Coffee was born in East Africa where the ‘mother’ countries did not have the resources to nurture it with research and development. As such, despite coffee’s economic status as the second most valuable global commodity (next to petroleum), there has been very little agronomic research on coffee to date, compared to all other global crops. For example, in maize, the world has well over 1,000 geneticists, however in coffee, there are fewer than 20!

The fact is that coffee, because it was born  in and grows in developing countries, is light-years behind in meaningful research and development that could increase its value to consumers and raise the status of the millions of families who depend on it for their livelihoods.

Are you a scientist interested in coffee or any other natural science? Do you reside in a developing country? The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) are offering the following opportunities for scientists to study in Brazil. Read the descriptions and visit the links provided for more information.

CNPq-TWAS Fellowships: Deadline: July 19, 2012

The fellowships offered by the CNPq-TWAS Fellowships programmes allow scientists from developing countries (other than Brazil) to study or do research in natural sciences in Brazil and then to return home to continue their careers. Submission period: Applications must be submitted between April 13th, 2012 (Friday) and July 19th, 2012 (Thursday) by 6 PM in Brasilia time zone (GMT -03:00). Click here to learn more>>

Organization for Women in Science 2012 Fellowships, Call for Applications

Applications are being accepted for the OWSD Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at Centres of Excellence in the South. The OWSD fellowship is awarded to women scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to pursue a PhD at a centre of excellence in the South in a field of the natural sciences. Applications are accepted from female scientists in all branches of the natural sciences. Click here to learn more>>

About TWAS: an autonomous international organization, founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, by a distinguished group of scientists from the South under the leadership of the late Nobel laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan. It was officially launched by the secretary-general of the United Nations in 1985. Learn more at http://twas.ictp.it/about

About CNPq: an organization of the Brazilian federal government under the Ministry of Science and Technology, dedicated to the promotion of scientific and technological research and to the formation of human resources for research in the country. Learn more at http://www.cnpq.br/