The organisations behind the calls. Each profile is a short, verified summary with a link to the funder's official site.
44 funders
Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution, established in 1993 and headquartered in Cairo, that finances and promotes African trade. Alongside its banking work it runs research competitions and prizes on trade, finance and development. Its postgraduate research competition is open to students at African universities, including in Malawi.
The African Research Universities Alliance is a network of leading African research universities, formed in Dakar in 2015 to strengthen research and doctoral training across the continent. It runs Centres of Excellence in priority themes and, with the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, funds early-career fellowships for African researchers. Malawian researchers qualify through ARUA’s pan-African remit.
AWARD is a Nairobi-based career-development organisation, hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre, that builds the leadership of African women in agricultural science. Its fellowships and training help women researchers lead gender-responsive work on crops, livestock and food systems. Women scientists at the University of Malawi qualify.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a German non-profit that funds international research fellowships and awards, bringing researchers from around the world to work with hosts in Germany. Its schemes cover all disciplines and, through the Georg Forster programmes, give particular attention to researchers from developing countries. Malawian researchers qualify.
The British Council is the United Kingdom’s organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunity, founded in 1934. Through its 90th Anniversary Research Fellowships, run with the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, it supports early-career researchers from countries where it operates. Malawi is eligible.
The Cancer Research Institute is a US non-profit, founded in 1953, devoted to the science of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Its Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowships support early-career scientists training in leading laboratories. Applications are open internationally.
The German Academic Exchange Service is the joint organisation of German universities for international academic exchange, founded in 1925. It funds scholarships and fellowships, including fully funded Master’s study in Germany for future leaders from developing countries. Malawian graduates qualify.
EMBO is a membership organisation of life scientists, founded in 1964 and based in Heidelberg. It funds internationally portable postdoctoral fellowships and other support in the molecular life sciences. Its fellowships are open worldwide, subject to mobility rules.
EREF is a US non-profit, active since 1994, and one of North America’s largest funders of research on sustainable waste and materials management. It awards research grants and graduate scholarships on topics such as recycling, emissions and emerging contaminants. Researchers worldwide may apply.
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s main research and innovation programme for 2021 to 2027, managed by the European Commission. It funds collaborative research across almost every field, usually through international consortia. Malawi counts as a low-income partner country, so University of Malawi teams can join Horizon Europe consortia as funded partners.
The European Hematology Association is a non-profit membership organisation, founded in Brussels in 1992, dedicated to blood science and blood disorders. It funds research grants, mobility awards and training for haematology researchers. Its mobility grants support early-career researchers, including those based in Malawi.
FCI4Africa is a Horizon Europe-funded project working to make African food systems fairer, more inclusive and more resilient. Through its open calls it passes on cascade funding to innovators, researchers and start-ups across Africa. University of Malawi teams working with smallholders are eligible.
The Fogarty International Center is the global-health arm of the US National Institutes of Health, established in 1968. It funds research training and career-development awards that build health-research capacity in low- and middle-income countries, usually in partnership with US institutions. Malawian institutions and scientists are eligible.
For Women in Science is a long-running partnership between the Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO that recognises and supports women scientists. Its International Awards honour five eminent researchers each year, one per world region. Africa and the Arab States form one region, so Malawian women scientists are eligible through nomination.
The Africa Fellows in Education Program is run by the Global Education Analytics Institute, a US non-profit founded by economist Eric Hanushek, with the Partnership for Economic Policy, a research-capacity network active in developing countries since 2002. Together they fund a two-year fellowship that builds a network of education-policy researchers across sub-Saharan Africa. Early-career researchers at the University of Malawi qualify.
Global Health EDCTP3 is a partnership between the European Union and African and European countries that funds research on infectious diseases affecting sub-Saharan Africa. It supports clinical research, trials and capacity building delivered by international consortia. Sub-Saharan African institutions, including Malawi’s, are central partners.
The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is a US foundation, created in 1929, that funds research on violence, aggression and dominance, and how to reduce them. It supports distinguished and emerging scholars across the social and natural sciences and the humanities. Its awards are open to researchers worldwide.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German political foundation affiliated with the Green party. Among its activities it offers fully funded doctoral and postgraduate scholarships for international students, including those from developing countries, to study in Germany. Priority goes to applicants not yet resident in Germany, so Malawian students qualify.
IBRO is a global federation of neuroscience societies, founded in 1961, that supports brain research and training around the world. Among its grants, the Parenthood Grants help early-career neuroscientists whose research has been interrupted by childcare. They are open internationally.
The International Development Research Centre is a Canadian federal Crown corporation, created by an Act of Parliament in 1970 as the world’s first agency dedicated to funding research led from low- and middle-income countries. As part of Canada’s foreign affairs and development work, it funds high-quality research in developing regions and helps move the findings into the hands of researchers and policymakers. IDRC works closely with African institutions through its regional offices in Nairobi and Dakar and regularly funds African-led research teams, so a number of its calls are open to University of Malawi staff.
The Leakey Foundation is a US non-profit, founded in 1968, that funds research into human origins, evolution and behaviour. It is one of the few funders focused specifically on understanding what makes us human, supporting fieldwork and laboratory studies. Its grants are open to researchers and doctoral students worldwide.
The LEO Foundation is a Danish commercial foundation that owns the pharmaceutical company LEO Pharma and funds research into skin and skin diseases worldwide. Its grants support investigator-led dermatology research from basic science to clinical work. Researchers internationally may apply.
