International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) 2021 Training Fellowship for Masters Students (Kenya)

The Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub (Nairobi, Kenya), in partnership with its UK-based partners the John Innes Centre (JIC), the Earlham Institute (EI) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), launches an intensive training programme in genomics and bioinformatics, called Third-generation genomics and bioinformatics for agribiosciences in Africa.

The partners have long-standing experience in developing capacity to apply agricultural biosciences in Africa. We are aware of the current bottlenecks in scientific research for the improvement of African agriculture, one of which is the lack of skills in biological data analysis. Therefore, in 2018, together with our partners at JIC and EI, we launched the ABCF Bioinformatics Community of Practice (BixCoP), an eight-month residential training which gave 14 early-career scientists from eight African countries the chance to gain and apply critical skills in bioinformatics data analysis, including programming (Linux and shell scripting/Python/R), NGS analyses, quantitative genetics and phylogenetics. We also ran a Train-the-Trainer module to formally prepare the trainees in how to distribute their expertise in their own communities. This training was widely praised for its quality. More details on BixCop can be found here.

• Table of Content
• About International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
• ILRI Training Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of ILRI Training Fellowship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works for better lives through livestock in developing countries. ILRI is co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, has 14 offices across Asia and Africa, employs some 700 staff and has an annual operating budget of about USD80 million. ILRI is a CGIAR research centre, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR centres in close collaboration with hundred...... continue reading

ILRI Training Fellowship

Aim and Benefits of ILRI Training Fellowship

• Thanks to funding from the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Department for International Development (DfID, now FCDO), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, all costs pertaining to the residential training (Develop and Demonstrate phases) will be met by the program, including return flight tickets from the country of residence, accommodation costs in Nairobi and a monthly allowance covering subsistence costs.
• Costs falling outside the residential training period (i.e. Deploy phase) will not be covered by the training program. 
• It is expected that the trainees’ home institutions will demonstrate their involvement in the training program by making a formal commitment to support the returning trainee in establishing a minimal third-generation sequencing platform based on the Oxford Nanopore MinION system (or any other third-generation sequencing technology) throughout the Deploy phase. The initial setup costs of this will depend on the focus and scale of the platform, but are likely to be in the range of US$ 5,000 to 10,000, not including staff costs.
• Please note these are funds the applicant’s institution (together with its potential collaborators and partners) commits to invest in their own research platform, NOT a fee to be paid for the applicant to participate in the programme. These funds do not need to be available yet at the point of application, but a commitment letter signed by the relevant authority within the applicant’s institution must be enclosed.
• Applicants are advised to start the process of getting this commitment from their institutions early enough to get it approved in time for the application deadline. 
• We encourage developing collaborations with in-country projects led by ILRI or another OneCGIAR institute, to tackle research questions with direct impact of third-generation sequencing technologies on agricultural production. Such type of work include projects on the development of genetic resources for underutilized crops and breeds, on in-field disease diagnostics, on the discovery of genomic structural variations linked with disease or productivity traits, etc.

Documents Required for Application

Upload the following supporting documents:

1. A curriculum vitae or resumé (maximum 3 A4 pages: please be aware that we will only read the first three pages in case the uploaded file is longer).
2. Transcript of the highest degree earned in any of the fields named in item (5) of the list in the previous section
3. A personal cover letter (maximum 1 A4 page) addressed to ILRI's Head of Capacity Development highlighting key features of the applicant that make them the right fit for this programme
4. A support letter (maximum 1 A4 page) signed and stamped by a senior person from the home institution, e.g. a director, head of department or group leader able to commit research funds, indicating support as exemplified in item (3) of the list in the previous section. See also section Costs/Funding about that.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Applications will be received online only. Applicants are asked to fill in the form at (URL)[1]

In case of any questions that are not addressed by the present application guidelines, potential applicants can direct such questions to (provide an online Q/A space through which potential applicants can post questions and we reply “in the open”) 

For more details, visit ILRI website.