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The Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program promotes food security and economic growth by providing training and collaborative research opportunities to Fellows from developing and middle-income countries.

Borlaug Fellows are generally scientists, researchers, or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers.  Each Fellow works one-on-one with a mentor at a U.S. university, research center, or government agency, usually for 8-12 weeks.  The U.S. mentor will later visit the Fellow’s home institution to continue collaboration.  Fellows may also attend professional conferences and events within their field, such as the annual World Food Prize Symposium.

The Borlaug Fellowship Program honors Norman E. Borlaug, the American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate known as the “Father of the Green Revolution.”  Since the program’s inception in 2004, hundreds of Fellows from across the globe have participated in research and training focused on a wide array of agriculture-related topics, including: agronomy, veterinary science, nutrition, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, natural resource management, agricultural biotechnology, agricultural economics, and agricultural policy.  By improving participants’ understanding of agricultural science, the program helps foster science-based trade policies that improve international market access for U.S. agricultural products.

This foundation works with The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) links U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security.

In addition to its Washington, D.C. staff, FAS has a global network of nearly 100 offices covering approximately 180 countries. These offices are staffed by agricultural attachés and locally hired agricultural experts who are the eyes, ears, and voice for U.S. agriculture around the world. FAS staff identify problems, provide practical solutions, and work to advance opportunities for U.S. agriculture and support U.S. foreign policy around the globe.

Eligibility

• Be citizens of an eligible country
• Be fluent in English
• Have completed a Master’s or higher degree
• Be in the early or middle stage of their career, with at least two years of practical experience
• Be employed by a university, government agency or research entity in their home country
• Demonstrate their intention to continue working in their home country after completing the fellowship

Applicants are selected based on their academic and professional research interests and achievements, level of scientific competence, aptitude for scientific research, leadership potential, likelihood of bringing back new ideas to their home institution, and flexibility and aptitude for success in a cross-cultural environment. Consideration is also given to the relevance of the applicant’s research area to the research topics highlighted in the application announcement and to global food security and trade.

Requirements

The countries that this foundation and scholarship work with:

• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cabo Verde
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the
• Congo, Republic of the
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• And many more

How to Apply

Applicants must apply via the online application portal. The following information will indefinitely need to be required:

• Completed application form
• 2-3 page program proposal and action plan
• Signed approval from applicant’s home institution
• Two letters of recommendation
• Official copy of transcript for college/university degrees received
• Copy of passport identification page

With the website link provided, this is where students can locate their country and e-mail the individual who is in charge of sending out scholarships via e-mail. This is the only official way to receive a scholarship package to fill out and then submit back to the U.S. government.

All students must have a student visa if they are an international student. Beforehand, the student would need to show that they have been accepted to an accredited university that will work with this foundation. Along with the students main field major must be focused on food technologies or agriculture.

Otherwise, if the student does not have any of the eligible factors, they will be seen as ill-fitted for this incredible scholarship program opportunity.

Reward – Extra Benefits

Around $10,000 is gifted to the recipient but this amount has gone up to well over $50,000 for a single student.

Borlaug Fellows are typically scientists, researchers, or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers. Each colleague usually works individually with a mentor at a university, research center or US government agency for 8 to 12 weeks.

The US mentor will later visit the fellowship’s home institution to continue the collaboration. Fellows can also attend specialized conferences and events in their field, for example. The World Symposium of the World Food Prize.

Since this is a government scholarship that means there will be no refunds available and a student who drops out may be expected to pay the rest of their schooling separate from the funds they were gifted.

Deadline

The official deadline date is December 31, 2022 which will flow into the 2023 school year term. This means students still have well over a year before they submit their scholarship application when the deadline date is ready.

Open Submission Window Time Frame

The open submission window time frame is from the Summer of 2022 to December 31, 2022. This gives a general 6-month window for students to send in their correct and accurate information. If any information is wrong or incorrect their scholarship package will be tossed or thrown out.

Students should always check the deadline dates and open submission window time frames on a weekly basis, just to insure that they are still in the right timeline when they apply.

A great way to know what a student needs for an overview when it comes to information and filling in the blanks of a scholarship, will be all their official documents to receive a scholarship. This means students will need to provide photo copies of their passport, national I.D. or regular I.D., along with possibly a birth certificate, current residence, current e-mail address, current phone number, and all community service that has been fulfilled and accomplished.

Annual

This is an annual government-based scholarship that occurs once a year.