The Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (Borlaug LEAP) is currently accepting applications from sub-Saharan African students conducting research on topics related to the US Government’s global hunger initiative — Feed the Future.  All topics related to agriculture (as defined by Title XII) and the Feed the Future initiative are admissible.

Eligibility Requirements:

An eligible candidate for a Borlaug LEAP fellowship must be

• a citizen of a USAID-assisted country.  Currently we are only accepting applications from citizens of USAID-assisted countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  Applicants cannot hold citizenship or permanent residency in the US and/or any non-USAID assisted country. This includes applicants with dual citizenship.
• currently enrolled as an MS or PhD student at a US or sub-Saharan Africa developing country university. Candidates must maintain student status for the duration of the fellowship.
• fluent in reading, writing and speaking English. All semi-finalists must provide a TOEFL or IELTS score taken within the past year.  Only applicants enrolled at U.S. universities are exempt from this requirement.  Minimum acceptable scores are:  TOEFL, 550 (paper test); 80 (internet-based test).  IELTS (academic modules), minimum of 7 on a 9-point scale.

In addition, eligible candidates will have

• completed at least one year of graduate level course work in the graduate program the applicant is currently enrolled in with a US equivalent grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
• a thesis-topic related to agricultural development and related fields. Title XII legislation broadly defines agriculture as:

“…the science and practice of activity related to food, feed, and fiber production, processing, marketing, distribution, utilization, and trade, and also includes family and consumer sciences, nutrition, food science and engineering, agricultural economics and other social sciences, forestry, wildlife, fisheries, aquaculture, floriculture, veterinary medicine, and other environmental and natural resources sciences.”

Successful candidates must:

• agree to return to their country of citizenship for a minimum of two years following graduation.
• remain enrolled as an MS or PhD student and have student status at their university for the duration of their fellowship.

THE FELLOWSHIP

• The program supports internships for up to 12 months.
• Internships can be at the CGIAR, US graduate-level university or a combination of appropriate institutions.
• Students are encouraged to creatively plan an internship that best suits their educational needs and circumstances.
• A minimum of three months should be spent at any one location.

Selection Criteria:

• Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria to be considered.
• Promising applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee and top-ranked applicants will be interviewed before a final selection is made.
• Applications will be judged on the following criteria:Technical Soundness and Feasibility of the Research Proposal
  Relevance to Development Priorities
  Leadership Potential
  Supervisory and Mentoring Plan
  

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (Borlaug LEAP)