudan: Sudan Institute for Natural Sciences (SIFNS)
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences