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Information for Researchers, No. 54 | July 5, 2022

African-German Scientific Exchange: “Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture”

Pre-Call Announcement: Initiation of Cooperation in the Area of Agriculture between Sub-Saharan African and German Researchers

Pre-Call Announcement: Initiation of Cooperation in the Area of Agriculture between Sub-Saharan African and German Researchers

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) invites interested scientists from all Sub-Saharan African countries and researchers at all universities and research institutes in Germany, explicitly including universities of applied sciences, to take part in a scientific exchange in the field of agricultural sciences with special emphasis on the sustainable intensification of agriculture. The invitation is issued in close cooperation with the Fundo Nacional de Investigação (FNI) of the Republic of Mozambique and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the Republic of Zambia.

This initiative covers all (interdisciplinary) research questions that are primarily concerned with agriculture. Subject areas include (integrated) animal production and cropping systems, animal and plant breeding technologies, soil and plant microbiome interaction, abiotic and biotic plant stressors, digital methods in agriculture, livestock farming and animal disease control as well as socioeconomic aspects of agriculture.

Aim of the Initiative

The aim of the initiative is for participating researchers to identify joint interests in the area of agricultural research and initiate new collaborative ventures.

Structure of the Initiative

The initiative comprises three consecutive steps:

  1. Identification of collaboration partners through previously submitted posters reflecting the researchers’ expertise, research interests and ideas for collaborative research projects;
  2. the subsequent opportunity to submit DFG proposals to support the Initiation of International Collaborations;
  3. a Status Workshop in Bonn/Germany to convene all researchers funded under this call.

Eligibility: Qualified researchers from all Sub-Saharan African countries and Germany are invited to take part in the initiative (as a rule they should hold a doctorate and have a track record in their respective research field). Applicants from German research institutions are required to fulfil the DFG eligibility requirements.

(1) Invitation to Submit Posters

Submitted posters should reflect the profile of the researcher as well as showing their expertise, experience and contact details. At the same time, the posters should highlight current research interests and ideas for joint research projects. Posters that show solely the results of previous research projects are out of scope and will not be considered. Posters must comply with the template provided below. Researchers are required to submit their posters in either English or French by 30 September 2022. The submission of posters is a prerequisite for participation in the subsequent call for proposals.

Only posters that comply with the eligibility requirements (i.e. the duty to cooperate in the case of participants from Germany) and the scope of the initiative will be accepted and uploaded to a poster platform. The posters will only be accessible to participating researchers and to the partnering funding agencies. When the poster platform goes live, participating researchers will be invited to view all posters, contact potential collaboration partners, develop joint research ideas and prepare a DFG proposal for the Initiation of International Collaboration.

(2) Call for the Initiation of International Collaboration

The call for the Initiation of International Collaboration serves to establish and facilitate collaborative relationships between researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany. For this purpose, three different modules are available: “Exploratory Workshops”, “Trips Abroad” and “Guest Visits”. In general, the DFG can only fund bilateral or multilateral Sub-Saharan African/German projects under this initiative. More details regarding the specifics of this call will be provided to the participants of the poster platform in October 2022. For further information on the programme and instructions for proposal preparation, please refer to the “Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration” (DFG form 1.813). Proposals must be submitted in English by 28 February 2023.

All proposals must include at least one applicant from Germany and one cooperation partner from Sub-Saharan Africa who have both previously submitted a poster. However, proposals can only be submitted by researchers from Germany. Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa act as cooperation partners and can also receive funding.

(3) Status Workshop

Approved travel funds from the funding for the Initiation of International Collaboration must be used to enable Sub-Saharan African project partners to participate in a Status Workshop in Bonn in the week of 8 to 12 April 2024. This workshop will be organised centrally by the DFG with the aim of assessing the need for a possible joint call for project proposals and collect lessons learnt regarding the framework within which such Sub-Saharan African/German collaborations can evolve.

Participation in the workshop will be limited to applicants from Germany and their cooperation partners from Sub-Saharan Africa with funding under the Initiation for International Collaboration.

Further Information

This call for proposals is also available in French:

Poster template:

Platform for poster upload:

Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration with Proposal Preparation Instructions (DFG form 1.813):

Please note the DFG’s data protection notice on research funding, which can be viewed and downloaded at:

If necessary, please also forward this information to those individuals whose data will be processed by the DFG due to their involvement in your project.

For questions on this initiative and DFG collaboration with African countries, please contact:

For questions concerning DFG funding of projects in the field of agricultural sciences, please contact:

For questions concerning the Fundo Nacional de Investigação (FNI), please contact:

For questions concerning the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), please contact:

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