NSF: Collaborative Programs with Africa

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants to US colleges, universities, and research institutions. Many of those grants involve research in foreign countries by US investigators. Some grants also include support for the participation of foreign scientists and engineers in research projects and seminars that take place either in the United States or the host country. NSF does not support research activities with disease-related goals for either human beings or animals, nor does it support technical assistance projects.

The Division of International Programs (INT) contributes to NSF's mission by promoting new partnerships between US researchers and their colleagues in other countries, in all fields of science and engineering research and education supported by NSF. INT encourages the participation in international activities of students, junior investigators, and members of underrepresented groups.

NSF's programs with Africa focus on human resource development and capacity building in research and education. (But NSF does not provide support directly to foreign nationals for graduate or undergraduate training.) Priority is given to topics that benefit from the region's unique biological, environmental, geological, anthropological, and cultural resources. Cooperative research projects, joint workshops and seminars, summer institutes for graduate students, dissertation research projects (at an African site), and international postdoctoral fellowships are supported. Participation of junior investigators from both the United States and the host country is strongly encouraged. Proposals are submitted by the US investigator, and must contain a letter of endorsement from the host institution. Projects are reviewed on the basis of their scientific and technical merit and mutual benefit to the development of science and technology in each country. Support is typically for the travel and international living costs of the participants in the activity. Program deadlines are February 1 and September 1 for all activities except the International Research Fellowships Program, which has a deadline of November 1.

Specific information can be obtained from the following program managers. Detailed information on this program, other NSF activities, and application procedures, is also available on the Web at: http://www.nsf.gov

South Africa Patricia Jones Tsuchitani e-mail: ptsuchi@nsf.gov

Subsaharan Africa Alice Welsh Leeds e-mail: aleeds@nsf.gov

Tel.: 703/306-1707; Fax: 703/306-0473

International Research Susan Parris e-mail: sparris@nsf.gov

Fellowships Tel.: 703/306-1706; Fax: 703/306-0474