Understanding STISA-2034 call eligibility

The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) opened its multilateral research call to advance Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2034), and interest from applicants is building across the continent’s research community. Before diving into a proposal, here’s what determines whether your institution and consortium qualify.

Who is eligible

The call is open to African universities, public research organisations, and government research institutions. Private sector companies, NGOs, and international partners are welcome to join a consortium as collaborators, but funding under the call is restricted to African institutions. This means non-African or non-eligible partners can contribute expertise and capacity, but the funded consortium members must be African institutions.

Consortium requirements

This is a multi-country call by design. Applicants must build or join a consortium of three to five institutions drawn from three different SGCI countries. Consortia are expected to run for three years, reflecting the scale of collaborative work the call is intended to support.

Councils and partners are encouraged to use the STISA-2034 Research Matchmaking platform, available on the call’s landing page, to connect with potential collaborators and begin forming a consortium.

What the call is looking for

Beyond institutional and consortium eligibility, the call prioritises research and innovation that is Africa-led and generates evidence for vulnerable and underserved populations. It favours interdisciplinary, policy-relevant work with strong connections between research, policy, and development impact, carried out by teams with the capacity to manage funding and deliver impact at scale.

Proposals should align with one or more of the five priority research areas: health; agriculture and food systems; artificial intelligence and digital technologies; energy; and environment and climate resilience.

Confirming your eligibility

Full eligibility requirements, participating countries, and consortium-building resources are available on the call’s official landing page. Applicants are encouraged to review these details closely before beginning a proposal, and to use the matchmaking platform to confirm potential partners meet the call’s country and institutional criteria.

The call is supported through a partnership of African Science Granting Councils, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Government of Norway, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and Wellcome.

Ready to check your fit for this opportunity? Explore the full eligibility requirements and access the application portal at https://call.sgci.africa/. Expressions of interest are due September 25, 2026.

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Published on 24 August 2026

By Jackie Opara-Fatoye