MASTER’S RESEARCH FUNDING – BRAINS PROJECT (CALL EXTENSION)

The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crisis of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national, and multinational partners across Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia, and with public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

Background
The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), an initiative of the Bean Program of the Alliance Bioversity &CIAT, through PABRA Academy, invites applications for Master’s research funding under the BRAINS project (Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean and Insect Sectors- BRAINS Project | Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT). This funding opportunity is designed to support outstanding Master’s students from PABRA partner universities across Africa who have completed their coursework and are ready to undertake thesis research that addresses critical gaps in the bean value chain.

The BRAINS project focuses on enhancing productivity, nutrition, market access, gender equity, climate resilience, and food safety in bean, beneficial insects and fruit tree values chains across 15 sub-Saharan Africa countries. Successful applicants will conduct research that directly contributes to PABRA’s strategic objectives and generates evidence-based solutions for farmers, seed entrepreneurs, processors, and consumers in the bean value chain

Priority Research Areas
Applications must address one or more of the following priority research gaps identified by PABRA theme leaders. These gaps are organised into thematic areas:

1.1. Gender Research Gaps

•  Intra-household decision-making and adoption of improved bean varieties.
  
•  Gendered barriers to access of quality seed, credit, extension services, and land.
  
•  Women’s participation and leadership in informal and formal seed systems.
  
•  Gender-responsive business models and women-led seed enterprises.
  
•  Structural barriers limiting women’s participation in higher-value nodes of the bean value chain (aggregation, processing, contract farming).
  
•  Women’s time poverty and labour contributions in production, processing, storage, and marketing.
  
•  Gendered impacts of climate risks (drought, pests, soil degradation) and adaptation strategies.
  
•  Gender-transformative interventions that shift unequal power relations within households, cooperatives, and market institutions.
  
•  Measurement of women’s empowerment, benefit sharing, and long-term transformative impacts of bean innovations.
  
  

1.2. Breeding Research Gaps

• Genotype–processing interactions: which bean varieties retain the highest nutritional value after boiling, steaming, extrusion, or fermentation.
  
• High-throughput phenotyping platforms for nutritional traits (iron/zinc bioavailability), processing traits (hydration rate, cooking time), and anti-nutrient profiles (phytate, polyphenols).
  
• AI and genomic selection to optimise multi-trait breeding (yield × climate resilience × bioavailability × processing quality).
  
•  Gene editing approaches to improve both health outcomes and cooking/processing behaviour.
  

1.3. Seed Systems Research Gaps

• Women’s roles and decision-making power in informal and formal seed systems.
  
• Inclusive seed demand strategies and last-mile seed delivery mechanisms.
  
• Barriers to adoption of certified seed among smallholder farmers.
  
• Business models for sustainable, women-led seed enterprises.
  
•  Seed quality assurance and traceability systems.
  

1.4. Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Research Gaps

• Site‑specific integration of soil fertility and acidity management with biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), including evidence generation on optimal rhizobium strain performance, micronutrient management, and combined organic–inorganic nutrient strategies across bean agro‑ecologies, alongside documentation of persistent barriers to BNF uptake.
  
• Integration management strategies for emerging vector‑borne bean diseases—particularly whitefly-, aphid- and beetle-transmitted viruses and document evidence on biopesticide efficacy, vector dynamics, and scalable weed control options.
  
•  Intercropping and cropping system integration: productivity per unit area in maize–bean, cassava–bean, coffee-bean and banana–bean systems; long-term soil health outcomes.
  
• Validation of cost effective, small scale mechanisation options, particularly women friendly tools, coupled with evidence generation on their economic viability and labour efficiency gains across bean production systems.
  

1.5. Nutrition and Food Science Research Gaps

•  Bean ingredients and industrial applications: protein concentrates, starch fractions, dietary fibre, bioactive-rich extracts
  
•  Bioavailability of iron and zinc after typical African processing (boiling, roasting, extrusion).
  
• Anti-nutrient reduction methods (phytate, tannins) that do not compromise flavour, colour, or protein quality.
  
•  Post-harvest handling, storage, safety, and quality standards: biochemical changes during storage affecting hard-to-cook (HTC) syndrome, nutrient degradation, mycotoxins, and microbial hazards; low-cost diagnostics for grain quality.
  

