JRS is delighted to announce support to the Aspire Grant Program in partnership with the evidence-based Conservation Action Research Network (CARN).  JRS will support grants to 17 young African graduate students and early career professionals in Cameroon, Uganda and the Republic of Congo working in the areas of biodiversity, conservation and environmental sustainability.

The collaborative relationship with CARN follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2022 that will advance JRS’ mission to support capacity for informatics, field research and the use of biodiversity data to further conservation in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2014 CARN has offered critical support to young African scientists to pursue graduate research in science. ASPIRE grants have become a lifeline to training scientists and furthering conservation research in countries within the Congo Basin, one of the most critical ecosystems on Earth for sustaining biodiversity.

Aspire Grant project titles from previous award cycles have included a range of biodiversity research topics, such as:

• The contribution of bamboo to climate change mitigation and household livelihood improvement in Cameroon.
• Pollination network, floral scent specificity and overall floral trait diversity in three natural orchid communities in Cameroon.
• Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the perception of bats and sensitization of the communities in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, SE Cameroon.

You can read more about previous Aspire Grant awardees and projects here.