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Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) STISA 2034 Multilateral Research Call 2026: US$12 Million for Africa-Led Research and Innovation

Muhammad Chishti
Advancing Africas STI Priorities
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About the SGCI Multilateral Research Call

The Science Granting Councils Initiative is a continental platform connecting national Science Granting Councils across Africa. These councils fund, manage and support the use of research and innovation to address national and regional development priorities.

The current multilateral call supports the implementation of the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034, commonly known as STISA 2034. The strategy positions science, technology and innovation as essential tools for Africa’s transformation into a knowledge-based and innovation-driven continent.

STISA 2034 responds to major development challenges affecting African countries, including:

Through this funding call, SGCI intends to connect national research investments with Africa-wide priorities while encouraging institutions in different countries to combine their expertise, infrastructure, datasets and policy networks.

Objectives of the STISA 2034 Research Call

The call will support a portfolio of multi-country flagship research projects expected to achieve three major objectives.

Produce new knowledge and innovations

Projects should generate original knowledge, technologies, models, systems or practical innovations addressing development challenges identified under STISA 2034 and relevant national research priorities.

Applications must demonstrate a genuine research gap and explain how the proposed project will make a new contribution. Simply repeating an earlier study without a distinct conceptual, methodological, empirical or technological contribution is unlikely to be competitive.

Strengthen the use of research in policy and practice

Projects must include credible pathways through which research findings will reach decision-makers, communities, businesses, practitioners or other intended users.

Applicants should therefore move beyond academic publication as the primary output. Proposals should demonstrate how findings, tools or innovations can be translated into policies, programmes, services, commercial applications or improved institutional practices.

Build an integrated African science and innovation ecosystem

The call is designed to establish lasting collaboration among African research institutions. Each consortium should bring together complementary expertise from multiple participating countries and demonstrate equitable collaboration among its members.

The intention is not only to finance individual research studies but also to strengthen institutional relationships, technical capabilities, researcher mobility, shared learning and regional scientific networks.

Total Funding and Grant Size

Approximately US$12 million is expected to be distributed through the call.

Each successful consortium member may receive an award generally ranging from CAD 50,000 to CAD 300,000. However, the actual maximum available to an institution depends on the funding ceiling established for its country.

The amount is awarded separately to each participating institution, normally through that institution’s national Science Granting Council. This means that the overall consortium budget may consist of multiple country-level awards rather than one consolidated grant paid only to the lead institution.

Where a national council cannot issue a grant directly, funding may be administered by IDRC or another participating council. Funding availability within each country will remain an important factor in the final selection of successful projects.

Maximum Project Duration

Projects may run for a maximum of 36 months, including:

Applicants should propose a realistic implementation period based on the research methodology, geographic coverage and administrative complexity of the consortium.

The Five Research Streams

Every application must identify one primary thematic stream and a specific research avenue under that stream. A project may have cross-cutting elements, but its primary focus must be clearly articulated.

Stream 1: Health

The health stream seeks research that strengthens health systems, improves emergency preparedness, advances equitable healthcare and promotes interdisciplinary innovation.

Research Avenue A: Resilient health systems and primary care

Potential areas include:

Particular attention may be given to vulnerable populations and fragile or crisis-affected contexts.

Research Avenue B: One Health preparedness and infectious disease surveillance

Research may address:

Research Avenue C: Traditional knowledge and disease treatment

Potential projects may explore:

Health proposals should consider how their findings could support national, regional or continental health organizations and comply with applicable scientific, ethical and regulatory standards.

Stream 2: Agriculture

The agriculture stream focuses on using science, technology and innovation to transform African agrifood systems, improve food and nutritional security, increase climate resilience and strengthen value addition.

Research Avenue A: Climate-resilient and agroecological production systems

Potential areas include:

Research Avenue B: Precision agriculture, post-harvest systems and value addition

Potential projects may examine:

Projects should place small-scale farmers, women and young people at the centre of the expected benefits. Innovations should also demonstrate scalability and contribute knowledge, tools or technologies that can function as public goods for the region.

Stream 3: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies

This stream supports research using artificial intelligence and other digital technologies to address African development priorities, improve scientific productivity, strengthen digital skills and stimulate technology-based entrepreneurship.

Research Avenue A: AI and digital applications

Potential projects may cover:

Research Avenue B: Learning, capacity development and entrepreneurship

Potential areas include:

Applications should build on relevant national and regional initiatives wherever appropriate rather than duplicating existing platforms, systems or investments.

