CLIFF-GRADS Scholarships 2020/2021 for PhD Students

The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) are pleased to announce that the third round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme is now open!

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CLIFF-GRADS Scholarships

CLIFF-GRADS is a joint initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change (CCAFS) Low Emissions Development Flagship and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA).

CLIFF-GRADS aims to build the capability of early career agriculture students in developing countries to conduct applied research on climate change mitigation in agriculture.

CLIFF-GRADS integrates the GRA’s new Development Scholarship and the CCAFS Climate Food and Farming Research Network with the common goal of providing grants to graduate students to expand their knowledge and experience in quantification of agricultural greenhouse gases.

Research projects are hosted by CCAFS and GRA members and partners. Funding for CLIFF-GRADS is provided by the Government of New Zealand and by the CGIAR Trust Fund and bilateral agreements in support of CCAFS.

CLIFF-GRADS Scholarships Eligibility

Applicants should have a background in agriculture and climate change research and be pursuing graduate research related to agricultural greenhouse gas quantification.

Applicants must be currently enrolled PhD students in a field related to quantification of greenhouse gas emissions or carbon sequestration in agricultural systems
Applicants must be students from a developing country

Selection Criteria: Applicants will be selected based on three criteria: (1) overall level of research experience, (2) relevance of thesis topic or other research experience to the research opportunity to which the student is applying, and (3) clear description of how the CLIFF-GRADS experience will improve the student’s scientific training

Value of Award:

Selected students will be sponsored in the amount of 12,000 USD for short-term (4–6 month) scientific training and research stays to collaborate with projects associated with CCAFS and GRA.
The grants will be used to support travel to and living and research costs at the host institution. Grants may not be used for tuition or unrelated personal expenses.

Application instructions and required documentation: CLIFF-GRADS is a very competitive scholarship. We are unable to consider applications that do not meet the exact application requirements. Therefore, please read the student call for applications carefully to ensure that we do not disregard your application.

There are 54 CLIFF-GRADS research stays being advertised in this call. After reading the call document you must be prepared to list up to three research visits for which you wish to apply, in order of preference, before beginning this application form.

You may access the call document here:

You will be unable to submit your application form until you have uploaded a single merged PDF document that includes the following:
i) your motivation letter as per the call document guidelines,
ii) a single page research CV, and
iii) a letter of support from your PhD research supervisor.

How to Apply for CLIFF-GRADS Scholarships

1. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2020.
2. Applicants must complete the online CLIFF-GRADS Round 4 Survey, which can be found here.
3. Applicants must email a single PDF document containing their curriculum vitae (CV), motivation letter, and a letter of support from their current supervisor to cliffgrads@globalresearchalliance.org.

For more information, visit the CLIFF-GRADS Scholarships.

Application Deadline: 1st April, 2020.