1.6. Markets and Value Chains Research Gaps

• Gendered access to markets, price information, transport, and value-added enterprises.
  
• Women’s participation, leadership, and voice in PABRA’s bean business platforms and partnerships.
  
• Consumer preference and acceptability: how health benefits, cooking time, flavour, colour, and convenience drive consumer choice.
  
• Price premiums for fast-cooking, high-iron, high-protein, or high-quality bean products.
  
• Institutional norms and power relations shaping inclusiveness and decision-making in bean business platforms.
  
  

1.7. Climate Resilience Research Gaps

•  Gendered impacts of climate risks (drought, pests, soil degradation).
  
• How climate innovations influence vulnerabilities, workloads, and decision-making at household and community levels.
  
• Household dynamics influencing production decisions, investment in bean plots, and benefit sharing under climate stress.
  

1.8. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Gender-Responsive Metrics

• Gender-transformative indicators and data systems for tracking outcomes across PABRA programs.
  
• Measurement of household empowerment, benefit sharing, and long-term transformative impacts of bean innovations.
  

2. Research Approach and Methodology
Applicants are expected to propose research that:

• Is embedded in ongoing PABRA activities and aligned with national/regional demand-led corridor approaches.
  
• Uses participatory and gender-sensitive methods where appropriate.
  
• Includes on-farm demonstrations, field trials, or laboratory analysis as relevant to the research question.
  
• Generates evidence that can be scaled by national bean programs, policymakers, or private sector actors.
  

3. Funding Provisions
Successful applicants will receive funding up to a specified limit to be approved by PABRA Academy and that covers:

•  Fieldwork and laboratory analysis costs.
  
• Research materials and consumables (seeds, fertilizers, inoculants, pesticides, etc.).
  
•  Local travel related to fieldwork.
  
• Funds cannot be used for: tuition fees, personal stipends/salaries, institutional overheads, or international travel not directly related to fieldwork.
  

4. Supervision and Mentorship
Selected students will benefit from:

• Joint supervision by an academic supervisor (from the student’s home university) and a PABRA scientist (technical mentor).
  
•  Access to PABRA’s network of bean researchers, breeders, agronomists, food scientists, gender experts, market specialists and private sector partners.
  
• Opportunities for scientific publication, policy engagement, and conference participation.
  

Requirements

To be eligible for this funding, applicants must meet all the following requirements:
• Be enrolled in a Master’s program (MSc or equivalent) at a recognized PABRA partner university in Africa.
• Have completed all coursework and be ready to begin thesis research (proof of coursework completion required).
• Have an assigned academic supervisor who supports the proposed research.
• Be a national of a PABRA member country in sub-Saharan Africa and able to conduct research in any one of the 15 countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, DRC, Cameroon, Ghana and Guinea Conakry) where the BRAINS project is implemented.
• Demonstrate a commitment to return to their home institution or national bean program upon completion of studies.
• Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply – the BRAINS project prioritises gender equity and inclusivity.
• Be aged below 35 years

Applications
Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Interested candidates should submit the following documents in one PDF file named: “BRAINS MSc Application – [Your Country] – [Your University] – [Your Name]
i). Cover letter (max 1 page) – stating motivation, alignment with PABRA’s mission, and how the research will contribute to bean value chain development in the applicant’s country.
ii). Technical concept note (max 5 pages) – including:
o Proposed thesis title.
o Research background and problem statement.
o Specific objectives and research questions (SMART).
o Methodology (research design, sampling, data collection, analysis plan).
o Alignment with one or more priority research gaps listed in Section 3 above.
o Expected outputs and outcomes.
o Tentative work plan (timeline for 1 year of MSc study).
iii). Budget estimate (1 page) – itemised costs for fieldwork and laboratory analysis (not exceeding the funding limit).
iv). Curriculum vitae (max 3 pages) – including academic qualifications, relevant experience, and any publications (if any).
v). Academic transcripts – official proof of coursework completion.
vi). Letter of support from the applicant’s academic supervisor – confirming supervision and endorsing the proposed research.
vii). Letter of support from the National Bean Program leader or head of the applicant’s home institution – confirming that the applicant will return to serve their institution for at least 5 years after completing the Master’s degree.
The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Applications closing date: 1st October 2026
Please note that email applications will not be considered.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
We invite you to learn more about us at:
http://alliancebioversityciat.org