Rwandan scientists urged to submit proposals for funding

The National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) in Rwanda has called for proposals to provide funding to researchers and innovators in the country. The call for proposals was made on May 18, 2023, during the launch of Grand Challenges Rwanda, an initiative aimed at supporting research and development through collaboration to promote excellence and evidence-based innovations. In partnership with the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD), the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA), and global partners, Grand Challenges Rwanda aims to fund Rwandan scientists to collaborate with their African counterparts in addressing and solving critical development challenges in Rwanda and across the continent. The five-year strategy, spanning from 2023 to 2028, outlines the need for Rwf2 billion to fund scientists with problem-solving proposals through Grand Challenges Rwanda. The initiative will seek funding from various sources, including the government, public-private partnerships, philanthropic organizations, and international development agencies. Established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Grand Challenges initiative aims to promote scientific innovations that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals by providing seed and scale-up grants to innovative solutions in Africa. Grand Challenges Rwanda is strategically aligned with Rwanda's goal of becoming a high-income economy by supporting research and development through the National Research and Innovation Fund at the National Council for Science and Technology. Eugene Mutimura, the Executive Secretary of the NCST, stated that the call for proposals focuses on funding researchers and innovators with projects in life and health sciences, climate-resilient agriculture and food security, and climate change and resilience. Applications can be submitted through https://rigms.ncst.gov.rw, and interested individuals can access training sessions via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymG34wm-F6o. Mutimura emphasized the importance of focusing on critical areas, citing that 65% of the 115 previously supported projects centered around agriculture and food security. Valentine Uwamariya, the Minister of Education, highlighted that 16 out of the 115 projects showed potential for scalability and commercialization, creating job opportunities. She expressed optimism that the Grand Challenges initiative would enable more researchers and innovators to receive funding in Rwanda. The government of Rwanda is committed to supporting research and innovation that addresses key development challenges affecting our nation, she stated, pointing to recent climate change effects and the COVID-19 pandemic as examples. Uwamariya stressed the need for context-specific innovative solutions in Africa to address challenges and meet people's needs, adding that the Grand Challenges initiative aims to fund bold ideas and research to generate long-term innovations for Africa's socio-economic development. She called upon researchers and innovators to seize this funding opportunity. In a new partnership, the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) and Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement research leading to innovation in Rwanda. The SFA, a pan-African organization supporting and promoting science and innovation, has established 10 programs and 18 networks operating across 40 countries. Thomas Kariuki, the Executive Director of the SFA Foundation, highlighted the significance of the partnership between Grand Challenges Rwanda and Grand Challenges Africa, emphasizing the mutual benefits of sharing knowledge and learning from each other. He also expressed the intention to seek joint funding support based on Rwanda's priorities in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and explore additional collaborations. Aggrey Ambali, the Senior Advisor for Science, Technology & Innovation at AUDA-NEPAD, emphasized the importance of building trust in African researchers. He commended Rwanda for launching Grand Challenges Rwanda.

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Rwandan scientists urged to submit proposals for funding