The Leverhulme Trust is a UK research funder established in 1925 from the will of William Hesketh Lever. It supports research and scholarship across all disciplines, often backing curiosity-driven and cross-disciplinary work. Its Visiting Professorships are awarded to UK institutions to host an eminent overseas academic, so a Malawian professor would take part as the invited visitor.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the European Union’s main scheme for researcher training and mobility, part of Horizon Europe. The Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers of any nationality to work at a host institution and develop their careers. Global Fellowships can include time at institutions outside Europe.
Medicines for Malaria Venture is a non-profit product-development partnership, based in Geneva and founded in 1999, that develops new antimalarial medicines. Its African calls fund scientists and institutions on the continent to work on malaria drug discovery. University of Malawi researchers are squarely in scope.
Merck KGaA is a German science and technology company, based in Darmstadt and founded in 1668. Through its open-innovation Research Grants it supports academic work in areas such as chemical synthesis, drug discovery and sustainability. The grants are open to academic researchers worldwide.
The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is a philanthropic fund based in Abu Dhabi, established in 2008. It makes small grants of up to US$25,000 for hands-on conservation of threatened species, especially those that are Endangered, Critically Endangered or poorly known. Conservationists worldwide, including in Malawi, may apply.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research is the United Kingdom’s largest funder of health and care research, established in 2006. Its global-health programmes fund research and fellowships led from low- and middle-income countries, often with UK partners. Malawian institutions and researchers are eligible, and are given priority in some calls.
The Global Grants for Gut Health are funded through a partnership between Nature Portfolio, the publisher of the journal Nature, and Yakult, the Japanese probiotics company. The programme funds research on the gut microbiome and health. It is open to researchers internationally, including those in low- and middle-income countries.
The Rosetrees Trust is a UK medical-research charity, founded in 1987, that backs pioneering research aimed at better diagnosis and treatment. It funds projects from early ideas to larger awards, often alongside other funders. Its NEXT Award supports translation of laboratory science into practical medical advances, and is open worldwide.
The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences, founded in 1660 and one of the oldest scientific institutions in the world. It funds fellowships, grants and international collaboration across the natural sciences. Its Wolfson Visiting Fellowships bring overseas researchers to UK hosts, with the UK institution making the application.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is the United Kingdom’s professional body for the chemical sciences, supporting chemists and chemistry worldwide. It offers grants that help members build research collaborations, including travel and collaboration funding. These are open to RSC members, including those based in Malawi.
The Russell Sage Foundation is a US foundation, established in 1907, devoted to research in the social sciences. Its Core Research Grants fund work on social and economic questions such as inequality, immigration and behavioural science. Researchers internationally may apply, usually through a letter of inquiry.
The Society for Experimental Biology is a learned society founded in 1923 in London, with members in animal, cell and plant biology around the world. Among its activities it offers small grants for biology education research and teaching resources. Membership and its grants are open internationally.
The Spencer Foundation is a US foundation, founded in 1962, that funds research to improve education. It supports field-initiated studies through grants of varying size, from smaller projects to large programmes. Its grants are open to scholars internationally.
The Rufford Foundation is a UK charity that funds practical nature-conservation work in developing countries. Its Small Grants support early-career conservationists through a series of stages as a project grows, covering fieldwork costs. Malawi is on the eligible-country list, and there is no fixed deadline.
The World Academy of Sciences is a global science academy based in Trieste, founded in 1983 and operating under the auspices of UNESCO. It supports research, prizes and fellowships for scientists in developing countries, several reserved for women or early-career researchers. Its SG-NAPI seed grants, funded with Germany’s research ministry, support new principal investigators in science-lagging African countries, including Malawi.
The Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) is a US charity, formed in 2002, that funds research and education in arboriculture and urban forestry. Its Jack Kimmel International Grant supports researchers worldwide working on tree care, tree health and risk. Researchers in Malawi are eligible.
The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grant programme, run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and launched at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It funds projects in developing countries that protect biodiversity while reducing poverty. Eligible countries vary by round, so applicants should check that Malawi is listed.
The Urban Studies Foundation is a registered Scottish charity, established in 2008 and funded by profits from the Urban Studies journal. It supports research and training in urban studies worldwide, with schemes aimed specifically at researchers from the Global South. Malawian urban scholars qualify.
The Volkswagen Foundation is an independent German research funder, established in 1961 and not controlled by the car company of the same name. It backs ambitious and high-risk research across all disciplines. Its Pioneering Research call is led from German institutions, so University of Malawi researchers usually take part through a German partner.
The Volvo Environment Prize is awarded by an independent Swedish foundation set up in 1988 to recognise outstanding contributions to environmental and sustainability science. The prize carries a cash award and is decided by nomination rather than application. Researchers worldwide, including in Malawi, can be nominated.
Wellcome is a global charitable foundation based in London, established in 1936 from the estate of Henry Wellcome, that funds research to improve health. It supports researchers at all career stages across science, medicine, the humanities and social sciences, and funds institutions in Africa directly. University of Malawi, KUHeS and MLW can host Wellcome awards.
The Wenner-Gren Foundation is a US foundation, founded in 1941, dedicated to supporting anthropology worldwide. It funds research grants for anthropologists at various career stages, including community-engaged work. Its grants are open to scholars of any nationality, including those based in Malawi.
