Middle East and North Africa region (MENA)

CRDF Global is accepting proposals to support collaborate research projects between young Arab female investigators in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and U.S. researchers in the agricultural sciences for the 2016 U.S.-MENA Joint Research Initiative. This initiative is jointly funded by CRDF Global and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

CRDF Global is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources, training, and services. CRDF Global’s Research Partnerships (RP) competitions enable cross-border collaboration and the strengthening of international research through the implementation of peer-reviewed research grant competitions. Research partnerships open avenues for new research directions and foster new collaborative opportunities for U.S. and non-U.S. scientists.

CRDF Global and ICBA are accepting research proposals from joint teams of U.S. and MENA researchers focusing on Agricultural Sciences as it applies directly to the following:

• Breeding/genomics around important food crops and resiliency for climate change and salinity
• Water, soil and nutrient management to enhance resiliency to climate change and salinity

• Joint research teams of scientists employed at accredited public and private U.S. and MENA universities and research centers are eligible to participate in this competition.
• Eligible MENA countries include Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen; Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria,Tunisia, and Libya.
• Proposals must include one MENA female Principal Investigator (PI) and one U.S. PI, each 1) possessing the degree of Ph.D., M.D., or the equivalent research experience, and 2) having at least five scientific publications in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• These PIs will share overall responsibility for the project in their respective countries, coordinating all project participants and institutions.
• The PI for the MENA team
• 1) must be female
  2) must be an early-career scientist, defined as a clinician or scientist who has received
  her highest degree of study within the past five years. No exceptions to this requirement will be considered.
   The MENA PI and participants on the MENA team
  1) must be citizens and permanent residents within the eligible MENA countries
  2) must reside within the eligible MENA country during the course of the CRDF
  Global-ICBA project
  3) must be currently employed at one of the country’s universities (academic institutions) and
• 4) must work full-time in civilian research.
  The U.S. PI and participants on the U.S. team
  1) must be legally employed by an accredited U.S. university and 2) must reside in the U.S. during the course of the CRDF Global-ICBA project. Graduate students on the U.S. team may be foreign nationals, but they must be enrolled full-time in an accredited
  degree program at the U.S. institution.
• All projects must be oriented toward non-military objectives and must be carried out in a civilian research environment.
• All proposals must include participation by at least one student/postdoctoral researcher on each team (i.e. one MENA student or postdoctoral researcher AND one U.S. student
  or postdoctoral researcher) who will make substantive contributions to the research while receiving practical opportunities for professional development in the natural sciences or engineering.

Benefits:

• Research Grant awards, each up to USD100,000 total, will be made to joint research teams of U.S. and MENA scientists, in support of 1-3 year projects.
• The total award amount per U.S. and MENA investigator/institution involved may not exceed USD 50,000.
• Awards are intended to support collaborative research projects between MENA and U.S. researchers in the agricultural sciences.
• The projects require both a MENA and U.S. Principal Investigator and the MENA team must include a female principal investigator from one of the eligible Arab countries.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2016 U.S–MENA Joint Research Competition for Arab Early-Career Female Scientists