Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund for Africans 2026

The 2026 round of the Mastercard Foundation and University of Cambridge Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund closed on 15 January 2026, but this isn’t a one-off scheme that disappears once a single deadline passes — it’s a £7.7 million commitment running annually through to 2029, which means another call for applications is coming.

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The fund pairs a Cambridge-based researcher with a partner at an African university or research institution, backing joint work on climate resilience and sustainability with grants of up to £50,000. What makes it worth tracking even now is how broadly “climate resilience and sustainability” gets interpreted — proposals from the humanities, arts, and social sciences have been funded alongside the sciences, so this isn’t limited to environmental science departments the way the title might suggest. This guide covers exactly who qualifies, what the two grant tracks actually pay for, and what to start preparing now so you’re ready the moment the next call opens.

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About the Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund

This scheme sits inside a larger initiative called the Africa Climate Collaborative, a partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and four institutions — the University of Ghana, Makerere University, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Cambridge.

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The Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund is Cambridge’s specific piece of that collaborative, and its purpose is narrower than a general research grant: it exists to build genuine two-way partnerships between Cambridge and African researchers, not to fund one institution to deliver a service on the other’s behalf. That distinction shows up directly in how proposals get assessed — reviewers are checking for real co-creation between both sides of the pairing, not a Cambridge PI subcontracting work to an African collaborator.

The fund runs annual calls until 2029, when the final round will support activities carried out in 2029–2030, so this is a recurring opportunity rather than a single application window. One detail worth flagging early: the fund does not cover the salaries of either principal investigator, so budget planning needs to account for that from the outset rather than discovering it partway through drafting your case for support.

Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund Summary

What the Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund Covers

Two separate grant tracks are available, and knowing which one fits your project matters before you start drafting a budget.

• Workshop Grant: up to £50,000, generally intended for larger collaborative activities that bring researchers together, such as joint workshops, training events, or activities that build lasting research infrastructure between the two institutions
• Research Catalyst Grant: up to £20,000, positioned as seed funding — the intention is that findings from this smaller grant become the evidence base you use to secure larger external funding afterwards, not a complete research programme in itself
• Duration: most awards cover activities carried out over roughly 12 months, though longer timescales can be considered if the application justifies the extended timeline
• What’s excluded: neither grant covers the salaries of the Cambridge-based or Africa-based principal investigator — budget for research activity, training, travel, and materials, not personnel costs for the leads themselves

Because the fund is explicitly designed to catalyse further funding, a Research Catalyst Grant application that shows a clear path toward a bigger follow-on bid tends to read more strongly to reviewers than one framed as a standalone, self-contained project.

Who Can Apply

• Applications come from a paired team: one researcher based at the University of Cambridge and one based at a university or research institution anywhere on the African continent
• Both researchers must be at postdoctoral level or above, though the fund does give due consideration for equivalent experience where a formal postdoc title doesn’t apply
• Eligibility is defined by where you’re institutionally based, not by nationality — an African-side applicant simply needs to be at an eligible African institution, regardless of their citizenship
• Applications are welcomed from every academic discipline — sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts all qualify, provided the proposal can genuinely justify its connection to climate resilience or sustainability
• Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary proposals are specifically encouraged rather than merely tolerated
• Research-related training activities count as eligible activity types alongside standalone research projects

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Required Documents

Applying for research grant funding under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program / Research Initiatives at the University of Cambridge (managed via the Cambridge-Africa platform) requires a joint dossier submitted by the research team. Because these funds support high-impact, collaborative research focused on sustainability, technology, health, and youth development across the African continent, all uploaded materials must strictly meet Cambridge-Africa portal standards.

1. Cambridge-Africa Portal & Collaborative Account Setup

• Primary Application Registration: The Lead Investigator or Cambridge-based co-applicant must initiate the application through the dedicated Cambridge-Africa online application portal.
• Co-Applicant Verification: The lead applicant generates an invitation link via the portal to add the collaborating African-based researcher/PI. Both leads must register verified institutional profiles to co-edit, upload, and sign off on the final submission.

2. Case for Support & Non-Specialist Lay Summary

• Case for Support: A structured research narrative detailing the problem statement, methodological framework, project timeline, capacity-building goals for African institutions, and alignment with Mastercard Foundation priority themes (e.g., climate resilience, digital innovation, youth employment, and public health).
• Lay Summary: A mandatory non-technical narrative (written for non-specialist reviewers) explaining the research objectives, social/economic impact, and strategic relevance to African communities.

