Research Grants Programme

  • Start Date:

  • Deadline:

  • Agency:
    The Leakey Foundation

The Office of Grants and Research (OGR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), invites eligible researchers to apply for the Research Grants Programme offered by the The Leakey Foundation. This programme supports multidisciplinary research on human origins, with a strong emphasis on advancing knowledge in fields related to human evolution.

Programme Overview
The Leakey Foundation Research Grants support exploratory and dissertation-level studies that contribute to understanding human origins and evolution. The programme encourages innovative, field-based, and laboratory-based research that integrates multiple disciplines to generate new insights into human ancestry and development.

Key Details

  • Funder: The Leakey Foundation

  • Funding Type: Research Grant

  • Maximum Funding: Up to USD 30,000 per project

  • Application Deadline: 15 July 2026

  • Eligible Applicants:

    • Early Career Researchers

    • Graduate Students / Pre-doctoral Researchers

    • Mid-career to Established Researchers

Eligibility

Applicants must demonstrate:

  • Engagement in research related to human origins

  • Strong academic or research background in relevant disciplines

  • Ability to carry out independent or supervised research projects

The programme supports researchers at various career stages, with a focus on fostering emerging scholars and early-career scientists.

Funding Scope

Grants may be used to support:

  • Fieldwork and exploratory studies

  • Dissertation research projects

  • Data collection, analysis, and related research activities

  • Equipment and materials necessary for research

  • Travel and logistical support for field-based work

Eligible Disciplines

The programme supports research across a wide range of fields, including:

  • Anthropology and Archaeology

  • Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology

  • Paleoanthropology and Paleontology

  • Primate Behavioural Ecology and Mammalogy

  • Genetics and Evolutionary Biology

  • Geology, Paleoclimatology, and Paleobotany

  • Anatomy, Morphology, and Prehistory

Strategic Focus Areas

  • Advancing knowledge of human evolution and origins

  • Supporting interdisciplinary research approaches

  • Promoting field-based scientific discovery

  • Strengthening early-career research capacity

How to Apply
Applicants should review the full guidelines and submit their proposals through the official portal:
https://leakeyfoundation.org/grant/research/

Applicants are expected to present a well-defined research proposal that demonstrates scientific merit, methodological rigor, and relevance to human origins research, with clear objectives and a feasible plan for execution.