VIB-International Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO) Open Doors Fellowship Program for Women Researchers in Africa 2026

Published: January 13, 2026
Deadline: Ongoing
Category: PhD Women
Eligible Locations: Africa

VIB-International Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO) is currently accepting applications for its Open Doors Fellowship Program for Women Researchers in Africa 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this fellowship and apply for it.

About IPBO Open Doors Fellowship Program for Women Researchers in Africa

The Open Doors Fellowship Program for women researchers in Africa is a holistic program that targets women researchers in Africato help them acquire the necessary hard and soft skills to strengthen their placements within their hosting institutions and,ultimately, avoid dropping out before their consolidation stage.

Sponsor Organisation: VIB-International Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO)

Benefits of IPBO Open Doors Fellowship Program for Women Researchers in Africa

The program supports our fellows' scientific and public visibility because if research outputs are not visible, our fellows aren't either.
To this end, participants receive training on scientific communication and financial incentives to attend congresses and open-access publication fees.

IPBO Open Doors Fellowship Program for Women Researchers in Africa Requirements

Applicants are post-doc female scholars (minimum one year after defending their Ph.D.) or in mid-career positions who experience challenges to progress in their career path due to limited access to training, infrastructure, and international networks. There are no age limits.
Scholarship candidates should be national and resident in one of the VLIR- UOS scholarship countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe); or employee of a target organization in one of these countries (candidates exceptionally can have a different nationality). This requirement is not applicable for the Slot Water and Oxidative Stress Resistance (Slot Identification Number: ODF_06).
Applicants' research fields must be plant breeding, agrobiotechnology, molecular biology and genetics, microbiology, chemical ecology, plant & soil health, livestock or aquaculture.
Applicants must have an active employment contract in a High Education institution or an (inter)national research center in any of the countries listed above for the duration of the fellowship (20 months), where they conduct research and teach.
Applicants are supervising MSc or PhD students and supporting staff.