New fellowship to boost climate change research capacity

12 January 2018. The One Planet Fellowship – a US$15 million five-year philanthropic programme funded by the BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and under the auspices of the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation – is to support 120 African researchers working to help the continent adapt to climate change and bolster the scientific community.

The programme was launched during the One Planet Summit in Paris on 12 December 2017.

According to the official press release, the programme will be run by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development and will also help to provide additional resources to African research and support the work of the next generation of scientists dealing with new challenges.

One Planet Fellowship will help to finance the research carried out by African scientists into climate change adaptation, focusing on issues facing small farmers, and also help to strengthen the capabilities of the African and European science communities through training programmes combining mentoring, study trips and networking.

Out of a total of 600 fellows from African and Europe, 120 African researchers will be selected. Each will receive joint mentoring – from a scientist in Africa and in Europe – which will involve working in a laboratory in Europe. In turn, they will then mentor two young researchers, one from an African institution and one from Europe.

In addition, these researchers will interact with projects that aim to address climate change-related problems faced by agriculture, funded by the Agropolis Foundation over five years with a budget of €5 million (US$6 million).