Stream 4: Energy

The energy stream supports research related to energy diversification, renewable technologies, energy security, storage, efficiency, productive energy use and local manufacturing.

Research Avenue A: Diversified and renewable energy systems

Possible areas include:

Research Avenue B: Energy storage, efficiency and smart systems

Projects may examine:

Research Avenue C: Local manufacturing and commercialisation

Potential areas include:

Projects should recognise the relationship between energy and sectors such as transport, industry and agriculture, while contributing to a just and inclusive energy transition.

Stream 5: Environment

The environment stream focuses on water security, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, environmental governance and sustainable natural-resource management.

Research Avenue A: Water security, biodiversity and natural-resource governance

Potential projects may address:

Research Avenue B: Climate resilience and adaptation

Potential areas include:

Indigenous and local knowledge systems may be incorporated where they are relevant to the research problem and methodology.

Consortium Structure

Each application must be submitted by an institutional consortium involving organizations from multiple participating SGCI countries.

The consortium must include:

  1. One lead applicant institution
  2. At least two eligible co-applicant institutions
  3. Institutions representing at least three different participating countries
  4. A principal investigator nominated by each lead or co-applicant institution
  5. No more than one lead or co-applicant institution from the same country

The lead applicant institution is responsible for submitting the single consolidated application on behalf of the consortium.

A principal investigator may submit only one application as the lead investigator but may participate as a co-applicant in other proposals. Every principal investigator must hold full-time employment within the institution they represent.

Additional organizations may participate under the responsibility of one of the funded applicant institutions. These additional participants may include:

Institutions outside the participating SGCI countries may join as additional, unfunded partners where they provide relevant technical expertise, implementation capacity or an end-user perspective. However, organizations outside Africa cannot receive research funding directly or indirectly under the call.

Eligible Institutional Applicants

Unless a country’s annex provides different requirements, lead and co-applicant institutions may generally include:

Certain countries also permit applications from startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, private-sector research organizations, legally registered associations or non-governmental organizations.

Every funded institution must:

Country Funding Ceilings and Eligible Themes

The following ceilings apply to each national consortium member rather than to the consortium as a whole.

Country Eligible research streams Maximum funding per national consortium member
Botswana Agriculture, AI and Energy BWP 1,150,000
Burkina Faso AI, Agriculture and Environment XOF 50,000,000
Côte d’Ivoire Health, Agriculture and AI XOF 30,000,000
Ethiopia Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment ETB 22,500,000
Ghana Health and AI GHS 800,000
Kenya Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment KES 20,000,000
Malawi Agriculture and Energy MWK 80,000,000
Mozambique Health and Agriculture MZN 5,000,000
Namibia Agriculture, AI and Energy NAD 700,000
Nigeria AI NGN 100,000,000
Rwanda Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment RWF 100,000,000
Senegal Health, Agriculture and Environment XOF 30,000,000
Sierra Leone Agriculture and Energy SLE 1,280,000
South Africa Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment ZAR 1,500,000
Tanzania Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment TZS 300,000,000
Togo Agriculture XOF 30,000,000
Uganda Health, Agriculture, AI, Energy and Environment UGX 500,000,000
Zambia Health, Agriculture and Environment ZMW 1,000,000
Zimbabwe Agriculture, AI and Energy ZWG 1,300,000

Applicants must review the annex carefully because the country ceiling is not the only national requirement. Certain councils impose conditions relating to citizenship, residency, academic qualifications, institutional registration, gender balance, student participation, ethics approval, private-sector partnerships or eligible expenditure.

Important Country-Specific Conditions

Examples of additional requirements include:

Botswana

Principal investigators must hold at least a master’s degree or equivalent. The project team must include at least one female researcher, one early-career researcher aged 35 or below and one postgraduate student who is a citizen of Botswana. The team must also be registered in Botswana’s National Research Information Management System.

Burkina Faso

The lead institution must be based in Burkina Faso and led by Burkinabé nationals. Teams should be multidisciplinary and involve a lead institution, partner institutions and an end-user organization. Women’s representation is encouraged, and women-led proposals may receive priority in a tie.

Ethiopia

Applicants must be Ethiopian nationals or legal residents affiliated with eligible institutions such as recognised higher-education institutions, research institutes, startups, private-sector organizations or registered non-governmental organizations.

