Background and Objectives of the Award

 

The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and its national partners have tremendously contributed to the development of rice sector in Africa, resulting in the apparent production increase of rice. The rice production in Africa doubled from 2008 to 2018 and to continuously increase, contributing to food security and poverty alleviation in Africa.

 

To further encourage and accelerate the growth of the rice sector, the Council of Ministers (COM) underscored the need to encourage best performing scientists from AfricaRice, the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), and other national public and private sector actors involved in the rice sector. The COM resolved as follows: Create an opportunity to honor excellence in rice research for development for AfricaRice, NARS and other organizations during the ordinary session of the Council—therefore this is a biennial award. The COM mandates AfricaRice to define the criteria of selection and propose names for the award by the COM.

 

Creation of the Ad Hoc Selection Committee for the Award

 

Due to a tally of the voting by the Director Generals (DGs) of NARS of the AfricaRice member countries, the ad hoc selection committee was created with the following membership:

• Deputy Director General/Director Research for Innovation of AfricaRice (Chair)

• DG of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana

• DG of L'Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), Senegal

• DG of Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt

• DG of Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Mozambique

• Executive Director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

 

Two awardees will be nominated through the strict examination of all valid applications by the Committee and honorably recognized by COM during its ordinary session in 2026.

 

Eligibility of Applicants

 

An applicant should be an individual or a team belonging to NARS, other public sector such as ministries and private sector in AfricaRice member countries and AfricaRice. Among the two awardees, one is expected from NARS and the other from AfricaRice or a public/private partner organization.

 

Selection Criteria

 

1. Scientific excellence

• Number of peer-reviewed articles published in reputable journals for the period of eligibility.

• Number of rice value chain actors impacted by research results in member countries.

• Number of validated research technologies and innovations developed and ready for scaling or being scaled in member countries.

• Scientific Rigor: Robust designs, systematic methodology, minimizing bias.

• Originality and Impact: Novel contributions to agricultural science, particularly rice research that influences the field and attracts funding.

 

2. Developmental impact—clearly demonstrated impact of research results

• Tangible improvements in rice productivity, resilience, or sustainability.

• Evidence of adoption of research outputs by farmers, extension services, or policymakers.

• Contribution to food security, poverty reduction, improved nutritional quality and rice self-sufficiency nationally, regionally or continentally.

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3. Collaboration and partnerships

• Demonstrated leadership in multi-disciplinary research teams.

• Strong engagement with NARS, universities, and national and international R&D partners.

• Capacity building—mentoring young scientists, training programs, or knowledge transfer.

• Stakeholder engagement—including meaningful involvement of knowledge users throughout the process (patient-oriented research).

• Open science—involving sharing data, findings, and resources for broader use.

 

4. Innovation and knowledge sharing

• Development of technologies, tools, or practices that bridge research and practice.

• Effective communication of science to policymakers, farmers, and the public.

• IP—patents, innovations, or digital tools supporting rice sector transformation. Impactful knowledge mobilization and sharing.

 

5. Institutional values

• Commitment to institution’s (NARS or AfricaRice) mission and values of inclusivity, respect for diversity, equity, sustainability, and excellence.

• Ethical conduct - Adherence to ethical standards, integrity.

• Contribution institution’s (NARS or AfricaRice) visibility and reputation nationally, regionally and globally.

 

Documents Necessary for the Application

 

• Application letter with applicant name(s), affiliation(s) and contact(s) inclusive of email address(es). If the application is by team, a representative person needs to be specified

• CV, eligible period(s) be specified. For an applicant by team, the CV of a representative person only

• Recommendation letter(s) from an organization which an applicant belongs to

• For the respective selection criteria, following documents should be prepared:

• Criterion 1: (I) List of publications during the eligible period, including citation index, with the three (3) most outstanding publications highlighted; (II) A summary of the research which the applicant conducted (max 1,000 words)

• Criterion 2: Information of the impacts (max 500 words) with evidences (preferably with web links)

• Criterion 3: Information of the partnership (max 500 words), where linkages of the partnership with the research of the applicant be clearly mentioned

• Criterion 4: Information of knowledge sharing (max 300 words)

• Criterion 5: Information of compliance with institutional values (max 300 words)

 

No fixed templates for the application documents. All documents should be in a PDF style.

 

How to Apply

 

All application documents in PDF need to be stored in one ZIP file with the name of the applicant and organization and sent via a link below :

Submit your application documents here

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Deadline of the Application

 

The application made by 24:00 on Friday, 24 September in GMT will be accepted.

 

Prize for Awardees

 

Two laureates will be awarded at the ordinary 34th session of COM and each laureate will

receive:

• Main prize: Plaque signed by COM Chair

• Extra prize: 5,000 US$

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Contacts

 

If you have any questions or need further clarification of this Award, please contact the Secretariat of the Award at AfricaRice with the following emails:

Ms. Florence Baikeh at f.baikeh@cgiar.org

Ms. Cissy Namuddu Settumba at c.namuddu@cgiar.org