2026 Call for Applications
AGNES Junior Researcher Grants (JRG) Programmes
(Supported by BMZ and AvH)
(Language of Application: All applications MUST be submitted in English, see details further below)
Scope of Programmes:
AGNES is operating two Junior Researcher Grant programmes for which application may be submitted via NOMINATION ONLY:
a. General AGNES Junior Researcher Grant (For MALE and FEMALE candidates)
b. Special AGNES Junior Researcher Grant (For FEMALE candidates ONLY)
FEMALE candidates may be nominated for any or both (a and/or b) of the grants while MALE candidates can only be nominated for General AGNES Junior Researcher Grant (Generally for MALE and FEMALE candidates). AGNES encourages the nomination of candidates from all research fields, including ALL Sciences, Humanities, Law and Social Sciences.
I. Programmes
We are pleased to announce the “Call for Applications” for our two funding programmes under the: “AGNES Grant for Junior Researchers.” This grant is funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH). The grant aims to strengthen scientific capacity in sub-Saharan Africa by funding outstanding top male and female PhD holders and mentoring them to apply and succeed in the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship programmes. It further supports Humboldtians in their efforts towards mentoring high potential junior researchers, helping them to access international networks of scientific excellence (e.g. AvH).
II. Eligibility and Nomination
Consideration of recipients for the AGNES Grant for Junior Researchers is only by nomination of candidates and not through direct application. AGNES Members and African Humboldtians may nominate up to two excellent candidates who graduated with PhD from 2022 onwards. Excellent candidates who will graduate before the end of 2026 may also be nominated – confirmation of PhD degree must be submitted before AGNES Selection Board meeting, scheduled to take place in December 2026.
The nominator should consider only candidates with outstanding academic records and with good publications in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in SCOPUS or Web of Science (WoS). Candidates MUST provide the SCOPUS or Web of Science links (URL) to each publication. The nominee must be a national of a sub-Saharan African country and be interested in carrying out a post-doctoral scientific research project in Germany under the auspices of the fellowship programmes of the AvH (https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/humboldt-fellowship-postdoc.html).
NB: It is the wish of the AvH and of AGNES to attract excellent candidates from all sub- Saharan countries. For the two grants, AGNES Governing Board will aspire to achieve 50% inclusion of female researchers based on merit. Nominators are therefore requested to also contact colleagues from other African countries to identify excellent candidates for nomination. AGNES encourages the nomination of candidates from all research fields, including ALL Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences (for the AGNES Junior Research Grant).
III. Amount and Use of the Grant
The once-off grant amounts to EUR 1,000.00 only. The recipient of the Grant must submit a signed letter of acceptance to the Governing Board of AGNES, co-signed by the AGNES nominator (mentor), within seven days of receipt of the offer. The Grant money will then be transferred into the bank account of the successful Junior Researcher (Nominee). The Grant is awarded in recognition of the scientific achievements of the Grantee to date and his/her potential to compete for an AvH post-doc fellowship successfully. AGNES does not impose restrictions on the use of the Grant, but it is envisaged that the Grant will serve as support during the preparation of the application for postdoctoral funding from the AvH.
IV. Nomination
A complete nomination package MUST include the following:
1) A completed nomination form (in AGNES template, in ENGLISH language) with the name of the nominator, the name of the nominee, the reason for the nomination, the PhD graduation date of the nominee, the ranking of the nominee, the field of research, and the name and affiliation of a potential research partner in Germany (if already established). The AGNES nomination form can be obtained from here: Download AGNES JRG Nomination Form.
2) CV of the nominee (in AGNES format, in ENGLISH language) using the AGNES CV template for JRG. The AGNES CV template can be obtained from here: Download AGNES-JRG 2026 CV Template.
3) A list of published articles in non-predatory journals with SCOPUS or Web of Science links (URL) to each publication (include an e-copy of the first page showing the title, authors and the abstract). Both the list of publications and the first page of each publication should be merged into a single PDF document. The document should begin with a descriptive title on the first page (e.g., “LIST OF PUBLICATIONS FOR JOHNSON JAMES”), followed by the list of publications (with the link to each publication included after the title and other details of the publication). The first page of each publication should then follow in the same PDF document.
4) A copy of the official Academic transcripts reflecting the grades obtained in the undergraduate and any postgraduate study. Please supply the official explanation of the grading system in English if your transcript is in another language.
5) For the Humanities, an extended abstract (5 pages) of the doctoral thesis must be submitted.
Incomplete applications will be rejected. Nominators are therefore urged to check the completeness of the nomination package for each nominee before submission.
The total size of the application file by a nominator must not exceed 15 MB.
Please submit your nomination by filling in the online nomination form via the link below:
https://forms.gle/oMNP71TDt8VB8iXD7.
Nominations close at 23:59 GMT on 16th October 2026.
V. Selection
The AGNES Selection Board will evaluate the nominations and make selections. The core ranking criteria are the publication record and the prospects for successful international scientific cooperation (contacts with German academic institutions are required for AvH programmes). Candidates will be selected to receive a certificate and the one-off meritorious grant of EUR 1,000. Successful candidates will be informed of the selection committee’s decision following the meeting. Nomination of candidates for the AGNES Grant for Junior Researchers is no guarantee of acceptance/selection into the post-doc funding programmes of the AvH and does not imply preferential treatment once an application is submitted.
For ANY questions concerning this call, please contact any of the underlisted:
Joel Anthony (Programme manager). Email: info@agnes-h.org
Prof. Zachary Getenga (Secretary of AGNES). Email: zgetenga@gmail.com
For ANY question on AGNES organization:
Prof. Zachary Getenga (Secretary of AGNES).
Email: zgetenga@gmail.com
Prof. Alexandra Muellner-Riehl (Co-Chair of AGNES).
Email: muellner-riehl@uni-leipzig.de
Prof. Dr. Odunayo Clement Adebooye (President/Chair of AGNES).
Email: ocadebooye@daad-alumni.de
