The Government of Rwanda is committed to funding research and technology development through the National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF), launched in June 2018. This initiative aims to enhance opportunities for data-driven innovations, ultimately improving the wellbeing of Rwandan citizens and transforming industrial development. The improvement of high-quality standards of life for Rwandans is a crucial pillar of Rwanda’s Vision 2050, well-enshrined in the National Strategy for Transformation (NST-1) as the medium-term plan to achieve this vision.

To meet national development targets, addressing current and emerging social, economic, and environmental challenges is imperative. The role of NCST is to promote and fund high-quality research and development (R&D) projects that specifically address challenges affecting citizens. Additionally, NCST is tasked with supporting researchers and promoting the dissemination of research findings.

In this regard, the NCST, with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is implementing a project titled: “Support Scaling and Knowledge Translation for Research and Innovation Projects”.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

1. To enhance the impact of research on policy and practice.
2. To enhance the commercialization of research results.
3. To strengthen the capacity of researchers to communicate their findings effectively.
4. To increase the awareness of research findings among the general public.

The NCST, through this funding, aims to support researchers who wish to publish their results in credible Gold Open Access (OA) journals that charge fees for article publication. The grant will consist solely of publication fees.

This grant seeks to support Rwandan researchers with high-quality papers originating from research conducted in Rwanda. It covers Article Processing Charges (APC) for publication in open-access, high-impact, indexed, peer-reviewed journals. At least three (3) papers will be supported with a grant of Two Million Eight Hundred Fifty-Nine Thousand Two Hundred Ninety Rwandan Francs (2,859,290 Frw) or less each.

The work to be funded should align with the National Research and Innovation Agenda (NRIA) framework, focusing on the following priority areas:

a) Sustainable energy;

b) Food security & modern agriculture;

c) Life and health sciences;

d) Local production and value addition;

e) Digital services, products, and lifestyles; and

f) Resilient environment and natural resources.

For more details, read the Call here

Click here to apply.