3. Mandatory Itemized Budget File

• Official Prescribed Template: Submissions must strictly utilize the official Mastercard Foundation / Cambridge-Africa budget template downloaded directly from the application portal. Custom spreadsheets or modified layouts are rejected during automated administrative checks.
• Eligible Expenditures & Restrictions:
  • Fundable Items: Fieldwork expenses, research equipment/data acquisition in Africa, open-access publication fees, joint research travel, and training workshops.
  • Ineligible Items: Institutional overheads/indirect costs, permanent salary top-ups for principal investigators, or unallocated contingency buffers.
  • Asset Ownership: All physical equipment purchased using grant funds must be transferred to and permanently registered as the property of the partner African institution upon project completion.

4. Departmental Support Letters & Institutional Verification

To guarantee institutional endorsement, administrative hosting, and financial transfer clearance, formal letters of support must be uploaded from both institutional sides:

• Cambridge Departmental Support Letter: Issued by the Cambridge Department Head or Faculty Board Chair.
  • Engineering Faculty Requirement: Applicants affiliated with the Department of Engineering must obtain endorsement directly from their respective Head of Division.
  • Digital Verification: An official email confirmation sent directly from an institutional email domain (@cam.ac.uk or recognized affiliated institutes) is accepted in place of a signed PDF.
• African Partner Institution Support Letter: Issued by the Dean, Head of Department, or Vice-Chancellor/Research Director of the collaborating African university or research institute, confirming institutional backing, lab/office access, and financial compliance approval.

5. Investigator CVs & Conflict-Free Referee Protocols

• Investigator Curriculum Vitae (CVs): Capped at a strict maximum of 2 pages per PI/Co-Investigator. CVs must highlight relevant research experience, recent peer-reviewed publications, student supervision history, and previous grant management track records. Pages beyond the 2-page threshold are stripped automatically by the portal.
• Independent Peer Referees: The portal requires contact details for two suggested external referees.
  • Strict Conflict-of-Interest Filter: Reviewers explicitly verify that nominated referees are not from the same academic department as either co-applicant and have no recent co-authorships, family connections, or active commercial/research collaborations with the project team.

How to Apply

To apply for the 2026 Cambridge University Mastercard Research Fund, interested and qualified candidates should;

Register and complete a saveable online application form, available on the Cambridge-Africa website.

• Final submissions should include the required documents listed above.
• The deadline for submission is 15th January 2026, and applications can be submitted at any time before this.
• Any queries should be sent to [email protected]

Getting Ready for the Next Call

Because this fund reopens annually and will keep doing so until 2029, the most useful thing you can do right now is start building the partnership itself rather than waiting for the next call to appear. If you don’t already have a collaborator on the other side of the Cambridge-Africa pairing, that relationship-building takes time and shouldn’t start the week applications open.

Draft your case for support and lay summary in advance, and have both PIs’ two-page CVs ready so the only thing left to do once the call reopens is finalise the budget against the provided template. For direct questions about eligibility or the application process ahead of the next round, the fund’s administrative team can be reached at [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Cambridge Mastercard Research Fund still accepting applications for 2026?

No. The 2026 round closed on 15 January 2026. The fund runs annual calls through 2029, so a new round is expected to open later in 2026 or in early 2027.

Do I need to be a citizen of an African country to apply as the Africa-based researcher?

No. Eligibility is based on where you’re institutionally based, not your nationality. You need to be a postdoctoral-level researcher at a university or research institution on the African continent, regardless of citizenship.

Can Nigerian researchers based outside Africa still apply through this fund?

No, not as the Africa-based lead. The African-side applicant must be based at an institution physically located on the continent. A Nigerian researcher based at a non-African institution would need to apply as the Cambridge-based lead instead, which requires being based at Cambridge itself.

Does the grant cover the salary of the researchers involved?

No. Neither the Workshop Grant nor the Research Catalyst Grant covers the salaries of either principal investigator. Budget for research, training, and related activity costs instead.

What’s the difference between the two grant types?

The Workshop Grant, worth up to £50,000, generally supports larger collaborative activities like joint workshops or training events. The Research Catalyst Grant, worth up to £20,000, is smaller seed funding intended to generate early findings that support a larger follow-on funding application.

Disclaimer: All fund details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of August 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official Cambridge-Africa Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the University of Cambridge or the Mastercard Foundation.

Official Application Portal