Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund for Africans | £50,000 Grant

Are you a researcher who is based in Africa and currently having financial constraints? I have good news for you. The application for the 2025 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund is now open for interested and passionate African researchers who wish to collaborate with Cambridge University.

This fund is a way of supporting and encouraging researchers in Africa. The Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research offers a Fund Research Catalyst Grant for up to £20,000 or a Workshop Grant for up to £50,000. Your name can be shortlisted for any of the above.

Our team has dug deeper to know more details about this offer, and our findings are contained in this post. Kindly go through it thoroughly to follow our instructions to ensure you are shortlisted for this great opportunity. The 2025 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund is one you can’t miss.

Eligibility Criteria for Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund

To be considered for the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund, the criteria involve:

• Awards are made to pairs of researchers (post-doctoral and above, although due consideration will be given for equivalent experience), one from an African university or research institution and one from the University of Cambridge. 
• We encourage applications from across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts and from all academic subject areas.
• We particularly encourage innovative research. Multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research proposals and research-related training activities are welcomed.

Benefits of Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund 2025

• The research fund is supported by a generous £7.7 million investment by the Mastercard Foundation and will run from 2025 to 2030.
• The Mastercard Foundation and University of Cambridge Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund will follow an annual cycle of awards until 2029 when the award will support activities for the years 2029–30. It is anticipated that most awards will be made for activities that will take place over 12 months.
• In this round, applications can be made for a research catalyst grant for up to £20,000 or a workshop grant for up to £50,000. It is anticipated that many awardees will be able to use the preliminary results from their research catalyst grant to apply for and win significant funding from other funding bodies. 

Required Documents for Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund

To apply, candidates must be ready to submit the following documents:

• Application Form
• Case for support
• An itemized budget (template provided)
• A lay summary
• A letter of support from the department/faculty of the Cambridge-based PI.
  of Engineering, a letter of support from the Head of Division is needed). An email from an institutional email account is also acceptable.
• A letter of support from the department/institution of the Africa-based PI. An email from an institutional email account is also acceptable.
• CVs (maximum 2 pages) for both the Cambridge-based and Africa-based PI
• The details of two suggested referees are also required; these should be individuals who have no conflicts of interest with the applicants (e.g., they should not be from the same department).

Deadline for the 2025 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund Application:

The closing date for applications for the 2025 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund is March 21, 2025.

Steps on the Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund Application

To apply for the 2025 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund, interested and qualified candidates should:

• Register and complete a saveable online application form, available on the Cambridge-Africa website.
• Final submissions should include the required documents listed above.
• The deadline for submission is 21st March 2025, and applications can be submitted at any time before this.
• Any queries should be sent to cresusrf@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

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