Ghana

Eligible organizations may include universities, research institutions, startups, small and medium-sized enterprises and private-sector entities. Foreign entities may participate where they demonstrate at least 30% Ghanaian ownership, management or staffing. Institutional letters of support are required.

Kenya

The principal investigator must be a Kenyan citizen affiliated with a recognised Kenyan research institution. Lead applicants must normally hold a PhD or demonstrate equivalent relevant experience. Institutional support letters are required, while the participation of women and persons with disabilities is encouraged.

Namibia

Applications must be submitted through registered research institutions holding a valid research certificate from the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology. A PhD is preferred for the principal investigator, students should be included, and teams must provide at least 30% representation of the less-represented gender.

Rwanda

The principal investigator must be a Rwandan researcher affiliated with a recognised Rwandan university or research institution. Projects must include a private-sector or industry partner in Rwanda and should demonstrate potential for employment creation and socioeconomic impact.

Sierra Leone

Principal investigators should preferably be Sierra Leonean researchers holding a PhD and relevant research experience. Projects must include early-career researchers, demonstrate appropriate research-ethics arrangements and provide institutional support.

South Africa

Principal investigators must be South African citizens or permanent residents affiliated with recognised public higher-education or research institutions. Researchers from companies, small and medium-sized enterprises and non-governmental organizations may participate but cannot serve as principal investigator. A historically disadvantaged institution must be represented in the consortium.

Tanzania

Applicants must be Tanzanian nationals or legal residents affiliated with recognised higher-education or research and development institutions. Researchers must be registered in the National Information System for Science, Technology and Innovation. Tanzania also prohibits certain expenditures, including salaries, stipends, tuition fees, institutional overheads and administrative costs.

Zambia

Eligible applicants include public and private research-performing organizations and higher-education institutions registered with Zambia’s National Science and Technology Council.

These conditions are not exhaustive. Every consortium member must examine the official country annex before finalising the partnership, budget and institutional documentation.

Eligible Project Expenses

Subject to country-specific restrictions, funding may generally cover:

Large equipment purchases are discouraged because of the duration and scale of the proposed projects.

Indirect costs may not exceed 13% of the overall budget, or the lower rate established by the relevant country’s funding rules.

Expression of Interest Application Requirements

The first stage of the competition requires applicants to submit an online Expression of Interest.

The application form requires the following information:

Basic project information

Applicants must provide:

Development challenge

Applicants must provide a description of the development challenge being addressed, including:

The maximum length is 500 words.

Research questions, relevance and novelty

Applicants must explain:

The maximum length is 500 words.

Institutional roles and capacity

Applicants must describe:

The maximum length is 500 words.

Methodology and work plan

Applicants must provide a concise description of:

The maximum length is 500 words.

Documents Required at the EOI Stage

Applicants must upload:

  1. A two-page curriculum vitae for the principal investigator from every participating country
  2. A one-page curriculum vitae for up to three additional key team members across the consortium
  3. All required CVs combined into a single file
  4. A separate signed institutional letter of commitment from every lead and co-applicant organization

The letters of commitment must be issued by the institutions themselves. Listing the consortium members in the application does not replace the requirement to upload signed institutional letters.

Disclosure of Generative AI Use

Applicants must disclose whether generative artificial intelligence tools were used while preparing the application materials.

This includes tools used for:

Disclosure does not remove the applicant’s responsibility for the submission. The applicants remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, integrity and appropriateness of all submitted content.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Review the official call and country annex

Before building the consortium, applicants should verify that each participating country is eligible for the selected research stream and that every institution meets its national conditions.

Step 2: Identify the primary research stream

Select one principal thematic stream and one corresponding research avenue. Cross-cutting projects are permitted, but the primary focus must remain explicit.

Step 3: Build a multi-country consortium

Identify a lead institution and at least two eligible co-applicant institutions from different participating SGCI countries.

The consortium should combine complementary scientific, institutional, policy and implementation capabilities.

Step 4: Use the optional matchmaking platform

Institutions that do not already have suitable partners may create a profile on the SGCI STISA 2034 matchmaking platform.

The platform allows users to:

Use of the matchmaking platform is optional. Registration on the platform does not represent approval, endorsement or validation by the funders.

Step 5: Register on the application portal

The lead applicant should create or ACCESS AND ACCOUNT on the IDRC-managed SurveyMonkey Apply portal.

Applications may be submitted in:

Because of a technical limitation in the application system, Portuguese applicants are instructed to select Spanish from the language menu to access the Portuguese application pages. Only applications submitted in English, French or Portuguese will be accepted.

