The following items comprise the components of the application:

Biographical Data

The first pages of the application ask for all of your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc. We also ask for a photograph, the details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities and identifying information from your mentors.

Research and Fellowship Plan

This section asks for a narrative description of your research and fellowship plan including your vision statement and reflections on leadership.  We also require a timetable for your fellowship be completed.

The 7-part essay is a critical component of the application packet. Students should take great care in developing their essay and address all four selection criteria. The essay must be written by the student with sources and references as appropriate.  Borlaug LEAP has a zero tolerance policy towards plagiarism and will immediately permanently disqualify any applicant that uses text or ideas without citing sources.

Each section of the essay should not exceed the space provided.  The topics are:

Personal Scientific Background and Vision Statement (approx. 800 word limit).  Describe your personal scientific background and vision for agriculture-led growth and food security in your home country, the relevance to development priorities and how you will apply the knowledge and experience gained from the fellowship to achieve that vision.  

Leadership (approx. 1000 word limit). Describe what leadership means to you and what experiences have informed your perspective.  Provide examples of past leadership experiences, how you believe you will lead and be a future leader and/or how you expect to develop your leadership skills.

Research Summary (approx. 1000 word limit).  Provide an abstract of your research and a summary of the importance and significance of your research.  Include the practical implications and development impacts you anticipate will result from your research.  Explain how your individual initiative and creativity shaped your thesis research.

Thesis Research (approx. 1000 word limit).  Provide a brief description of the research objectives, the methods and approach as well as the significance of the research.

Borlaug LEAP Fellowship Timetable. For your fellowship ONLY, provide a brief summary outline of your proposed plan of activity for each month of your fellowship, location of that activity and mentor(s) supervising the activity.

Plan of Activity, Narrative (approx. 1000 word limit). Describe a clear plan of activity for your fellowship at the CGIAR and/or US university. Include what will be achieved and how the fellowship will be integrated with, and will enhance your planned thesis research.

Mentoring Plan (approx. 500 word limit). Provide a description of and rationale for the linkages between your mentors and yourself -- the US university faculty, CGIAR scientist and the student.  Include the role of your mentors, what input they will provide in your research, and how you will coordinate with your thesis advisor (if different). 

Citations and Certifications

References/Citations.  If you have used ideas or borrowed information in your essay, be sure to cite your sources. The "citation" provides enough information that the reader can find the source and avoids plagiarism by acknowledging the original author. You can list all of your citations in the space provided or if you need more space, list the references/citations in the individual essay sections.

Certification.  By signing this document, you certify that the statements are true and the essays have been written by you and are an expression of your ideas and thoughts. Borlaug LEAP has a zero tolerance policy towards plagiarism and will immediately permanently disqualify any applicant that uses text or ideas without citing sources.

Supplemental applications and letters of support

The application package includes a supplemental application from the US mentor and the CGIAR mentor.  Three letters of reference and support are also required.  One letter from the US mentor, one letter from the CGIAR mentor and one letter from a developing country representative.

Supplemental Applications. One supplemental application from the US mentor and one supplemental application for the CGIAR mentor must be included in the application package.  The supplemental application provides a brief description of the mentors background and experiences related to the student's research work.  Each mentor must certify that they have read and approve the application being submitted by the student.

Letters of Reference and Support. Three letters of reference and support are required.  One letter from the US mentor, one letter from the CGIAR mentor and one letter from a developing country representative.  The reference letters play an important role in the review of your application.  The mentor letters should include the topics listed below:

• An assessment of the applicant’s character, leadership potential, creativity, communication skills, and ability to work across disciplines.
• An assessment of the student’s academic and professional potential.
• A description of the mentor’s role in the student’s research work.

The letter from the developing country leader should be from a university faculty member, national agricultural research center scientist or policymaker and should include:

• An assessment of the relevance of the student’s research to the development priorities of the country.

Budget

In this section the budget, budget justification and leverage form is completed. Please note the award must not exceed US$20,000 and every amount must be justified and compliant with US federal regulations. No institutional overhead or indirect costs are allowed on this award. Each budget must be accompanied by a budget narrative/justification. The budget justification is a detailed narrative description of the budget, identifying how costs were derived and the sources for the budget estimate.  Every cost must have a stated source. Funding will be allocated to the US institution where the US mentor is a faculty member and will be managed by the US institution. Funds cannot be used to pay tuition or salaries.

See the Budget FAQ for more information and review the detailed instructions on the budget form.

Leveraged Funding

The application package must include a description of leveraged funding, completed on the form provided. The Leveraged Funding form is for reporting cash or grant funds from outside sources and for reporting in-kind support. Leveraged funding is taken into consideration in the application review process.  It is not, however, considered official cost share or match.  The purpose of the leveraged funding form is to show additional funding sources that support, either directly or indirectly, the student's research.  Waived indirect costs should also be included on this form.