Applications Are Now Open For AWARD Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development (GROW) Fellowship Program 2026

Application Deadline: July 24, 2026

About the Program

Applications are now open for the 2026 AWARD Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development program. The Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development program aims to strengthen gender-responsive breeding systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Through a dual target that responds to the low numbers of women breeders across Africa and the low uptake of breeding technologies among women smallholders, the Program targets women breeders and agricultural research institutions. Ultimately, the program seeks to ensure that breeding-led agriculture improvement efforts better reflect the needs and priorities of women and men smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The GROW Fellowship is an immersive non-residential program that seeks to accelerate the leadership, visibility, and career advancement of women breeders by strengthening their capacity to lead gender-responsive breeding research, influence scientific and policy agendas, and become recognized leaders driving inclusive agricultural innovation and food systems transformation across Africa. The fellowship targets two cohorts of 48 women breeders across Africa, competitively selected through two rounds of an open Call for Applications. The program focuses on improving the leadership capabilities and experiences of women breeders while equipping emerging and seasoned breeders with the skills to incorporate gender-responsive approaches into their work. Adopting a systems approach, the program also supports selected research universities and institutions in embedding gender-responsive breeding into their programs and training curricula. The approach involves a career development fellowship targeting women breeders across Africa and an institutional strengthening package targeting national agricultural research organizations and universities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.

Fellowship Activities

• Women’s Leadership and Negotiation Skills Course – A comprehensive course designed to build leadership capabilities and negotiation skills for women breeders
• A Mentoring Program – Paired mentorship with experienced leaders in agricultural research to support career advancement
• Knowledge Forums and Peer Learning – Opportunities to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and learn from peers across Africa

Institutional Strengthening Package

This package focuses on enabling national agricultural research organizations to refine their breeding operations and develop breeding innovations that address the needs of diverse groups of women and men smallholders. Further, this package seeks to institutionalize gender in the breeding curricula of higher education institutions to build a talent pipeline for gender-responsive crop improvement.

Interventions target research organizations and universities in:

• Ethiopia: The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Mekelle University
• Kenya: The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Egerton University
• Nigeria: The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and the National Root Crops Research Institute
• Uganda: Makerere University

Eligibility Criteria

The fellowship targets women breeders across Africa who:

• Hold a postgraduate degree (Master’s or PhD) in a breeding-related field
• Are currently employed in a breeding or agricultural research role
• Demonstrate commitment to gender-responsive research and inclusive agricultural innovation
• Are nationals of an African country

How to Apply

Application Link: Click here to apply

Why This Program Matters

Women breeders remain significantly underrepresented in agricultural research across Africa. At the same time, breeding technologies and innovations often fail to reach women smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of the agricultural workforce in many African countries. This gap means that breeding-led agriculture improvement efforts do not adequately reflect the needs and priorities of women farmers.

The GROW Fellowship addresses these challenges by:

• Building a pipeline of women leaders in breeding research across Africa
• Strengthening the capacity of women breeders to lead gender-responsive research
• Supporting research institutions to embed gender-responsive approaches into breeding programs and curricula
• Ensuring breeding innovations address the needs of diverse groups of women and men smallholders
• Creating a network of women breeders across Africa who can drive inclusive agricultural innovation

For women breeders across Africa, this fellowship offers a transformative opportunity to accelerate leadership, visibility, and career advancement while driving gender-responsive agricultural innovation.

For More Information: Visit the Official AWARD GROW Fellowship Page