Step 6: Complete the eligibility screening

The portal will guide applicants through an initial eligibility assessment. Where the system identifies an unmet criterion, applicants may revise their information and attempt the eligibility section again before submission.

Step 7: Prepare the application offline

Applicants should download or review the application form and draft their responses in a separate saved document before entering them into the portal.

This reduces the risk of losing work and allows consortium members to review the:

Step 8: Upload all supporting documents

The lead institution must ensure that the combined CV file and signed letters of commitment from every applicant institution have been uploaded correctly.

Step 9: Submit one consortium application

Only the lead applicant institution should submit the application. The consortium should not submit separate applications for the same project through each participating institution.

Step 10: Confirm receipt

Applications submitted before the deadline should receive an automatic acknowledgement by email. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

How Expressions of Interest Will Be Reviewed

Each Expression of Interest will pass through three initial checks:

  1. Administrative review for completeness
  2. Eligibility assessment against the general and country-specific requirements
  3. Assessment of alignment with the selected thematic priority and research avenue

Applications that do not clearly demonstrate thematic alignment may be eliminated without proceeding further.

To promote balance among countries and thematic streams, no more than 40 proposals per thematic area and no more than 40 proposals involving any one country may advance to the full proposal stage.

Where the number of eligible EOIs exceeds these limits, selection will consider:

Full Proposal Stage

Only applicants with successful Expressions of Interest will be invited to submit a full proposal.

The full proposal is expected to include:

The proposal should clearly demonstrate how intended users have informed the project and how results will be positioned for practical use.

Full Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Full proposals will be reviewed by an independent peer-review committee.

High-quality research: 65%

This component considers:

Team composition and institutional strength: 25%

This component assesses:

Capacity strengthening: 10%

This component examines how the project will strengthen:

Projects must achieve a total score of at least 75% to enter the group of fundable proposals. Reaching this threshold does not guarantee an award because final decisions will also depend on available country funding and the need for geographic and thematic balance.

Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

All projects are expected to integrate equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the research cycle.

Applications should explain:

The call recognises that inequality may result from interacting factors such as gender, age, disability, race, ethnicity, citizenship, income, social class, religion and geographic location. Proposals should therefore use an intersectional approach wherever relevant.

Important Dates

Learn More HERE

Both initial webinars are expected to cover the same content. Recordings are expected to be published after the sessions, while the official FAQ may be updated based on questions raised by applicants.

Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest is:

September 25, 2026, at 23:59 Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Applicants should avoid waiting until the final hours because the application requires coordination among several institutions, multiple institutional signatures, combined CV documentation and country-specific eligibility verification.

Important Clarifications Applicants Should Obtain

Applicants should be aware that some official materials currently contain inconsistent instructions.

Maximum consortium size

The detailed call document and application portal state that a consortium may include one lead institution and as many as five co-applicant institutions. However, the official FAQ and IDRC funding summary describe a maximum of four co-applicants, producing a maximum consortium size of five institutions.

Applicants planning to include more than four co-applicants should obtain written clarification from IDRC before finalising the consortium.

Currency for the EOI budget

The detailed call states that the total EOI budget should be presented in the local currency of the lead applicant institution, while the FAQ recommends preparing EOI budgets in Canadian dollars.

Applicants should follow the instructions displayed in the live application form and seek clarification where the portal does not resolve the difference.

Questions concerning the call may be submitted to SGCSSA@idrc.ca. Inquiries should be sent at least 36 hours before the application deadline where a response is required before submission.

Conclusion

The SGCI STISA 2034 Multilateral Research Call represents a significant opportunity for African research institutions to secure funding for ambitious, multi-country projects addressing the continent’s most urgent development priorities.

With approximately US$12 million available across health, agriculture, artificial intelligence, energy and environmental research, the call is designed to support projects that combine scientific quality with practical policy relevance, institutional capacity strengthening and measurable benefits for African communities.

Competitive applications will require more than a strong research idea. They must establish an eligible and complementary consortium, demonstrate clear novelty, align with both national and continental priorities, engage intended users, integrate equality and inclusion, and present a credible pathway from research evidence to policy or practical application.

Institutions considering an application should begin consortium development and document preparation well before the September 25, 2026 deadline. They should also review every relevant country annex, verify national funding limits and resolve any uncertainty concerning consortium size or budget currency directly with the call administrators before submitting the Expression of Interest.

For more global opportunities, visit HERE.

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